Motorsports

All the key moments from the 23XI/FRM vs. NASCAR trial

Published

22 hours ago

December 5, 2025

The 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports v NASCAR antitrust trial is raging on as the two sides do battle inside a North Carolina courtroom with the future of the sport likely to be reshaped by the outcome.

Here, you can find a recap of some of the most important and interesting moments from each day of the trial, with links back to more in-depth stories from our Senior NASCAR Editor Matt Weaver, who is inside the room as the trial unfolds.

Day 4 — NASCAR’s Steve O’Donnell and the ‘threat’ of SRX,

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The now defunct Superstar Racing Experience Series was at the heart of Day 4’s courtroom battle. In previously unsealed messages, NASCAR leadership made it clear that they saw SRX as a threat and took issue with their drivers/team owners taking part in the weekly series run by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart.

Team attorney Jeffrey Kessler tried to drive home the point that NASCAR reacted in a clear way to stifle SRX, which could be critical in how this case goes in the end. It could answer in part if NASCAR is using its position as a monopoly in the premier Stock Car racing space to harm competition or those operating in the space, like the teams.

NASCAR president Steve O’Donell was questioned by Kessler about the previously unsealed messages and NASCAR’s issue with SRX. While the Sanctioning Body was praised for returning beloved short tracks Bowman Gray and North Wilkesboro to the schedule, the trial has revealed that was at least partially motivated by the fact that SRX could beat them there. They also prevented Speedway Motorsports from hosting SRX events.

O’Donnell said NASCAR was in the middle negotiating a new broadcast rights agreement ‘and SRX started to look like NASCAR, so we said no.’ He added that ‘ NASCAR wanted to gain as much TV revenue for the teams and tracks as possible,” and that they were concerned SRX could hinder those efforts. They were frustrated that the drivers and teams didn’t appear to be ‘all in’ on NASCAR by their choice to compete in SRX.

O’Donnell was asked why he wanted NASCAR’s legal team to look at SRX, and he claimed it was simply IP infringement concerns. The existence of LIV Golf and how it challenged the hegemony of the PGA Tour, clearly rattled NASCAR leadership as they saw the possibility of something similar happening in stock car racing.

During one 2022 meeting, Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports asked Ben Kennedy, the great grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France and nephew to Jim, if “the family was open to a new financial model” to help the teams. Kennedy had told him ‘yes,’ but when Kessler asked O’Donnell if that was actually true, he said ‘no.

In February of 2023, O’Donnell said in an hand-written note: “I was hoping the future board would include the next generation and was hoping to see that change.” Jim France is 81, and O’Donnell believed the ‘legacy mindset’ in the NASCAR Board ‘inhibited growth.’

“Mr. France was the brick wall in the negotiations,” Kessler suggested to O’Donnell, when referring to those 2023 messages.

“Those are your words, not mine,” replied O’Donnell.

On Thursday, O’Donnell also revealed that NASCAR lost $55 million in running the Chicago Street Course for three years. However, NASCAR still says it was worth it, as “it was a strategic investment because if not for that, Amazon would not have become a broadcast partner.” NASCAR also said they lost $6 million by racing in Mexico City this year, but did so because it was important to Amazon, who kicked in an addition $1 million in race purse.

The day also included some more testimony from FRM team owner Bob Jenkins, who was cross-examined. Jenkins testified that it costs $20 million per car to race in the Cup Series, but NASCAR attorney Lawrence Buterman produced discovery documents that showed the most FRM ever spent on a Cup car was actually $14 million.

There was also some discussion about the proposed FRM/23XI merger from a few years back, with NASCAR attorneys trying to draw parallels between those failed negotiations and the ones between the teams and the Sanctioning Body over the 2025 Charter Agreement, where a deadline was imposed.

‘We can’t keep negotiating this forever,” Jenkins wrote in a text and that’s “…why we decided we had to have a deal by 5 p.m.” Jenkins pushed back against what NASCAR’s legal team was trying to do, saying “this is another one of your analogies that doesn’t work.”

There was also some concern at the end of the day that the trial wasn’t moving quick enough, with Judge Bell saying: “I get the impression that this is not moving along the way we all would like it to.” He encouraged both sides to speed it along, and said the jury is being subjected to redundancy ‘and they’re seeing a lot of trees and not a lot of forest.’ Both sides are cutting witnesses to speed it up, but Roger Penske is only available on Monday, and while that timeline is unlikely to work out, Judge Bell said Penske needs to be present whenever he’s needed.

Day 3 — Prime faces more questions, FRM owner Bob Jenkins takes the stand

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NASCAR’s Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Scott Prime was being cross-examined for the second day in a row. The exchanges between prime and team attorney Jeffrey Kessler was sometimes contentious, with the attorney even apologizing to Prime and the court for raising his voice at one point.

Kessler locked in on the goodwill provision in the 2025 Charter Agreement, which is basically a clause that prevents team owners from competing in another series or owning one without NASCAR approval. Kessler called it ‘anti-competitive will,’ which drew an objection from the NASCAR side. He also focused on the Next Gen car, trying to paint its intellectual property restrictions (as the parts are supplied by a third party) as a tool utilized to restrain trade and prevent competition.

Reacting to an email from NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps where he took a ‘take it or leave it’ attitude, Kessler said: “Only a monopolist has the power to say, ‘Take my offer and if you don’t take it, you will no longer be in this business, and someone else will take your place.’”

He was also questioned about NASCAR’s exclusivity agreement with tracks, but Prime tried to say that a rival series could race at other short tracks or street courses all around the country. Kessler did not accept that, and pushed back.

Kessler also took time to focus on the The Amanda (Oliver) Chart, which reflected a series of 22 asks made by the race teams and showed only a single ‘win’ for the teams as they negotiated with NASCAR. Prime had previously NASCAR’s September 6 a ‘gun to the head’ offer and Kessler seized on that moment in questioning him. One of the asks was for permanent charters, but NASCAR CEO Jim France was unwilling to go that route, despite Prime doing some work behind the scenes to make that happen.

After Prime’s lengthy testimony concluded, Bob Jenkins took the stand. He is the owner of Front Row Motorsports — the only team that stood with 23XI against NASCAR as the other 13 chartered organizations signed the eleventh hour agreement last September.

Jenkins noted that he loses $6.8 million per year and has never turned a profit under the race team banner. He doesn’t take a salary either. He went on to say that he spends $4.7 million per year on car components under the Next Gen model, and that the number was only $1.8 million under the previous generation of car.

When asked why do it then, Jenkins replied: “That sounds like something my wife would say. I just believe in it. It’s why I feel so strongly about changing this system. There are 150 employees at that race shop who believe in me to make this work.”

When asked about the September 6 deadline, Jenkins called it ‘insulting’ and ‘backwards’ as he recalled those critical hours. “There was a lot of passion, a lot of emotion, especially from Joe Gibbs, he felt like he had to sign it,” Jenkins said. “Joe Gibbs felt like he let me down by signing. Not a single owner said, ‘I was happy to sign it.’ Not a single one.”

Jenkins was asked how he could sue NASCAR for placing non-compete clauses in their schedule and charter contracts while placing non-compete clauses in his driver contracts. Hamlin faced the same question from NASCAR attorneys earlier in the trial, and the answer was similar, pointing out that drivers have options on who to sign with.

After court proceedings concluded for the day, Judge Bell took issue with NASCAR attorneys for violating his orders.

Day 2 — Hamlin faces tense cross-examination and NASCAR executive grilled

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Hamlin was grilled by NASCAR attorneys in a somewhat contentious back-and-forth. “We’re not a monopoly like you are,” Hamlin said multiple times while on the stand. Hamlin gave insight into his personal frustrations with France, saying it dates back to the 2022 banquet. “He told me directly the problem in NASCAR is that teams spend too much money,” recalled Hamlin, who says he was very ‘discouraged’ by how differently they viewed the financial landscape of the sport.

“Cutting is not growth. I can’t cut my costs in half. It’s not realistic,” asserted Hamlin. He verbally sparred with Lawrence Buterman as the attorney tried to poke holes in the claim that the teams were strapped for cash and struggling to make a profit.

We also learned that Hamlin makes $14 million per year with his current contract as a driver for Joe Gibbs Racing. When asked why he makes more than most drivers, Hamlin simply replied: “I am at the top of my game.”

Scott Prime is not usually front and center, but he was on Tuesday, December 2nd, as NASCAR’s Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer faced uncomfortable questions from Kessler, representing the teams. He was forced to try and explain the internal strife within NASCAR over the charter terms, and the fact that CEO Jim France seemed committed to imposing on teams after shutting down negotiations. There have been numerous unsealed communications that appear to show that France was the roadblock in granting team’s better terms.

Prime was also asked about a possible breakaway series and NASCAR’s efforts to block a potential CART/IRL split in the stock car racing world. He was also questioned about Project Gold Codes, which he described as a ‘contingency plan’ in case multiple charter holding teams boycotted races and/or didn’t sign the charter agreement in time for the 2025 Daytona 500.

Day 1 – Jury selection, opening statements and Hamlin testimony

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After jury selection, the trial officially began. Denny Hamlin, the co-owner at 23XI Racing and one of NASCAR’s top drivers, was the first witness to take the stand. However, he was only on the stand for 40 minutes with cross-examination from NASCAR’s legal team yet to commence.

There appeared to be a clear strategy of bringing up the fact that teams frequently compete with NASCAR for sponsorships, as Motorsport.com Senior NASCAR Editor Matt Weaver noted that Hamlin brought it up three times under questioning from his own attorney.

“First, I have to fend off the series,” Hamlin said. “If a new sponsor want to come in, NASCAR will go after them. I have to fight them. I have to fight other teams for them. I have to fight them for employees.”

Both sides also laid out their arguments to the assembled jury and repeated many of the key points that have been repeated throughout the course of this lawsuit. NASCAR attorney John E. Stephenson framed 23XI/FRM as attacking the charter system and that they only brought up claims of antitrust violations after refusing to sign the new agreement.

Kessler, representing the teams, prepared the groundwork to prove that there was a clear anti-competitive strategy orchestrated by NASCAR CEO Jim France. He showed eyebrow-raising text messages from NASCAR leadership to support his claims.

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Brad Keselowski posts touching tribute following death of Michael Annett

Published

1 hour ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The NASCAR community continues to grieve the loss of former driver Michael Annett, who passed away Friday at the age of 39. Among the many voices honoring his memory was former Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski.

He shared an emotional tribute on social media reflecting on Annett’s early promise and their time coming up together in the sport: “I remember this day vividly,” Keselowski wrote on X, harkening back to their time together in the ARCA Series. “Michael was an up and comer at the same time I was and he was looking really good.

“In the end, life took us different paths. All of us who knew him and the talent he had are sad to see him go, but glad he is no longer suffering.”

Keselowski’s message was one of the many heartfelt responses following news of Annett’s passing. The former JR Motorsports driver, perhaps best known for his 2019 Daytona victory in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, was remembered with deep admiration by NASCAR and JRM, both of which issued statements on Saturday.

“NASCAR is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former NASCAR driver Michael Annett,” the sport’s governing body’s statement read. “Michael was a respected competitor whose determination, professionalism, and positive spirit were felt by everyone in the garage. Throughout his career, he represented our sport with integrity and the passion of a true racer.”

JR Motorsports echoed those sentiments, highlighting the impact Annett had on the organization during his five seasons driving the No. 1 Chevrolet from 2017 through his retirement in 2021: “Michael was a key member of JRM from 2017 until he retired in 2021 and was an important part in turning us into the four-car organization we remain today,” the team stated. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Annett family.”

News of Annett’s death was first shared by Rising Star Management Group, his talent agency, which called him “a family member” and expressed deep sorrow on behalf of those closest to him. No cause of death has been revealed publicly.

A veteran across all three national NASCAR series, Annett made 106 Cup Series starts from 2014–2016 and carved out a respected career in the Xfinity ranks, where he earned his breakthrough Daytona win and built a reputation as a well-liked competitor in the garage. He retired after the 2021 season following complications from a right-leg injury.

As tributes continue to pour in, it’s clear Annett’s legacy extends far beyond his results on the track. He leaves behind a meaningful imprint on his teammates, competitors and fans.

Keselowski’s message made it evident, as a generation of drivers saw firsthand his talent and work ethic, and they recognize the unfortunate loss NASCAR is feeling at the moment. Thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

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Motorsports

Michael Annett, former NASCAR racing star, dies at 39

Published

1 hour ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Michael Annett, a former racecar driver who made 436 combined starts in NASCAR’s three national touring series, has died. He was 39.

JR Motorsports, one of Annett’s former teams, posted the news on social media on Friday. No cause of death was announced.

NASCAR also confirmed the death in a statement on their website, saying, “NASCAR is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former NASCAR driver Michael Annett,” and describing him as a “respected competitor, whose determination, professionalism, and positive spirit were felt by everyone in the garage.”

NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 — Michael Annett, on September 04, 2021 in Darlington, South Carolina.

Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images

According to NASCAR, Annett made 321 starts in the Xfinity Series, 158 of which came with JRM. JRM co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. signed Annett in 2017. The team said Annett was “a key member of JRM from 2017 until he retired in 2021.”

His career achievement came in 2019 when he won the series’ season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway. A stress fracture in his leg sidelined him for parts of the 2021 season, NASCAR said.

Annett, a native of Des Moines, Iowa, was also a two-time winner in the ARCA Menards Series. He won at Talladega Superspeedway in 2007 and then took the series opener at Daytona in 2008.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Tennessee Lottery 250 - Qualifying — Michael Annett at Nashville Superspeedway on June 19, 2021 in Lebanon, Tennessee.

Sarah Stier / Getty Images

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Motorsports

Michael Annett former NASCAR net worth and private life explained

Published

2 hours ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Michael Annett, the former NASCAR driver who died on December 5, 2025, left behind a respected career and a steady financial legacy. His net worth has become a major point of public interest following his passing at age 39. Early reports confirm his long racing career, family background, and limited public details about his private life.

JR Motorsports announced his death on December 5. They did not confirm a cause. Fans and colleagues across NASCAR expressed shock as the news spread. Annett had retired in 2021 after suffering a stress fracture in his right femur.

Michael Annett’s career and earnings overview

Annett competed in NASCAR from 2008 to 2021. He ran 436 national series races across the Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Truck Series. He earned his biggest career win in February 2019 when he won the Daytona Xfinity season opener. He also finished fifth in the 2012 NASCAR Xfinity standings.

Trusted outlets note that Xfinity veterans of his era often earned between 200,000 and 500,000 dollars per year, depending on results and bonuses. Annett also earned prize money from 321 Xfinity starts, 106 Cup Series races, and several ARCA and Truck Series appearances. His 2019 Daytona win paid a high six-figure purse.

Sponsorship played a key role in his financial stability. Flying J supported him for more than a decade. That long-term sponsorship contributed significantly to his earnings and allowed him to stay in competitive equipment. His career also included two ARCA wins in 2007 and 2008 before he moved into NASCAR full time.

Multiple financial trackers estimate that Annett’s net worth ranged from five to ten million dollars at the time of his death. This aligns with typical earnings for long-tenured drivers with consistent sponsorship backing and steady performance across major NASCAR divisions.

Annett retired in 2021. His retirement statement mentioned gratitude for his team relationships and the opportunities he received through motorsports. He later stepped away from the public spotlight.

Former NASCAR Driver Michael Annett cause of death

Private life details remain limited

There is little verified information about Annett’s private life. There are no official records confirming whether he was married. Social media speculation grew in 2013 about a reported relationship with Heidi Spillane after the pair were linked through an animal adoption story. However, this was never confirmed.

Annett was the son of Harold “Harrold” Annett, the founder of TMC Transportation. His father supported his racing career starting in his earliest racing stages. Harold passed away before Michael, leaving a family legacy tied to both business and motorsports.

Annett rarely discussed personal matters publicly. His private life was mostly separate from his racing identity, and he avoided major media attention off the track.

The racing community continues to honor Michael Annett’s life, career, and the steady presence he brought to NASCAR. His net worth, career milestones, and family connections form the final picture of a respected competitor whose legacy now stands complete.

FYI (keeping you in the loop)-

Q1: What was Michael Annett’s net worth?

Most estimates place his net worth between five and ten million dollars. This reflects his long NASCAR career and sponsorship-backed earnings.

Q2: How long did Michael Annett race in NASCAR?

He raced from 2008 to 2021. He competed in 436 national series events and won the 2019 Daytona Xfinity opener.

Q3: Did Michael Annett have a confirmed spouse?

No confirmed reports exist. His private life was not publicly documented, and speculation from 2013 was never verified.

Q4: What caused Michael Annett’s retirement?

He retired in 2021 due to a stress fracture in his right femur. The injury prevented him from completing a full season.

Q5: What team announced his passing?

JR Motorsports confirmed his death on December 5, 2025. They did not provide a cause of death.

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Motorsports

Michael Annett, who made 436 combined starts in NASCAR’s 3 national touring series, dies at 39

Published

2 hours ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Michael Annett, a former racecar driver who made 436 combined starts in NASCAR’s three national touring series, has died. He was 39. JR Motorsports, one of…

MOORESVILLE, N.C.(AP) — Michael Annett, a former racecar driver who made 436 combined starts in NASCAR’s three national touring series, has died. He was 39.

JR Motorsports, one of Annett’s former teams, posted the news on social media on Friday. No cause of death was announced.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Annett family with the passing of our friend Michael Annett,” the team wrote. “Michael was a key member of JRM from 2017 until he retired in 2021 and was an important part in turning us into the four-car organization we remain today.”

According to NASCAR, Annett made 321 starts in the Xfinity Series, 158 of which came with JRM.

In 2019, Annett won the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway in the No. 1 JRM Chevrolet for his only win at the national level.

Annett, a native of Des Moines, Iowa, was also a two-time winner in the ARCA Menards Series. He won at Talladega Superspeedway in 2007 and then took the series opener at Daytona in 2008.

“NASCAR is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former NASCAR driver Michael Annett,” the racing body said in a statement. “Michael was a respected competitor whose determination, professionalism, and positive spirit were felt by everyone in the garage. Throughout his career, he represented our sport with integrity and the passion of a true racer. NASCAR extends its condolences to Michael’s family and many friends.”

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

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Motorsports

The Weirdest NASCAR Truck Series Season Nobody Talks About

Published

2 hours ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NASCAR during the early 2010s was a desert for young talent. With all-time bad Cup Series ROTYs like Stephen Leicht, Andy Lally, and Kevin Conway. Due to bushwhacking and teams being comfy with their veterans, leading them not to want to develop talent. Doesn’t mean there was no talent.

A Window Into A World That Never Was

Looking at the standings and many of the winners shows a plethora of young talents who never lived up to their full potential. Starting with the very first winner of the year, John King. Now, King wasn’t a young talent wasted but a guy who was lucky to be there at all.

Before 2012, the man from Kingsport, Tennessee, made only seven starts in the NASCAR Truck Series for three different owners, with his best finish on debut. So, a lot of people were shocked when a top-tier team, Red Horse, signed him for 2012.

And he would really shock people when, in his first ever race at a superspeedway, he would win his first ever NASCAR race after he accidentally hooked Sauter to set up a final restart where Joey Coulter, going flying into the catchfence, would end things under yellow.

King would go from leading the NASCAR Truck Series standings for two weeks to being fired midseason for underperformance and a lack of sponsorship. He never went full-time, instead picking up PT rides. Many at Daytona, where he never could recapture that magic he had in 2012.

Then There Was Justin Lofton, Cale Gale, and Eddie Sharp Racing

A what-if driver and a what-if team for the price of one. Lofton was the 2009 ARCA champion, holding off another 2012 NASCAR truck winner and what-if driver Kligerman, who won nine races that ARCA season.But entering 2012, while Lofton had shown flashes of speed in NASCAR, he’d still been fired by top truck teams like Red Horse and Germain before being picked up by Eddie Sharp Racing.

2012 looked to be a massive year for the team after being outbid by KHI, another top truck team. And it looked like they’d be a top NASCAR truck when Lofton won at Charlotte on pure speed, beating Cup driver Keselowski.Then, in the finale with the ESR No.33, Cale Gale, an RCR development driver, also beat Keselowski in a memorable photo finish.

But all these promises would go unfilled. ESR, due to the expansion to four trucks, would shut down after 2013 due to financial constraints. And neither Lofton nor Gale would go full-time in any NASCAR series again. Both are remembered as busts.

Now for Nelson Piquet Jr.

Piquet Jr. will not be remembered most for anything he did in NASCAR but for the “crashgate” scandal in F1 where Renault told the Brazilian to crash on purpose to give teammate Alonso a strategic advantage, which led to him winning that GP.

His NASCAR career is underrated, though, as his 2012 season showed. After he was rejected by F1 and left amid a scandal, he crossed that massive pond and went into NASCAR. In his second full-time truck, he improved from his tenth-place points finish to seventh, winning two races.

At Michigan and Las Vegas, two oval trucks. Making him one of the few drivers who started racing out in road course-based series to come over to NASCAR and win at any oval. Something not like what Montoya, Ambrose, or currently SVG has done.

He even won at Road America in the Nationwide Series in 2012, his only Nationwide Series win. In 2013, he went full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with his NASCAR Truck Series team, Turner Scott. He didn’t win in 2013, and not only would he never be full-time in NASCAR again, but he would do only one Cup Series start in 2014.

Bonus Round: The 2012 Truck Series Champion: James Buescher

But the weirdest thing to look back on is, of course, that year’s champion. James Buescher also won the opening NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona that year. And went on to compete in four NASCAR Truck Series races in 2012, winning the championship.

He returned to the NASCAR Truck Series in 2013 and finished third in the points standings after winning two races. But after his full-time season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2014 with RAB, his career would dissipate, and today he’s made a career for himself in real estate.

A lack of funding, plus his truck and nationwide series team, Turner Scott, peaking at this time, before overambition and internal politics kill the team from within. It meant that James’s garage connections were useless, and nobody wanted to give the young talent a chance without sponsorship backing.

Final Thoughts

Something that’s even more awkward to remember when seeing his cousin Chris Buescher winning in the Cup Series. As he’s an Xfinity and ARCA Series champion with a top ride, he’s shown he’s a top-ten or better driver in the top division of NASCAR. Emphasizing how much untapped potential we can see from this one truck series season alone, thanks a bunch for reading!

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NASCAR, JR Motorsports release statements following death of Michael Annett

Published

3 hours ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The NASCAR community is mourning the loss of former driver Michael Annett. He passed away Friday at the age of 39.

Annett, the winner at Daytona in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2019 and a veteran across all three national NASCAR levels, was remembered with heartfelt statements from both NASCAR and JR Motorsports. His loss is weighing on the two organizations.

NASCAR issued a statement Saturday morning, expressing deep sadness over Annett’s passing, honoring both his competitive spirit and the way he carried himself throughout his career: “NASCAR is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former NASCAR driver Michael Annett,” NASCAR’s statement read, via FOX’s Bob Pockrass.

“Michael was a respected competitor whose determination, professionalism, and positive spirit were felt by everyone in the garage. Throughout his career, he represented our sport with integrity and the passion of a true racer. NASCAR extends its condolences to Michael’s family and many friends.”

Annett spent five seasons driving the No. 1 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, from 2017 through his retirement in 2021. The team credited him with helping build the foundation of the organization as it stands today.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Annett family with the passing of our friend Michael Annett,” JR Motorsports’ statement read. “Michael was a key member of JRM from 2017 until he retired in 2021 and was an important part in turning us into the four-car organization we remain today.”

News of Annett’s death was first shared by his talent agency, Rising Star Management Group, which wrote, “We are sad to have lost a family member. Michael Annett will always be in our hearts. Our thoughts are with the Annett family at this time. Rest in peace MA.” No cause of death has been released in the time since.

Annett had an impressive career, making 106 Cup Series starts between 2014 and 2016 and spending the majority of his NASCAR career in what was formerly called the Xfinity Series. His 2019 Daytona victory marked the biggest moment of his time in the sport, punctuating a career defined by perseverance and respect within the garage.

He stepped away after the 2021 season, due to complications from a right-leg injury that sidelined him late that year. The Xfinity Series paid tribute as well, writing, “We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of former Xfinity Series driver Michael Annett at the age of 39. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Annett family in this difficult time.”

As you can tell, Annett was a respected competitor, loyal teammate and universally liked figure in the motorsports world. He leaves behind a lasting impact across the NASCAR community, and thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

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