Motorsports

Ex-NASCAR driver dead at 39 as JR Motorsports issues statement – Motorsport – Sports

Published

2 hours ago

December 6, 2025

JR Motorsports has confirmed the death of former driver Michael Annett.

On Friday, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s NASCAR team, JR Motorsports (JRM), announced that Annett, the 39-year-old former driver for the team, had died. Annett had spent time driving in the Cup Series, Xfinity Series — now called the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series — and Truck Series.

In October 2021, Annett announced he would retire from full-time competition at the end of the 2021 season. The news of Annett’s death comes days after JRM revealed a new color scheme honoring the late Dale Earnhardt Sr.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Annett family with the passing of our friend Michael Annett,” JRM’s statement on social media began. “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 Xfinity Racing X account also posted on Annett’s passing, 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.”

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Drivers from throughout the various levels of NASCAR also posted their condolences after hearing the news of the 39-year-old’s death. “RIP Michael Annett — I was on the radio with him at Hawkeye Downs Speedway the first time he drove a big car on asphalt. Life is precious,” Landon Cassill posted on X.

Front Row Motorsports’ Noah Gragson added: “Love you diesel Mike. Will always cherish my time with you buddy!” Ricky Stenhouse Jr. also posted: “Sad to get the news of Big Mikes passing. Raced each other for a long time coming up through ARCA together. Spent a lot of days in the gym together before he retired.”

Zachary Tinkle, a driver in the ARCA Menards Series East, posted a lengthy message on social media, recalling memories of the recently passed Annett. “Saddened to hear of the loss of Michael Annett tonight, gone way too soon,” Tinkle’s post on X began. “I’d like to send my thoughts and prayers to the Annett family during this difficult time.

“I will always fondly remember seeing those Pilot / Flying J colors Michael had on his car on the racetrack growing up as one of my favorite cars to see on the Nationwide/Xfinity series track every week, and watching live to see Michael finally break through to win at Daytona. You will be missed by everyone in the NASCAR family, Rest In Peace, Michael.”

NASCAR star Matt Tifft added: “Thoughts and prayers with Michael Annetts family and friends tonight, one of the nicest guys in the garage.”

Annett’s cause of death is currently unknown.

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Michael Annett, former NASCAR winner has passed at age 39

Published

1 hour ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

JR Motorsports has issued a statement

Former NASCAR driver Michael Annett has passed away.

Annett climbed from the ARCA Menards Series to the NASCAR Cup Series. He ran with JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series from 2017-2021.

He was a Daytona winner with JR Motorsports. He won the season opener in the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

He also spent three years in the NASCAR Cup Series. He raced for Tommy Baldwin Racing (2014), HScott Motorsports (2015), Hillman-Circle Sport LLC (2015) and H Scott Motorsports (2016).

Annett was 39 years old.

At this time, there is no further information on his death.

JR Motorsports statement

JR Motorsports posted the following on Friday night:

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Annett family with the passing of our friend Michael Annett,” JR Motorsports posted.

The team added, “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.”

Annett suffered a leg injury and retired following the 2021 season.

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Lando Norris pips Max Verstappen to go quickest in FP1

Published

2 hours ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Lando Norris went quickest in opening practice for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on the weekend that he could claim his maiden Formula 1 world championship.

The McLaren driver set a 1m24.485s on used soft tyres, which meant he pipped second-placed Max Verstappen who is also his nearest challenger in the championship.

Norris will become champion should he claim a podium on Sunday, as he is 12 points above the Red Bull driver and 16 ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri who was one of nine drivers to sit out first practice.

That’s because F1 rules dictate that drivers must skip at least two FP1s during the season and give their seat to a driver with no more than two grand prix starts.

IndyCar star Pato O’Ward therefore took Piastri’s place and he was one of nine rookies to contest opening practice at Yas Marina Circuit, which was hot and sunny for the final weekend of the 2025 campaign.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images

With it being the season finale, all cars were quick to enter the track during the opening five minutes, and it was Verstappen who set the early pace with a 1m27.130s on the hard tyre.

This was 0.038s quicker than runner-up George Russell on the same rubber, though not everybody started on the hards with O’Ward using soft tyres and several others – including Norris – opting for the mediums.

Such variety took place during an opening 30 minutes that was dictated by track evolution, as various names greeted the top of the leaderboard from Norris to Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar – who this week was announced as Verstappen’s Red Bull 2026 team-mate.

It was only until the halfway mark when drivers converged onto the softs that the usual frontrunners rose to the top. Verstappen was first to do so, breaking the 1m25s barrier with a 1m24.493s on his opening soft tyre run, 0.026s quicker than Norris and 0.074s above third-placed Charles Leclerc.

The championship top two would then trade positions as Norris pipped the four-time world champion by 0.008s with a lap time that would subsequently go unbeaten.

That’s because several cars went back onto the other compounds, including Verstappen with the hards, to complete their long-run programmes in a dramaless end to FP1.

Arthur Leclerc was one of nine rookies in action in FP1

Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images

So, the leaderboard largely remained as it was following the short soft-tyre window, as Leclerc completed the top three with a 1m24.501s, 0.016s behind Norris, but still complained of no grip and being “so slow”.

Mercedes teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli was then 0.123s off the Monegasque in fourth with Nico Hulkenberg completing the top five. Russell was sixth in the sister Mercedes, 0.248s off the pace and one spot above Hulkenberg’s team-mate Bortoleto in a strong showing for Sauber, which will enjoy its final race before becoming Audi.

The top seven times were all set on the soft tyre, and it was Oliver Bearman in eighth who went quickest on the mediums, as he completed a 1m24.759s for Haas.

Carlos Sainz and Franco Colapinto then rounded up the top 10, meaning all nine rookies finished in the bottom half of the order.

Endurance world champion Ryo Hirakawa was quickest of the nine with a 1m24,934s, ahead of Paul Aron (13th), O’Ward (14th), Arvid Lindblad (15th), Arthur Leclerc (16th), Ayumu Iwasa (17th), Luke Browning (18th), Jak Crawford (19th) and Cian Shields (20th).

F1 Abu Dhabi GP – FP1 results

Photos from Abu Dhabi GP – Practice

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

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Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Paul Aron, Alpine F1, Arthur Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Alexandra Saint Mleux

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

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Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

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Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

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Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

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Viking Motorsports Expands to Two-Car Operation for 2026 Season – Speedway Digest

Published

2 hours ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Viking Motorsports announced today that the organization will expand to a two-car NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series program for the 2026 season. The team will field the newly established No. 96 Chevrolet, driven by Anthony Alfredo, with Josh Graham — who previously worked with Alfredo earlier in his career — returning as his crew chief as the pair reunite for another competitive run together.

This expansion marks a major step in the team’s evolution as Viking Motorsports enters its second full-time season at the national level. The move underscores the organization’s commitment to continued growth, performance, and long-term competitiveness.

Team owner Don Sackett expressed his enthusiasm for the team’s next phase:

“Expanding to a second full-time car is a major moment for our organization. Anthony brings experience, professionalism, and a tremendous work ethic that aligns perfectly with where Viking Motorsports is heading. Reuniting him with Josh gives us a strong foundation for this new team. Their chemistry, trust, and history together will help accelerate our growth and elevate our entire program.”

Alfredo, who joins Viking Motorsports with multiple years of NASCAR national series experience, is eager to reteam with Graham.

“I’m fired up to join Viking Motorsports and drive the No. 96 Chevrolet in 2026. Having the chance to work with Josh again is something I’m really excited about — we’ve had success together, and I know what we can accomplish as a team. You can see how much Viking is building and investing in its future. Being part of their expansion to a two-car program is a big opportunity, and I can’t wait to get going.”

The team will announce primary and associate partners for the No. 96 Chevrolet in the coming weeks.

Viking Motorsports PR

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Mark Martin is worried about the NASCAR lawsuit hurting the sport

Published

3 hours ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

“I’m worried about our sport. I want it to thrive.”

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are currently suing NASCAR for alleged antitrust violations. The trial began on Monday and they have been in court every day this week.

There’s been a lot of news to come out of the trial. Both NASCAR and the teams involved have egg on their face as private messages surface in court.

Richard Childress is considering legal action against NASCAR he was called a ‘redneck’

The trial is expected to last just a few weeks. However, the loser will likely appeal, dragging this case on for a lengthy amount of time.

A settlement could bring it all to a stop. Settlement discussions took place leading up to Monday’s opening in court but the two sides were unable to reach an agreement.

All of this has Mark Martin worried…

NASCAR team owner says he’s lost $100M in the sport

Mark Martin comments

“This lawsuit is devastating to the sport we love. I really hope we as fans come out of this better off, but I just don’t see a pathway that leads us to that,” Mark Martin stated via X.

He added, “I’m worried about our sport. I want it to thrive.”

He’s not alone. Earlier this year, Brad Keselowski noted that this lawsuit was the greatest threat to the sport.

Brad Keselowski says the NASCAR lawsuit is a threat to the sport

Before the trial began, Judge Kenneth Bell encouraged both sides to come to an agreement before trial. He noted that otherwise, both sides would be “burning the house down”.

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‘Built on Legacy’: Carolina Carports unveils race car honoring Earnhardt | News

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3 hours ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

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Michael Jordan — ‘Someone had to step forward and challenge’ NASCAR

Published

4 hours ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Retired NBA great Michael Jordan took the stand in the landmark NASCAR antitrust case and testified Friday that he has been a fan of the stock car series since he was a child but felt he had little choice but to sue to force changes in a business model he sees as shortchanging teams and drivers risking their lives to keep the sport going.

Jordan testified before a packed courtroom for an hour. His celebrity drew quips from the judge and even a defense attorney as he outlined why the team he co-owns, 23XI, had joined Front Row Motorsports in going to court against the top auto racing series in the United States.

“Someone had to step forward and challenge the entity,” soft-spoken Jordan told the jury. “I sat in those meetings with longtime owners who were brow-beaten for so many years trying to make change. I was a new person, I wasn’t afraid. I felt I could challenge NASCAR as a whole. I felt as far as the sport, it needed to be looked at from a different view.”

Jordan’s highly anticipated appearance followed dramatic testimony from Heather Gibbs, the daughter-in-law of race team owner Joe Gibbs, about the chaotic six-hour period in which teams had to sign an extension or forfeit the charters that guarantee revenue week to week throughout NASCAR’s 38-race season.

“The document was something in business you would never sign,” said Heather Gibbs, who is also a licensed real estate agent. “It was like a gun to your head: If you don’t sign, you have nothing.”

Charters are the equivalent of the franchise model used in other sports, and NASCAR guarantees every chartered car a spot in every race, plus a defined payout from the series. The system was created in 2016, and, during the two-plus years of bitter negotiations on an extension, teams begged for the renewable charters to be made permanent for revenue stability.

When NASCAR refused to make them permanent and gave the teams six hours in September 2024 to sign the 112-page extension, 23XI and Front Row Motorsports were the only two organizations out of 15 to refuse. They instead filed the antitrust suit, and the trial opened Monday to hear their allegations that NASCAR is a monopolistic bully. 23XI is co-owned by Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row is owned by fast food franchiser Bob Jenkins.

Jordan testified that 23XI bought a third charter late in 2024 for $28 million even with all the uncertainty.

“I’m pretty sure they know I love to win,” the six-time NBA champion said. “Denny convinced me getting a third driver improved our chances to win, so I dove in.”

Like other witnesses this week, Jordan described a NASCAR that refused to discuss options or potential changes to the charter system, which he supports. He was asked why 23XI didn’t sign the extensions last fall.

“One, I didn’t think it was economically viable. Two, it said you could not sue NASCAR; that was an antitrust violation, I felt. Three, they gave us an ultimatum I didn’t think was fair to 23XI,” Jordan said, adding: “I wanted a partnership, and permanent charters wasn’t even a consideration. The pillars that the teams wanted, no one on the NASCAR side even negotiated or compromised. They were not even open-minded to welcome those conversations, so this is where we ended up.”

Jordan referred to the NBA business model, which shares approximately half its revenue with players, far more than NASCAR.

“The revenue split was far less than any business I’ve ever been a part of. We didn’t think we’d ever get to what basketball was getting, but we wanted to move in that direction,” he said. “The thing I see in NASCAR that I think is absent is a shared responsibility of growth as well as loss.”

Jordan said he owns 60% of 23XI and has invested $35 million to $40 million in the team. Jenkins testified earlier this week that he has never turned a profit since launching his NASCAR team in the early 2000s and estimates he has lost $100 million even while winning the Daytona 500 in 2021.

Heather Gibbs earlier told the jury how she became co-owner of Joe Gibbs Racing the day after her husband, Coy, unexpectedly died in his sleep the same night their son Ty won NASCAR’s second-tier Xfinity Series championship in 2022. Coy Gibbs had moved into a leadership role with JGR following the death of his older brother, J.D., in 2019.

Because Joe Gibbs had lost both his sons and had built the team as a legacy for his family, his daughter-in-law took an active role in the organization and personally participated in negotiations for the charter extensions. When NASCAR made its final offer at 6 p.m. on a Friday with just hours to sign, the agreement did not include permanent charters. Gibbs testified that the Gibbs organization was devastated.

“Everything was going so fast, the legacy of Coy, the legacy of J.D., everyone at JGR was very upset,” she told the jury. She said her father-in-law called NASCAR chairman Jim France pleading for a resolution.

“Joe said, ‘Jim, you can’t do this,'” she said. “And Jim was done with the conversation.”

Heather Gibbs said she had to leave to take her son to a baseball game in Chapel Hill and left worried about her father-in-law, who was 84 at the time.

“I left him sitting in the dark, listening to his blood sugar monitors going off,” she testified. “We decided we had to sign. We can’t lose everything. I did not think it was a fair deal to the teams.”

Joe Gibbs is an NFL Hall of Fame coach as well as a Hall of Fame NASCAR owner. He led the Washington football team to three Super Bowl titles, and JGR has won five Cup Series championships. JGR has 450 employees, has charters for four Cup cars and relies solely on outside sponsorship and investors to keep the team afloat. The team will mark its 35th season next year, and Heather Gibbs told the jury that JGR needs permanent charters to protect its investment in NASCAR.

“It’s the most important point, a permanent place in their history books,” she testified. “It is absolutely vital to the teams for us to know we have security, it can’t be taken away, to know what we’ve invested in is ours.”

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