Updated on: December 6, 2025 / 9:25 PM EST / CBS/AP
Michael Annett, a former racecar driver who made 436 combined starts across NASCAR’s three national touring series, has died. He was 39.
JR Motorsports, one of Annett’s former teams, announced the news on social media Friday. No cause of death was announced.
NASCAR confirmed the news in a statement on its 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.”
Annett made 321 starts in the Xfinity Series, including 158 with JR Motorsports. JRM co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. signed Annett in 2017; the team called him “a key member of JRM from 2017 until he retired in 2021.”
His biggest NASCAR victory came in 2019 when he won the Xfinity season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR said a stress fracture in his leg sidelined him for parts of the 2021 season.
A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Annett was also a two-time winner in the ARCA Menards Series, triumphing at Talladega Superspeedway in 2007 and winning the series opener at Daytona in 2008.