Michael Annett
NASCAR Driver Dead at 39
Published
Former NASCAR driver Michael Annett has reportedly died.
Annett’s death was announced by his former team, JR Motorsports, on Friday. He drove for them between 2017 and 2021, when he retired. NASCAR.com also confirmed the sad news.
I remember this day vividly. 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 and all of us who knew him and the talent he had are sad to see him go, but glad he is no longer suffering. #RipMichael https://t.co/2imAJrMFM9
— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) December 6, 2025
@keselowski
It is not clear how he died, but his fellow former NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski said on X he’s “glad he is no longer suffering.”
Annett made his Xfinity Series debut in 2008 and went full-time in 2009, making a total of 321 starts during his celebrated career. His skills awarded him 3 years in the sport’s top racing level — the NASCAR Cup Series, where he drove for Turner Scott Motorsports between 2014 and 2016.
He joined JRM in 2017 and made 158 Xfinity Series starts with them, taking home the W at the series’ season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway in 2019.
He was sidelined for part of the 2021 season due to a stress fracture, which would end up being his last season.
Before becoming a pro stock-car racer, Annett played defense for the Tier I junior ice hockey team Waterloo Black Hawks.
Michael was 39.
RIP