Driver Bio
Birth Date: 6/23/1986
Hometown: Des Moines, IA
Residence: Greensboro, NC
Height / Weight: 5'11" / 165lbs
Marital Status: Single
Hobbies: Cycling, Working Out, Boating/Jet-Skiing
Born and raised in America's heartland, 21 year-old Michael Annett dreamed of a career as a professional athlete. The talented Des Moines (IA) native had a natural talent for ice hockey and quickly advanced through the ranks. Annett caught the eye of regional and national talent scouts and joined a tier one AAA team, Team Illinois, at the age of 16 and led them to the 2002 Calgary Mac's AAA Hockey Tournament Championship.
After a successful season with Team Illinois as the league's leader in penalty minutes, Annett joined the Waterloo (IA) Black Hawks in the United States Hockey League (USHL) and earned honors as the 2004 USHL's "Most Improved Player". The Hawkeye native remained with the team for two seasons and earned a Clark Cup Championship. At the conclusion of the 2005 season, Annett opted to hang up his hockey skates for a steering wheel.
While time on the rink was a natural fit for Annett, so was life in the fast lane. Michael was born into a family with a rich heritage in auto racing and attended his first race, the famed Knoxville Nationals, on the same day that he was born. The family business, TMC Transportation, made headlines for several years as owner and primary sponsor for World of Outlaws' legend Sammy Swindell and Annett entered the racing scene as the new face of the "Black and Chrome" division (a name given to the TMC racing enterprises).
Michael Annett entered events on two tours of the ASA Late Model Series – the North Division and the top-ranking Challenge Division – with a TMC Transportation emblazoned No. 12. Annett showed great promise while competing against both veterans and touted young development drivers during his rookie season. He earned an impressive Top-10 ranking in the ASALMS' Northern Division Championship point standings out of 123 entered competitor as he boasted several Top-5 finishes and one Fast Qualifier award. And in his first ever Challenge Division start at nearby Iowa Speedway, Annett thrilled hometown fans with a strong third place performance.
For the 2007 season, the TMC Racing Team returned to the ASALMS' Challenge Division and committed to the full tour. While most racetracks were debut performances for Michael, the team achieved great success. The No. 12 TMC Transportation/Benson International/Pilot Travel Centers/Allstate Peterbilt/Northland Oil Ford Fusion team finished 7th in the championship standings out of 137 participants and earned Top-5 finishes in 33% of all starts and a Top-10 showing in 67% of events. But Michael Annett's name became synonymous with speed in 2007 because of his instant success on the ultra-competitive NASCAR proving ground of the ARCA RE/MAX Series.
Carrying his familiar black & gold TMC Transportation colors, Annett united with Minnesota's Country Joe Racing for three starts. His series' debut came at Iowa Speedway where he had a podium finish in the ASALMS. The hometown favorite again impressed the Hawkeye crowd with top speeds and a SIM Factory Pole Award and third place finish. The young driver enhanced his résumé with a pair of 3rd place qualifying efforts and Top-10 finishes while making track debuts at Nashville Superspeedway and Gateway International Raceway. However, Annett's crowning glory came at his debut on the hallowed straight-aways of the largest track on the tour – the famed Talladega Superspeedway. Partnering with NASCAR's Bill Davis Racing and carrying the colors of loyal sponsor Pilot Travel Centers, the 21 year-old Iowan led the most laps en route to a historic win under the watchful eye of veteran crew chief Tommy Baldwin, Jr. In only four series' career starts, Michael Annett visited Victory Lane and was the first person in series' history to put a Toyota there as well.
During the off-season prior to the start of 2008 racing action, Annett left his familiar surroundings in Iowa and moved to North Carolina after inking a multi-year agreement with Bill Davis Racing to participate in the ARCA RE/MAX Series' speedway events, a select number of races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and participate in a rigorous testing program. Proving his intent to remain a potent force on racetracks for years to come, Annett silenced skeptics with another dominating win in the Pilot Travel Centers No. 28 Toyota Camry at the season opening event at Daytona International Speedway. With wins at two of the most prominent American racetracks, Michael Annett is destined to become one of the names mentioned for many years to come.