NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Michael Annett found himself out of a ride earlier this month when Rusty Wallace Inc. announced that it was suspending its racing operations for the foreseeable future. He wasn’t out of a ride for long, though, before he was picked up by Richard Petty Motorsports to drive a No. 43 Ford for the organization’s newly-formed NNS team.
“They say that when one door closes, another door opens, and that is most definitely true,” Annett said. “We were left scrambling a bit because of the situation with RWI and were unsure what the future held, but I couldn’t be happier with the way things have turned out. To have the chance to race for Richard Petty and to be under the RPM umbrella is amazing. It has all come together really quickly, but together with Pilot Flying J and Ford, this is the best opportunity I have ever had to race a Nationwide Series car. There’s a lot to be done before we get to Daytona in a few weeks, and I can’t wait to dive in and get started.
Annett arrives at RPM with sponsor, Pilot Flying J, in hand. Pilot Flying J was the primary sponsor on the No. 62 car he drove to a ninth-place finish in the driver points standings and seven top-10 race finishes in 2011 while with RWI.
Annett has 13-career top-10 finishes in 105 starts in the Nationwide Series. In three full seasons, he has finished in the top-10 in points twice. Prior to a one-year stint at RWI, Annett drove a Nationwide car for Germain Racing.
“This has been an exciting couple of months for Richard Petty Motorsports,” car owner Richard Petty said. “We are looking forward to getting back into the Nationwide Series full-time and seeing what Michael Annett can do in an RPM Ford Mustang. Michael has improved every season he has raced in the Nationwide Series and has the dedication and drive to be a success.”
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