ANNETT SCORES TOP-10 IN ARCA SPEEDWAY DEBUT
by: Michelle Petroff, TMC Racing

DES MOINES, IA (Aug 15) – Michael Annett and his TMC Transportation No. 32 team brought home an eighth-place finish in Saturday’s “Toyota ARCA 150” at Nashville Superspeedway. This event marked Annett’s second ARCA RE/MAX Series (ARS) career start and his first appearance at the Tennessee 1.33-mi venue. A regular competitor in the ASA Late Model Series’ Challenge Division, Annett partnered with Country Joe Racing for his impressive ARS debut at Iowa Speedway where the duo earned a podium finish and realigned with the veteran team yet again for his speedway debut in the Music City.

Annett posted the 13th quickest time on the board during practice but his Country Joe Racing team made calculated adjustments to the “Black & Chrome” Dodge Charger emblazoned with country music vocalist Danielle Peck’s new album cover prior to their qualifying run. The Hawkeye native, who earned the SIM Factory Pole award in his only other ARS attempt, hoped to repeat in his speedway debut. Annett once again sat atop the speed charts but was bested by two ARCA RE/MAX Series’ regulars and earned an impressive 3rd-place starting position.

“I was very excited with our qualifying performance,” commented Annett. “We opted to go a bit more conservative and left some speed on the table. With the competition as tough as it is in the ARCA RE/MAX Series, we wanted to start near the front but not be too aggressive since we knew that we unloaded a car capable of running up front. The fact that we arrived at a track for the first time and qualified third is a big compliment to the entire Country Joe Racing team.”

Annett’s statement was factual as the team prepared a very strong race car that consistently performed and never fell out of the top-10 during the 113 circuits around the concrete oval. Annett even moved into the top-5 before his TMC Transportation Dodge didn’t handle as well with changing track conditions and a set of scuffed tires during a pit stop.

In spite of a tight racecar, Annett still crossed the stripe with a strong top-10 finish and valuable on-track experience.

“This was only my second ARCA start but I have learned so much from each race, test and opportunity to talk with my team and others in the garage,” Annett added. “I am fortunate to work with a team that provides great cars and has a lot of experience. Unfortunately, in the later stages of the race, the car developed a tight condition and it may have partly been our decision to choose scuffed tires instead of a fresh set but that is always a tough gamble. Other than the tight condition, it was an awesome machine with a lot of horsepower. Competing on these speedways like Nashville is a new experience but one that I can definitely get used it! I had a lot of fun, still brought home a top-10 and believe I have a lot of new knowledge that will help me prepare for future speedway events. I am really looking forward to running with Country Joe Racing again at Gateway later this month.”

Michael Annett will return to the ASA Late Model Series’ Challenge Division at the Milwaukee Mile on August 25th, 2007, but will reunite with Country Joe Racing to pilot the No. 32 TMC Transportation Dodge Charger at Gateway International Raceway for the “ARCA RE/MAX 150” on August 31st, 2007. The event will be a companion event to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ “Illinois/Missouri Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200” and will be broadcasted live on SPEED at 8 p.m. CDT.