ANNETT RETURNS FOR ASA CHALLENGE FINALE FOLLOWING TALLADEGA WIN
by: Michelle Petroff, TMC Racing

WEST DES MOINES, IA (Oct. 30) – Sophomore ASA Late Model Series’ “Challenge Division” driver Michael Annett is looking for a strong conclusion to his 2007 stockcar season. Annett, 21, of West Des Moines, IA, has earned three podium finishes, four Top-5s and eight Top-10 honors in the eleven series’ starts this season. But the young Hawkeye native will return to his #12 black chrome TMC Racing Ford Fusion team with added momentum following a historic win at Talladega Superspeedway earlier this month.

Annett supplemented his hectic ASA schedule with a handful of ARCA RE/MAX Series events. The rising star’s series’ debut at nearby Iowa Speedway was nothing short of impressive as he won SIM Factory Pole honors and a podium finish. He backed that performance up with a pair of track debuts at Nashville (8th) and Gateway (6th) before aligning with NASCAR’s Bill Davis Racing for his superspeedway debut at the historic 2.5-mi Talladega Superspeedway. Michael dominated the event in his BDR-fielded No. 28 Pilot Travel Centers Toyota Camry and earned his first career win in only his fourth start and the first ever ARCA RE/MAX Series’ win for Toyota.

The TMC Racing team hopes to carry momentum from that performance forward to their final stockcar event of the season at this weekend’s “Adam Petty Memorial/All-American 200” at the Music City Motorplex. ASALMS teams will converge on the high-banks of the 0.596-mi oval for the capstone of the series’ fifth anniversary season.

"I am really looking forward to the race at Nashville, it's always good when we return to tracks that we have been to before and know the characteristics of the track," commented Annett. "We finished 8th there in the spring and recently had a really good test session and are carrying some momentum into this race. It is an honor to race at Music City because it is is a historic track and we would really like to take home the guitar. Our team has really grown into a strong force and has worked well together throughout this season so I believe that it could be in the cards to reward all of that effort with a win. It would be even better because we are fortunate enough to have a large group of guests from Benson International at the track to conclude the ASALMS season.”

Rich Lushes, crew chief of Annett’s No. 12, echoed the sentiments of his driver. “When you think about short track racing there is one race track that is hands down the best and that track is Music City. Every time when we get to the fairgrounds you understand how much history is there - racing legends like the Waltrips, Allisons and Pettys have raced here. Our team prepared a great race car for this race, we had a very strong test there and Michael has a lot of confidence after his huge win at Talladega. So to say that I am very excited to go to Nashville is an understatement. We are just hoping that Michael is taking guitar lessons.”

ASALMS ARP Bodies/Aluminum Racing Products Qualifying will kick off at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 3rd, 2007, with the green flag scheduled to drop for the “Adam Petty Memorial/All-American 200” series’ finale at 6:15 p.m. More information and complete event information can be found online at http://www.asalatemodels.com  and event tickets are still available via http://www.musiccitymotorplex.com  or calling the Music City Motorplex directly at (615) 726-1818.


Michael Annett’s #12 Ford Fusion carries sponsorship from TMC Transportation – The Leader in Open Freight Services, Allstate Peterbilt Group, Marmon Highway Technologies, Benson International, Northland Motor Oils & Lubricants, Pilot Travel Centers, Reliance Supply, Bell Helmets and Sparco.