Michael Annett’s wait over after win in Xfinity opener

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Michael Annett stretched the Speedweeks streak of first-time winners to three with a victory Saturday in the Xfinity Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

Annett won for the first time at NASCAR’s national level in a racing career that spans 345 events in three series. He gave JR Motorsports — owned by former driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., his sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller and Cup Series team owner Rick Hendrick — its fourth win in the past five Xfinity Series openers.

Earnhardt likened Annett’s opportunity driving the No. 1 Chevrolet for JRM, a competitive Xfinity Series team, to when his father gave Michael Waltrip a Cup Series ride in 2001. It was Waltrip’s first ride in a car capable of winning, and he ended an 462-losing streak by winning the Daytona 500 in his debut race for Dale Earnhardt Inc.

Dale Earnhardt Sr., a seven-time Cup Series champion, died in a wreck at the end of that race.

“It reminds me of an Earnhardt giving a Michael a chance years ago to show his potential,” Dale Jr. said about Annett’s victory.

Annett followed Austin Hill, winner of the Truck Series opener Friday night, and Harrison Burton, winner of the ARCA opener on Feb. 9, as first-time winners at Speedweeks.

Allgaier finished second for a 1-2 Chevrolet finish but didn’t have an opportunity to pass Annett for the lead. The racing was largely single-file and strung out, the opposite of Friday night’s crash-marred Truck Series race, as drivers found it difficult to pass.

Brandon Jones was third in Toyota’s debut of the Supra in the Xfinity Series. Ryan Sieg was fourth in a Chevrolet, followed by Austin Cindric in a Ford for Team Penske.

Annett has longtime sponsorship from Pilot Flying J and has taken it to various teams trying to find a competitive ride. He ran three full seasons in the Cup Series but didn’t score a single top-10 finish in 109 career starts. So in 2017, Annett stepped down to the second-tier Xfinity Series and spent the past two years driving for JR Motorsports.

“This is amazing — eight years in the series,” Annett said while crediting his team for sticking with him “through the hard times when everyone counts me out.”