Michael Annett joined Rusty Wallace Racing at the beginning of the season and started a new chapter in his career. An accident-plagued season-opener relegated him to a 39th-place finish, which set the stage for a slow start. Over the first 12 races of the season his average finish was 21.0. But in late May, his team owner, Rusty Wallace, made a crew chief change, bringing Rick Viers to lead the 62 team. What has transpired has been one of the biggest turnarounds of the season thus far.
Since Viers took over, Annett, 25, has posted five top-10 finishes, and the last four have come in succession, including his season best sixth upon his return to Daytona in July. He’s also moved into the top 10 in the standings and is currently ninth.
“Michael is a talented driver, and I really believe in him,” Viers said. “I’ve been providing him with as much experience and knowledge as I can, and things have just clicked. We’ve got strong communication as a team, and I think these solid finishes have really given Michael and the whole team the confidence that they needed. We’ve learned a lot in the last several races, and we feel really good about the season ahead. This is just the momentum this team needed.”
Viers has a knack with young drivers. He served as Trevor Bayne’s crew chief once he joined Roush Fenway Racing last year and also had worked with Clint Bowyer as he started his transition from the NASCAR Nationwide Series to NASCAR Sprint Cup.
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