Michael Annett, driver of the Pilot Flying J Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, has been medically cleared by NASCAR to return to the seat of the No. 1 car for the Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen International (Aug. 7), the team announced today. Annett rejoins JRM’s four-car lineup following successful surgery to repair a stress fracture in the 35-year-old’s right femur, and the allotted recovery time.
“I can’t thank Dr. Beaver and Dr. Heisel and everyone at OrthoCarolina enough for all of their hard work to get me back in the car in just over three weeks,” Annett said. “The work that Dr. Beaver did during the surgery that allowed me to recover in such a short amount of time is amazing.
“I owe a lot to Austin [Dillon] and Josh [Berry] for filling in for me for those two races, but I cannot wait to be back at the track with my guys and set up a great run into the playoffs.”
Berry scored an eighth-place finish substituting for Annett at New Hampshire Motor Speedway while Dillon drove to an 11th-place effort the previous week at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This weekend, Berry will accompany the Pilot Flying J team as backup driver for Annett, in the event one is needed.
Annett is currently 11th in the NXS driver point standings and will look to build on eight top-10 finishes this season in the runup to the playoffs. Annett has received a medical waiver from NASCAR regarding his playoff status.
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