When Michael Annetts surgeon first saw the X-ray of the broken sternum the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver had suffered in a crash at Daytona International Speedway, he told his new patient the recovery time would be two to three months. Being a racer hoping for the quickest return possible, Annett heard only the first of those numbers. ‘I think in his head’ Annett admitted Monday, ‘he was thinking three.” Which is why it may now be Memorial Day weekend before the Richard Petty Motorsports driver returns from an injury that has sidetracked his 2013 season. Annetts breastbone was fractured and dislocated in a head-on impact with the wall late in the Nationwide season opener at Daytona, and he had surgery the following week in which screws and a metal plate were used to repair the damage. Annett had originally hoped to be back in his #43 car this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, but that wont be the case. He said a scan last week revealed that the bones and plates at the injury site arent fusing together as quickly as doctors had hoped, and his surgeon wasnt comfortable with the idea of him withstanding another big hit. Annett said he is scheduled to start physical therapy this week, which will involve weight training exercises like the bench press designed to rebuild strength in his chest. Meanwhile he continues to keep a close eye on his race team, which this past Friday night at Richmond recorded its best result of the season after substitute Reed Sorenson finished 10th. Sorenson, a close friend of Annetts, will stay in the car until the regular driver returns.( NASCAR.com )
