Michael Annett, driver of the No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, will miss this weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway after reinjuring his right leg. Josh Berry will drive the No. 1 tonight in the 300-lap regular-season finale on the .533-mile oval.
Annett, 35, has battled a stress fracture in his right femur much of this season and was forced to miss four races while recovering. The Iowa native had surgery in July to repair the injury. Annett reinjured the leg while working out and, given the pain level, team officials decided to make the switch for tonight’s event at Bristol.
In his 18 NXS starts this season, 14 of them with JR Motorsports, Berry has earned a victory at Martinsville Speedway, five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. Berry filled in for Annett at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, finishing eighth, and again the following week at Michigan International Speedway, where the 30-year-old Tennessee driver earned a fourth-place result.
— JR Motorsports —