JRM Mourns the Passing of Harrold Annett

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In: Xfinity Series News

Harrold Annett, father of JRM driver Michael Annett, died yesterday after a brief illness.

The elder Annett, chairman of TMC Transportation, the nation’s largest employee-owned open-deck transportation company, was a huge supporter of motorsports for many years in varying series. Perhaps most famously, TMC Transportation was the sponsor for driver Sammy Swindell in the No. 1 TMC sprint car. Swindell drove the car – adorned in the black-and-gold colors – to 89 World of Outlaws Sprint Car victories and 145 overall from 1988-93.

TMC came aboard at JRM in 2017 with the arrival of Michael Annett to the driver lineup and has been on the No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet in varying degrees ever since as both primary and associate sponsor. The younger Annett won his first NASCAR Xfinity Series pole at Talladega in 2019 driving the familiar black and gold TMC paint scheme with the logo on the hood and quarterpanels.

 “We are heartbroken at the news of Harrold Annett’s passing,” said Kelley Earnhardt Miller, general manager of JR Motorsports. “Our hearts go out to Michael and his family, and to the family at TMC Transportation, which has been a big part of our team in so many ways. As a huge supporter of motorsports, we have lost one of its true champions in Harrold Annett.”

TMC Transportation, based in Des Moines, Iowa, also helped JRM move its four-car team from Mooresville, N.C. to the West Coast races by supplying reserve drivers for the consecutive cross-country trips alongside JRM’s transport personnel.

Harrold Annett purchased dormant The Mickow Corporation trucking company in 1972 and in short order began delivering freight around the Midwest. In the coming years, the elder Annett built TMC into the largest privately-held flatbed carrier in the nation. In 2013, Annett established an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and TMC became an employee-owned company.

To honor the elder Annett, the No. 1 Chevrolet driven by Michael Annett will feature a tribute decal on the roof rail for the remainder of the season, and the three other JRM cars will carry it this weekend at Las Vegas. In addition, all four of JRM’s Peterbilt transporters will carry a special decal for the season’s entirety. The No. 1 team’s Featherlite trailer will have the decal prominently displayed for the remainder of the season as well.

JRM PR

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