HAMPTON, Ga. – Before Michael Annett was a NASCAR Xfinity Series regular, he was a kid with a dream of racing who was watching sprint cars sponsored by his father’s company, TMC Transportation.
During the Rinnai 250 race weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Annett reflected on his memories of the iconic No. 1 TMC sprinter, which was driven to prominence by three-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champion Sammy Swindell.
“My dad was running locally at Knoxville week-in and week-out with Mike Brooks, and this was back before the wings even existed,” Annett recalled during race weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. “After a while, they decided they were going to move on to the World of Outlaws schedule, and Sammy Swindell was available and came on board. That’s when that black-and-gold TMC car really came about.”
The famed TMC scheme ran for years during the early days of Ted Johnson’s World of Outlaws tour, but it reached the height of its performance between 1988 and 1993, when Swindell piloted the TMC entry to 145 feature wins.
Highlights of that run included the Short Track Nationals at Arkansas’ I-30 Speedway in 1990, the Syracuse (N.Y.) Dirt Nationals in 1990 and 1991, the Kings Royal at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway, the inaugural Asphalt Nationals at Kansas City’s Lakeside Speedway and 89 World of Outlaws victories.
Oddly enough, Annett explained that the car didn’t always carry the No. 1, but that’s the number that most fans – including himself – remember it bearing over the years.
“My dad jokes that when it was him and Mike, it was the No. 12 car, which I didn’t really know much about. It’s always been the No. 1 to me,” noted Annett. “There’s just so much history with that car. I remember just going online sometimes, and you’d go to various sprint car websites and ask what the best-looking sprint car of all time is … nine out of 10 people would say that black TMC car.
“Sammy tore it up in that thing and really made it known like it is today. I don’t think anyone remembers it as the No. 12 – it’s always the No. 1 that gets brought up, and it certainly finished there a lot, too.”
So, if Annett’s family history in in dirt-track racing, how did he end up on the pavement?
“That was a mom call, honestly,” Annett laughed. “It took 19 years to talk her into letting me race, but the agreement was that I would never ask to go drive a midget or a sprint car. It was straight up only going to be stock cars.
“I eventually managed to talk her into a little bit of USAC Silver Crown racing, but even then it was only on asphalt,” he added. “I had to take what I could get, and if that was what would allow me to get into the seat of a race car, then that’s what I would do … and I’d say it’s worked out alright so far.”
After a win at Daytona Int’l Speedway last weekend – Annett’s first in the Xfinity Series – the Iowa native is now soaking in the fact that he’ll soon get to carry the black-and-chrome TMC colors in his own right.
“Being able to acquire the No. 1 this year just brings everything full-circle for me,” Annett smiled. “I’ve always enjoyed driving the TMC colors … and I’d been saying how cool it would be to get that No. 1 on the door of the Xfinity car. When it came together and I saw that first rendering, I think it adds to what has already been a few weeks of excitement and optimism in our camp.
“It was definitely the icing on the cake.”
