The NASCAR world has been rocked by the death of another driver this weekend as veteran Nick Joanides has died. <\/p>\n
Joanides, 55, was a star on the West Coast scene most recently making three starts in the ARCA West Series. He also drove in the NASCAR Xfinity Series when it was called the Nationwide Series. <\/p>\n
\u201cHeard today Nick Joanides passed away,\u201d Andy Villanueva wrote on X. \u201cThe world lost a great person. Forget all of his championships he won at short tracks across California. Not many people like Nick.\u201d<\/p>\n
Villanueva shared a couple of personal stories about the driver and closed with, \u201cThe mark of a good person is when they say, \u2018You need anything. Call me.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d call him constantly,\u201d he added. \u201cWe\u2019d talk about anything. Mainly to keep me from worrying about life. That was Nick. He will be missed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joanides died on Friday. No cause of death was reported. <\/p>\n
He was the second former NASCAR driver to die on the day, joining Michael Annett, 39. <\/p>\n
Annett drove for JR Motorsports from 2017 through 2021 and the team shared the news of his death on social media.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur thoughts and prayers are with the entire Annett family with the passing of our friend Michael Annett,\u201d the team shared on X. \u201cMichael was a key member of JRM from 2017 until he retired in 2021 and was an important part in turning us into the four-car organization we remain today.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRIP Michael Annett,\u201d NASCAR driver Jeremy Clements wrote on X. \u201cWas a pleasure to go door to door with you for so many years. You\u2019ll be missed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo sad that Michael Annett has passed,\u201d longtime NASCAR reporter Claire B Lang wrote on X. \u201cHe was always so nice. Hard to believe he is gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
A native of Des Moines, Iowa, was behind the wheel for 106 NASCAR Cup Series races, but never managed to finish in the top 10. While his results at that level were not eye-popping, Yahoo Sports noted he drove for a pair of \u201cunderfunded teams\u201d in Tommy Baldwin Racing and HScott Racing.<\/p>\n
Annett had more success on the Xfinity Series where he drove in 321 races with 95 top-10 finishes. His lone win came in the 2019 NASCAR Racing Experience 300 at Daytona International Speedway.<\/p>\n
He also drove in nine NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races with two top-10 finishes.<\/p>\n