“I was lucky to call him a competitor”: NASCAR driver shares touching story after the death of popular ARCA driver Nick Joanides 

NASCAR driver Dean Thompson was deeply saddened by the death of West Coast stock car racing icon Nick Joanides. Joanides’ death was the second big blow for the community following the untimely demise of former JR Motorsports driver Michael Annett on Friday, December 5.

Joanides was a popular face in the ARCA West Series area, making three starts in 2025 and eight the year before. He last competed part-time in ARCA, driving the No. 77 entry for Performance P-1 Motorsports. He also competed in the Xfinity Series (now the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series) back when it was known as the Nationwide Series.

Thompson recalled his career-first late model victory, which came racing against Joanides, a NASCAR Auto Club Late Model champion. On that note, the speedster wrote on X,

“I was lucky to call Nick a competitor of mine. My first win in a late model came by holding him off, I was rolling the top and I pinched him hard on exit and we came together, he spun and I won. I remember after I won I was nervous about how he was gonna feel about it. He walked over to me, said congratulations and offered me advice about how to race hard and fair.”

Further, Thompson spoke about his return to Irwindale Speedway in 2021. Joanides was in that race too, driving the No. 51 Ford. As they battled for the lead, the same situation from four years ago repeated itself. This time, Thompson was the one riding low.

“Nick generously gave me all the room on the bottom and still won, just as he said to do 4 years prior,” Thompson continued. “2 years after that I got to be his teammate for the last race at Irwindale. Sharing the track with him was special to say the least. I’ll be praying for Nick’s family and friends. Rest in Peace.”

Annett was 39 at the time of his passing, while Joanides was 55.

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NASCAR champion Brad Keselowski shares heartfelt note following Michael Annett’s untimely demise

Brad Keselowski during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN BET at Kansas Speedway on September 27, 2025 - Source: Getty

Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski lamented the death of Michael Annett. He had raced Annett in the past, but in the end, life, as Keselowski wrote recently on X, took them through “different paths”.

Annett spent his final racing days with JR Motorsports, a team owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. This was from 2017 until his retirement in 2021 due to a leg injury. Recalling Annett’s ARCA Series triumphs at Talladega and Daytona, Keselowski wrote,

“I remember this day vividly. Michael was an up and comer at the same time I was and he was looking really good. In the end, Life took us different paths and all of us who knew him and the talent he had are sad to see him go, but glad he is no longer suffering.”

Annett’s career spanned more than a decade in NASCAR’s national series. His singular win at the national series level came in the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway back in 2019.