Michael Annett, driver of the No. 62 Nationwide Series entry for Rusty Wallace Racing, is facing charges including driving while intoxicated after being involved in a traffic accident early Sunday morning in Mooresville, N.C.
Charlotte television station WCNC cited a police report that said Annett rear-ended another vehicle that was stopped at a red light. A Mooresville police officer told the station that a DWI test was administered and determined Annett to have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.32. The legal limit in North Carolina is 0.08.
"I am deeply remorseful for my actions and my extreme lack of judgment," Annett said in a statement. "I let down my team, my sponsors, my fans and my family; I sincerely apologize to everyone that I hurt. This was truly a life-changing moment for me. Despite all of the negativity that will undoubtedly arise from it, I'm going to strive to use this incident as the impetus to make a lot of positive changes in my life."
According to WCNC, charges against Annett also included failure to reduce speed, texting while driving, and resisting a public officer.
"Rusty Wallace Racing is aware of a traffic incident over the weekend involving Michael Annett, driver of our team's No. 62 car," team owner Wallace said in a statement released Monday. "We have been in contact with both the authorities and NASCAR and are finishing our internal investigation into the facts."
A team spokesman told NASCAR.com that Annett was still scheduled to drive its No. 62 in next week's Nationwide season opener at Daytona International Speedway, but that the driver will face "some internal sanctions" by the team that remained to be specified.