Seattle Native Surges to Sixth in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Points
STATESVILLE, N.C. (June 24, 2009) - Experience is a great teacher and few racing series place a higher premium on experience than the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS). So, how then to explain
Malsam is a true NASCAR rookie with just one prior season of stock car experience (ARCA) and two NASCAR Truck Series starts before 2009. It was only a short four years ago when Malsam climbed into a kart for the first time at the age of 16.
Despite a ban on NASCAR testing, Malsam, driving the No. 81 One Eighty Toyota Tundra for Randy Moss Motorsports, already has five top-10 finishes with an average finishing position of 11.3. He has completed 1509 of 1512 laps, finishing on the lead lap in nine of the season’s first 10 races.
In the last five races, Malsam has finished eighth at Charlotte, 12th at Dover, ninth at Texas, sixth at Michigan, and seventh at Milwaukee to put himself in the lead for the NCWTS Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings. Before the 2009 season, he had never previously raced on four of those tracks.
“Most of the veterans in the garage area have made hundreds of starts in all three NASCAR series,” said Malsam. “I’ve only competed in 12 races, so every time I get to another track, I’m learning. Just being around these guys, especially Mike (Skinner, teammate), I learn a ton.”
“You can’t even say that these guys have forgotten more than I could possibly know because they never forget anything,” said Malsam. “They remember everything and that helps them in track set-ups, changing conditions and race strategy. They race hard every lap and they never give an inch. They make you earn it.”
“Our hope was to get Tayler racing for top-10 finishes by the mid-point of the season and then try to start edging him into top-fives in the races during the second half of the season,” said Randy Moss Motorsports team co-owner David Dollar. “Tayler is really coming on and has exceeded all our expectations. He is a team owner’s dream by taking care of his equipment and bringing the trucks home each week in one piece. We still want to win the Rookie of the Year title but we are also hoping to get him into Victory Lane before the season ends.”
“Tayler has a lot of talent, but what really sets him apart is that he is very patient and he really looks out for his crew,” said crew chief Doug Wolcott. “Our entire Randy Moss Motorsports team enjoys being around him. He really stands behind the guys even when we have trouble in the pits. He’s on the radio telling them it’s okay and gets back on track and races hard to gain the spots back.”
Malsam is not the only young gun trying to build his record in the NCWTS. He currently leads the Raybestos Rookie of the Year awards ahead of Johnny Sauter, James Buescher, Motocross legend Ricky Carmichael and J.R. Fitzpatrick.
Malsam’s early success has drawn notice in the NASCAR garages and sponsor suites. “We have some exciting options developing for next year but my job is to stay focused on this year,” said Malsam. “We need to start turning some of those top-10 finishes into top-fives and then try to put ourselves in position to win a race.”
Top-10 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series through 10 races (June 20, 2009)
Rank | Driver | Age | Starts* |
1 | Ron Hornaday, Jr. | 51 | 234 |
2 | Matt Crafton | 33 | 206 |
3 | Todd Bodine | 45 | 124 |
4 | Mike Skinner | 51 | 188 |
5 | David Starr | 41 | 224 |
6 | 20 | 12 | |
7 | Brian Scott | 21 | 42 |
8 | Terry Cook | 41 | 301 |
9 | Rick Crawford | 50 | 306 |
10 | Dennis Setzer | 49 | 277 |
*NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts – does not include Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series starts.
-RMM-