Randy Moss Motorsports taps Rookie-of-the-Year Contender Tayler Malsam and former Truck Series Champion Mike Skinner to drive for RMM in 2009
STATESVILLE, N.C. (January 29, 2009) – As the 2008 NFL season comes to a close, New England Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss is getting ready to kick off his first full season as a NASCAR team owner. Moss and co-owner David Dollar have tapped Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year contender Tayler Malsam to drive the No. 81 RMM truck and former Truck Series Champion Mike Skinner to drive the No. 46 RMM truck in the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season.
Malsam is coming off of a successful year in ARCA RE/MAX competition where he finished ninth overall in the series championship point standings. In addition, the 19-year-old made his Truck Series debut in August at Bristol Motor Speedway and finished 21st in the 2008 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Skinner, the 1995 Truck Series Champion, brings a world of experience and knowledge to Randy Moss Motorsports. In ten NCWTS seasons, the veteran has accumulated 25 wins, along with 80 top-five and 114 top-ten finishes. In 2008, Skinner finished sixth in the championship point standings with one win, 5 top-five, and 18 top-ten finishes.
“We are very pleased to have both Tayler and Mike come on board at Randy Moss Motorsports for the 2009 season,” stated team co-owner Randy Moss. “Tayler has shown a lot of promise in his performance on the track in 2008 and we look forward to helping him to continue to grow as a driver in 2009. Mike will be able to help mentor Tayler while going for his second championship all at the same time. It’s the perfect combination.”
“We have set a plan in motion to have a championship caliber team in 2009,” added co-owner David Dollar. “We see a lot of potential in Tayler and are excited to have him be a part of that plan. Having Mike come on board puts the last piece of the puzzle together for us to be able to run for the championship. We look forward to Tayler running for Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year and both he and Mike making a run for the 2009 championship.”
Moss is no stranger to success in competition as he was a key player in the New England Patriots 2007 record season when they went undefeated on their way to the Super Bowl.
“Our goal for the 2009 season is to be successful on track and contend for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship,” continued Moss. “We have all the pieces to be able to reach that goal and are looking forward to getting on the track in Daytona.”
Malsam, a product of the Pacific Northwest dirt Sprint car competition, shares the same enthusiasm as Moss. “I am excited to join Randy Moss Motorsports for the 2009 season,” said Malsam. “David Dollar and Randy Moss have put together a championship contending team and it’s exciting to be a part of their organization. Randy has a great passion for racing. He understands teamwork, commitment, competition and his enthusiasm is very contagious. David is one of the most experienced team owners in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and has the wins to prove he knows what it takes to put together a successful team.”
“I’m really excited to work with Randy Moss Motorsports,” stated Mike Skinner. “David Dollar has been in this business for a long time and I think that his management skills are definitely head and shoulders above a lot of the others out there. It’s a great opportunity for all of us. Hopefully between David and myself and Randy, working with really good people we can get the sponsorship that it takes to be competitive and to continue on with a program that’s been in place since 1996.”
“Being able to bring Toyota over there is the biggest thing to me,” continued Skinner. “I’ve had a great relationship with Toyota and the Tundra brand and support from them since the Truck Series started with Toyota in 2004. To be able to keep that marriage alive and keep Toyota as our partners, that means a lot. That’s what I bleed, that’s what is in my veins. Hopefully we can get this race team very, very competitive and get the championship.”
Randy Moss Motorsports hopes to find themselves in NASCAR’s version of the end zone, Victory Lane, many times throughout 2009 as they make a run for the championship title.
Announcements regarding crew chiefs and sponsorship for the 2009 RMM team will be made in the near future.
ABOUT RANDY MOSS MOTORSPORTS:
Randy Moss Motorsports ownership consists of Randy Moss, New England Patriots All-Pro Wide Receiver; and David Dollar, a long time participant in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The team fields the No. 81 Toyota Tundra and the No. 46 Toyota Tundra full time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. www.randymossmotorsports.com
-30-