TALLADEGA, Ala. (October 31, 2009) – NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie Tayler Malsam qualified in the eighth position in his second Truck Series start at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Patiently waiting to make his move, Malsam was riding in the 15th spot when he was involved in a multi-truck accident that cut the team’s day short. The Randy Moss Motorsports team was credited with a 27th-place finish.
The trucks had only one practice session Friday prior to qualifying and Malsam’s truck posted the 22nd quickest lap of the day. His was the 11th of 38 trucks to take to the track for qualifying that afternoon and his speed of 177.468 miles per hour around the 2.66-mile superspeedway earned him 8th place on the starting grid. Malsam was the highest qualifying rookie for the event.
Rain showers in the area began Friday evening and lasted into the afternoon Saturday. NASCAR and track officials did a great job drying the expansive track and the start of the Mountain Dew 250 was delayed only slightly. Malsam lined up in the eighth spot and moved into the top five on the first lap of the race. Several laps later, Malsam let crew chief Doug Wolcott know that the truck was a little loose entering the corners, but otherwise handling pretty well. Wolcott was able to make a track bar adjustment to the truck during the first caution period, and Malsam lined up for the lap 11 green flag in the 12th spot.
Malsam fell to 27th position after a pit stop for fuel on lap 16. Content to ride on the inside line and patiently wait to make his move later in the event, Malsam did a nice job working with the draft in the middle stages of the event. After a quick pit stop for fuel on lap 42, the No. 81 One Eighty Racing Toyota Tundra held down the 15th spot with 30 laps to go. Unfortunately, while exiting turn four, several trucks got together and Malsam was hit from behind by the truck driven by Ricky Carmichael. Making heavy contact with the inside wall, the No. 81 Toyota Tundra was not able to continue, but Malsam was fine. The team was credited with a 27th-place finish.
Malsam lost only one spot in the driver point standings and now holds down 13th place. 107 points separate him from the top 10.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to action next weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. The WinStar World Casino 350k will be broadcast live at 9 p.m. (ET) on SPEED TV and on select affiliates of MRN Radio and Sirius-XM NASCAR Radio on Friday, November 6.
ABOUT ONE EIGHTY: One Eighty, founded in 1976, encompasses hospitality, senior housing, and international brands, all of which require their customers to “Twist Your Thinking.” One Eighty’s hospitality brand has three divisions – Edibility, PrimeFit, and Twist Travel, which offer a bold take on their individual specialties. Edibility includes retirement community food services, corporate and social event catering, restaurant development and management, culinary classes, and signature food items. Also, PrimeFit and Twist Travel take a similar cover-the-all bases approach. For more information about One Eighty, please visit www.oneeightytwist.com.
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. 5 Toyota Tundra full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. For more information about Randy Moss Motorsports, please visit www.randymossmotorsports.com.