Updated at 2:15 p.m. with Tayler Malsam quotes
Tayler Malsam’s NASCAR racing career took another turn on Friday — this time a positive one.
Friday it was announced that the former Mill Creek resident will be driving the No. 81 Toyota Tundra for Randy Moss Motorsports in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series for the 2009 season.
“It’s been a pretty good couple of weeks,” said Malsam, who added that while meeting with potential teams “we hit it off with (RMM) — we had a vision of what we wanted to see and they had it.”
Malsam had planned on racing trucks this season for Bill Davis Racing. Last November he finished 21st in his second NASCAR truck series start driving for BDR in the season-ending race at Homestead-Miami.
But BDR and Triad Racing Development, which provides engines, chassis and bodies for all three of NASCAR’s national series, were bought in December by California businessman Mike Held and BDR vice president Marty Gaunt.
Although the new owners initially expressed an interest in competing in the truck series, the team discontinued its truck program in early January, leaving Malsam looking for a ride for 2009.
Malsam had relocated to North Carolina to further his racing career. After being released from his BDR contract, the 19-year-old met with RMM officials while making the rounds of East Coast teams with available positions.
Malsam, who will turn 20 on Feb. 13, the same day as the truck series’ season-opening race at Daytona, said he is slated to run the full season for RMM and will be a rookie of the year candidate. Joining him at RMM will be his former BDR teammate and series champion Mike Skinner, who will drive the No. 46 truck.
“Tayler has shown a lot of promise in his performance on the track in 2008, said team co-owner Randy Moss in a press release. “Mike will be able to help mentor Tayler while going for his second championship all at the same time. It’s the perfect combination.”
Moss, an NFL All-Pro wide receiver with the New England Patriots, bought into what was then called Morgan-Dollar Racing in July 2008.
For the remainder of the 2008 season, several drivers took the wheel of the No. 81 truck for the newly renamed Randy Moss Motorsports, including eventual NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, who made his series debut in August at Bristol, Tenn.
Bristol is also where Malsam made his NASCAR and truck series debut, driving for CHS Motorsports. He finished 36th at Bristol after cutting a tire and wrecking. Driving again for CHS, Malsam just missed making the Oct. 18 race at Martinsville, Va., finishing 37th quickest in qualifying for the 36-truck field.
Last year Malsam, who is originally from Sammamish, also raced sprint cars on the West Coast for Monroe-based Rudeen Racing and he finished ninth in points as a stock-car rookie in the ARCA Re/Max Series.
Malsam said he will continue to race sprint cars when his NASCAR truck schedule allows it.
RMM announced earlier this week that it was switching from Chevrolets to Toyotas for the 2009 season. Details on sponsorship and crew assignments are expected soon.
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