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  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Daytona 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Daytona 500

    The kickoff race for NASCAR, the Daytona 500, is always one of the biggest and most prestigious races of the season. Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 53rd running of the Great American Race, the Daytona 500:

    [media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”250″][/media-credit]Surprising:  In a race that set the record for lead changes, different leaders, and cautions, the biggest surprise to all, including himself, was Trevor Bayne, channeling his inner David Pearson in the famed Wood Brothers No. 21 car, to take the checkered flag.  Bayne is the second youngest race winner, accomplishing the feat on the second green, white, checkered, even while running low on gas.

    Bayne is the tenth different Ford driver to win the Daytona 500.  This was the youngster’s first win in only his second Cup Series start.

    Not Surprising:  Carl Edwards, exhibiting great patience, came in the second spot. Edwards, however, took solace in “how nice a guy Trevor is” as he savored his runner up status.

    “I don’t know if you guys noticed, but it was pretty wild out there today,” Edwards said. “But I was there at the end and that’s what I had to do.”

    Surprising: It was indeed surprising that there were no Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, or Richard Childress Racing representatives in the top five finishing order. The story instead was one of the underdog teams, with the Wood Brothers, Front Row Motorsports and JTG Daugherty instead in the top five.

    Not Surprising:   Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had a great day, leading laps and staying competitive.  Unfortunately, as has happened to Junior all too often, he was caught up in a tussle on the final laps, pushing him back to a 24th place finish.

    Surprising:   Incredibly surprising was the amount of deal making prior to the race, as well as throughout the race itself. Crew chiefs and spotters were exchanging frequency numbers, and probably cell phone numbers, in the garage area so that they could communicate and work together during the race.  Even on the spotter’s stand, it was “like the New York Stock Exchange,” according to Darrell Waltrip, with deals aplenty being made.

    Not Surprising:  All of this deal-making seemed to wreak some degree of havoc on the track, including some tandem drivers causing each other to wreck. Some of the drivers, crew chiefs, and spotters seemed almost lax on their primary responsibilities as they focused instead on coordinating with other drivers and teams.

    The best example of this confusion was a radio exchange between Kyle Busch and defending Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray, who thought they would be working together until McMurray remembered that he had a deal with his teammate Juan Pablo Montoya.

    Surprising:  One of the biggest surprises was the expiration of Team Childress engines. Kevin Harvick was the first to lose his engine, early in the race on lap 22. At about lap 96, teammate Jeff Burton lost his engine.

    “We had just a 10 to 15 more degree oil temp that what we have been running,” Harvick said. “We never blow motors. Everybody at ECR does a great job.”

    “We are asking a lot out of the engines here for sure,” Burton said. “I am disappointed. Exceptionally disappointed. But I am really proud of everybody.”

    Not Surprising:  Daytona, infamous for the big one, had one of course.  Early in the race on lap 29, Michael Waltrip, former Daytona 500 winner, got into the back of his teammate David Reutimann and the big one was on.  Fourteen cars were involved in the crash, including the three Hendrick cars of Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Mark Martin. Other drivers involved were Joe Nemechek, Andy Lally, Brian Vickers, Marcos Ambrose, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, A J Allmendinger, and David Gilliland.

    “Our chances to win the Daytona 500 are over,” Jeff Gordon said after the wreck. “It is such a bummer. We had such a fast race car, such a great race team.”

    Surprising:  While it is the Daytona 500 and this is the first race of the season, the crowd on hand was healthy and the excitement in the air was palpable.  Hopefully the start is a harbinger for what is in store for NASCAR for the rest of the season.

    Not Surprising:  Probably the most moving moment of the race occurred on lap 3, when the track went silent, except for the roar of the engines. The crowd stood as one, holding up three fingers in memory of the Intimidator.  There is no doubt Dale Earnhardt would have like that.

  • Tony Stewart Edges Clint Bowyer for One, Two KHI Nationwide Punch at Daytona

    Tony Stewart Edges Clint Bowyer for One, Two KHI Nationwide Punch at Daytona

    [media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”246″][/media-credit]In the third closest finish in Nationwide racing history at Daytona, Tony Stewart edged out Kevin Harvick Inc. teammate Clint Bowyer by .007 seconds to win the DRIVE4COPD 300.

    This is Stewart’s 10th NASCAR Nationwide victory in 91 races and his sixth victory at Daytona International Speedway.

    “Wow is the first thing,” Stewart said simply when asked about his win. “We got to the front pretty early and once we got to Clint (Bowyer), we knew we would be a pretty potent combination.”

    “We knew it was going to be between the KHI cars and the Gibbs cars,” Stewart continued. “We were sacrificing the speed to get air in the grille. You didn’t really know which strategy was best”

    “We had the caution and the flat tire,” Stewart said. “I didn’t realize we had as many cars a lap down, but that is what saved us.”

    Clint Bowyer, behind the wheel of the No. 33 Rheem Heating Cooling Chevrolet, came up just short of accomplishing the victory. Bowyer, who posted his 10th top-10 finish at Daytona, started the race from the pole.

    “A lot of work goes into these race cars for this place,” Bowyer said. “Hats off to these guys for sitting on the pole and I had a car capable of being up front and winning the race.”

    “The race was a little bit slow,” Bowyer said. “But then I found my dancing partner and we were able to make some ground and have some fun with the No. 18 and the No. 20.”

    Bowyer said that he was glad to see Dale Earnhardt, Jr. at the front in his Chevrolet and the two were able to work their way toward the front. Earnhardt, Jr. finished in the fourth position.

    “What do you do?” Bowyer said, reliving the end of the race. “I tried to block and then all hell broke loose. Awesome ending and that’s the thing that’s so much fun about this place. No matter what the race is, the ending is always great.”

    Bowyer also worked with JR Motorsports driver Danica Patrick during the race, at one point pushing her to the front. Patrick finished the race in her No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet in the 14th position.

    “Why not put her in the show?” Bowyer said of his push. “She did a good job today.”

    One of the best finishes was for young driver Landon Cassill, piloting the No. 1 Phoenix Construction Chevy. Cassill managed to finish in the third position right behind both of the KHI teammates.

    “It was just a crazy day,” Cassill said. “We didn’t draft at all in practice today, so it was a learn on the fly deal.”

    “Towards the end there Tony got lined up behind me on the restart and pushed me through,” Cassill continued. “I just followed directions and when we had to swap with two to go, I was just glad to push him.”

    “James Finch gave me this race as a gift pretty much for running his Cup car last year,” Cassill said.  “I wouldn’t be here without James Finch. He got me back in the sport.”

    NASCAR confirmed that Cassill is now the official points leader, by just two points over Reed Sorenson,in the Nationwide Series. Ironically, the driver shared that he does not even have a ride lined up for the next race of the season.

    “I don’t have a ride next week, so I’m just going to bask in this for the next seven days,” Cassill said of his points lead. “But if I don’t get a ride, Reed (Sorenson) will be back in the lead.”

    The potential points leader, Reed Sorenson, driver of the No. 32 Dollar General Chevy, scored a top five finish. Sorenson thought this was “pretty good”, especially since he was racing against so many Cup drivers.

    “The 4 and the 1 came down and we had to check up,” Sorenson said of the last lap of his race. “That pretty much ended our run. We were coming and we were going to have a shot to at least finish second or third or fourth there.”

    “This is my first time racing and it’s pretty much what I expected,” Sorenson said of the new racing style. “I guess we’re going to have to get used to it.”

    Jason Leffler, Kyle Busch, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Michael Waltrip, and Trevor Bayne rounded out the top ten for the DRIVE4COPD 300.

    Unofficial Race Results

    DRIVE4COPD 300, Daytona Int’l Speedway

    February 19, 2011 – Race 1 of 34

    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps Status
    1 – 4 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 0 0 120 Running
    2 – 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 0 0 120 Running
    3 – 1 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 41 0 120 Running
    4 – 5 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 0 0 120 Running
    5 – 32 Reed Sorenson Chevrolet 39 0 120 Running
    6 – 30 Jason Leffler Chevrolet 38 0 120 Running
    7 – 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 0 0 120 Running
    8 – 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 36 0 120 Running
    9 – 99 Michael Waltrip Toyota 0 0 120 Running
    10 – 16 Trevor Bayne Ford 35 1 120 Running
    11 – 38 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet 0 0 120 Running
    12 – 20 Joey Logano Toyota 0 0 120 Running
    13 – 19 Mike Bliss Chevrolet 31 0 120 Running
    14 – 7 Danica Patrick Chevrolet 31 1 120 Running
    15 – 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 29 0 120 Running
    16 – 51 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 28 0 120 Running
    17 – 52 Bobby Santos Chevrolet 27 0 120 Running
    18 – 15 Todd Bodine Toyota 0 0 120 Running
    19 – 88 Aric Almirola Chevrolet 25 0 120 Running
    20 – 66 Steve Wallace Toyota 24 0 118 Running
    21 – 5 David Starr Chevrolet 0 0 118 Running
    22 – 70 Shelby Howard Chevrolet 22 0 118 Running
    23 – 81 Donnie Neuenberger Dodge 21 0 118 Running
    24 – 141 Patrick Sheltra Ford 20 0 118 Running
    25 – 28 Derrike Cope Chevrolet 19 0 118 Running
    26 – 89 Morgan Shepherd Chevrolet 18 0 117 Running
    27 – 31 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 17 0 116 Running
    28 – 9 Kenny Wallace Toyota 16 0 115 Running
    29 – 60 Carl Edwards Ford 0 0 107 Running
    30 – 22 Brad Keselowski Dodge 0 0 105 Running
    31 – 39 Josh Wise Ford 13 0 103 Running
    32 – 23 Robert Richardson Jr. Dodge 12 0 103 In Pit
    33 – 14 Eric McClure Chevrolet 11 0 95 Running
    34 – 11 Brian Scott Toyota 10 0 70 In Pit
    35 – 40 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 9 0 57 Out
    36 – 12 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 8 0 53 In Pit
    37 – 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 8 1 51 Running
    38 – 2 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 6 0 45 Running
    39 – 62 Michael Annett Toyota 5 0 26 In Pit
    40 – 44 Jeff Green Chevrolet 4 0 18 In Pit
    41 – 24 Kevin Lepage Ford 3 0 12 In Pit
    42 – 27 J.R. Fitzpatrick Ford 2 0 10 In Pit
    43 – 25 Kelly Bires Ford 1 0 5 In Pit
  • Jeff Burton Claims Second Duel Victory; Brian Keselowski Makes the Show

    Jeff Burton Claims Second Duel Victory; Brian Keselowski Makes the Show

    The second Gatorade Duel race was all about teamwork and brotherly love.  Clint Bowyer pushed his Richard Childress Racing teammate Jeff Burton to the checkered flag and victory, while Brad Keselowski pushed his brother Brian into a place in the Daytona 500.

    [media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]”It’s a shame two cars can’t fit in here,” Burton said in Victory Lane.  “Clint and I decided that we would find each other early and it worked out well.  For us, this is a good start and being in Victory Lane means a great deal.”

    “I learned a lot of things,” Bowyer said for his part, acknowledging the pusher role.  “I don’t know if there will be another rule change.  It was fun out there.”

    While Bowyer and Burton were high fiving one another after taking the checkered flag, Brad Keselowski was leaning in to congratulate his brother Brian, newly announced Rookie of the Year candidate, who made the biggest race of his life.

    “I owe my brother in a thousand ways,” Brian Keselowski said.  “We wouldn’t have made it here without him.”

    Keselowski, racing an old Ray Evernham car built in 2006, seemed almost in shock that he had raced his way in to the Daytona 500.  “I owe everything to eveybody right now,” Keselowski said.

    “I didn’t get to start driving until I was 18 years old,” Keselowski said.  “But I had to do it all on my own.  If I didn’t put it together, I wouldn’t be racing right now.”

    Michael Waltrip, former Daytona 500 winner, also made it in on time, thanks to his third place finish.  While he felt “blessed to be here,” Waltrip also admitted that he was really “tired”, particularly mentally after that challenging race.

    “You wouldn’t believe how relieving it is to get in no matter how you get in,” Waltrip said.

    Thanks to Waltrip’s finish, Travis Kvapil secured his place in the race on his time.  This was his first time to really experience the two car tango in race conditions.

    “Well it feels great,” Kvapil said about racing his way into the show.  “Last year, we missed this race and we have worked really hard over the wintertime.  It paid off for us and it’s great for our team.”

    The second duel race had a record 22 lead changes and also had a few more cautions than the first race.  One of the first drivers to get involved in a wreck was Joey Logano, driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota.

    “Sometimes you’re the bug and sometimes you’re the windshield,” Logano said.  “Today I was the windshield. Wrong place, wrong time.”

    Denny Hamlin also had a less than stellar day.  The driver of the No. 11 Toyota  for Joe Gibbs Racing had a tire go down and then was involved in a single car spin.

    “I have to have a sense of humor I’ve learned this weekend,” Hamlin said.  “What’s so crazy is the fact that we were spun out and three laps later we go from deal last to second or something like that.”

    “This has been an amazing ride and hopefully our weekend is steadily improving,” Hamlin continued.  “We finally did finish.  It’s going to be interesting to see what happens from this day forward.”

    One of the most heartbreaking wrecks occurred late in the race, when Trevor Bayne, who had been stellar all race long, tussled with Jeff Gordon, causing a multi-car accident.  David Ragan was also a significant victim in this wreck as well.

    “I really  had a blast working with Trevor Bayne,” Gordon said.  “He’s a good kid.  He’s a heck of a race car driver.”

    For his part, Bayne was thrilled to have been working with his boyhood hero, Jeff Gordon.

    “Gordon and I worked awesome together and it was just down there at the end,” Bayne said.  “I hate it for all these guys because we were doing awesome, but that’s part of it.  That’s racing.  We’ll get there.”

    In addition to the two car tandem of Jeff Burton, winner, and runner up Clint Bowyer, Michael Waltrip, Kyle Busch and Brian Keselowski rounded out the top five finishers.  Jamie McMurray, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex, Jr. and Carl Edwards completed the top ten in the second Gatorade duel.

  • NASCAR Needs Ounce of Prevention in Substance Abuse Policy

    NASCAR Needs Ounce of Prevention in Substance Abuse Policy

    Before the official start of the 2011 NASCAR season, the issue of substance abuse again made headlines for the sport, with the arrest of up and coming driver Michael Annett for driving under the influence.

    [media-credit name=”FMCM” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Annett, age 24, allegedly blew a .32 in the breath alcohol level test. This is four times over the legal limit in North Carolina, where he was pulled over after an accident.

    Rusty Wallace Racing, the team for whom Annett drives, took immediate action.  The team announced that Annett will not be allowed to drink alcohol at all and will get no ‘second chance’ if he violates that requirement.

    “It’s real serious to me what happened,” Rusty Wallace, principal of the team, said. “We’re doing the right things with Michael. NASCAR trusts we’re doing the right things.”

    “It’s some alcohol awareness, it’s some community service, he’s at that race shop at 7 a.m. every morning,” Wallace continued. “We’ve got him polishing the freaking drive shafts because I’m pissed at him.”

    NASCAR has also imposed its own sanctions on Annett as well.  The sanctioning body announced that is has paced Annett, driver of the No. 62 race car in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, on probation until December 31, 2011.

    Annett will be evaluated by a certified drug and alcohol professional at NASCAR’s discretion.  The young driver will also be subject to random testing throughout the year as well.

    Unfortunately for the sport, Annett is not alone in having an alcohol-related driving incident prior to or during the racing season.

    In 2009, Richard Petty Motorsports young gun AJ Allmendinger was arrested for driving under the influence.  Even veteran driver Michael Waltrip has had his share of incidents, one in 2009 and another in 2007 where alcohol was suspected to be a factor in crashes behind the wheel. However, Waltrip was never charged.

    With all this attention to alcohol-related issues, especially with drivers getting behind the wheel of a car after imbibing, NASCAR has indeed reacted swiftly and decisively to the various incidents.  NASCAR, as well as the race teams involved, should be commended for that.

    Yet, in addition to the reaction, the sport must also seriously consider adding some prevention strategies to the mix.

    Let’s face it, while not excusing it in any way, shape or form, anyone can make a mistake when it comes to having a few glasses of wine or a few beers and then getting behind the wheel.  Most of us, particularly in our youth, could claim the phrase, “There but for the grace of God go I” when it comes to those situations.

    But the element that the sport may be missing when it comes to their substance abuse policy is that element of prevention. What is NASCAR really doing to educate those who participate in the sport at whatever level as to the dangers of drinking, drugging and driving prior to it happening?

    As a licensed clinical social worker, as well as someone who has run programs for those who have been convicted of driving under the influence, it has been my personal experience that most individuals have no clue how little alcohol they have to have in their bodies in order to be impaired behind the wheel of any vehicle.

    In fact, most folks that I have worked with in my professional career have had no idea of the alcohol content in one drink, whether it be beer, wine or other spirits.  They are also stunned when they learn of the amount of alcohol that it takes for their particular body type to be considered legally and functionally impaired.

    NASCAR must consider being more proactive when it comes to prevention of substance abuse in the sport.  This is true especially in a sport where the majority of the drivers are young, male, and fearless as they need to be to even participate as a race car driver.

    NASCAR, as well as the various race teams, should run regular substance abuse education and prevention courses that are required for drivers at every level. This should be a part of the licensing requirements, where not only do the drivers declare which Series they are running for championships in but they also check off that they have participated in at least one substance abuse awareness seminar or course.

    Having said that, these substance abuse prevention and education requirements should not just be made for the Cup, Nationwide and Truck Series.  They should also be required in the Camping World East and West Series, and yes, should even be required in the up and coming series where those teenagers and even pre-teens are now racing.

    Perhaps if substance abuse prevention and education programming was added to NASCAR’s substance abuse policy, situations like with Michael Annett will become a thing of the past.  And that would be great not only for the sport, where the athletes serve as role models to so many youth, but for the athletes themselves who can avoid having to be punished or sanctioned, to the detriment of all.

    Best of all, alcohol and drug prevention and education might just save a life.  And that truly is the most powerful argument of all for NASCAR to add that ounce of prevention to the sport’s substance abuse policy.

  • Daytona’s Magical Aura: The Michael Waltrip Story

    Daytona’s Magical Aura: The Michael Waltrip Story

    Daytona has always had this magical aura with stories surrounding the Daytona 500 that everybody loves to tell over and over. As we near closer to the Daytona 500, here is a look back through some of the highlighted moments in Daytona 500 history.

    [media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”255″][/media-credit]Michael Waltrip’s Daytona stories extends to include several chapters, each containing their own special aura.

    Waltrip’s journey of Daytona goes back to the 2001 Daytona 500, which was his first start with Dale Earnhardt Incorporated. Waltrip had been racing in the Sprint Cup Series since 1985 for various teams, though had yet to find himself in victory lane. He had finished in the top 10, the top five and even finished top 10 in points, though never found himself in victory lane. The 2001 season was set to mark a change of this via Waltrip being given a chance to drive a third car for Dale Earnhardt Incorporated by his best friend Dale Earnhardt.

    The entire 2001 Daytona 500 played out as a dream to Waltrip (of course till the last lap crash) as he was up front throughout the race, in contention ready to take the win. When it came to the final lap, there he led the race, followed by his teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., set to win and complete the dream. With his brother Darrell Waltrip’s voice calling the final lap, excited spewed over the top as DW called in it dramatic fashion as Michael finally broke his 467 race winless streak.

    Of course, the entire mood of the day changed to the complete opposite as on the final lap, Waltrip’s car owner Dale Earnhardt crashed in turn three and died. The entire excitement that Waltrip felt in victory lane disappeared as now the NASCAR Nation went into mourning.

    Though, with the Daytona’s Magical means, the story can never end there. When it came to NASCAR’s return to Daytona in July of 2001, everybody knew it’d be an emotional time via February’s events. Instead of tears of sadness, it became tears of joys as Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the win with Waltrip second. The outpouring of emotions afterwards on Daytona’s infield grass allowed Waltrip to finally be able to celebrate and pull some weight off the shoulders via another win at Daytona for the team.

    However, Waltrip wasn’t done there. He wanted his own win at Daytona to celebrate as his own. That came in 2003 when Waltrip won the Daytona 500 for a second time, able to celebrate under the rain drops that had fallen to call the race early. Finally, Waltrip got to experience his own Daytona celebration without any distractors.

    Waltrip ran for Dale Earnhardt Incorporated from 2001 to 2005, before being release due to a string of events that led to poor results. In his time with Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, Waltrip got two other wins besides his Daytona 500 victories – 2002 Summer Daytona July race and 2003 Fall Talladega race. Waltrip spent the 2006 season at Bill Davis Racing, where he found his confidence sink lower in his ability of a driver with more poor finishes.

    “Confidence is more important in this sport than people realize,” Waltrip wrote in NASCAR Illustrated’s February issue. “I lost mine when I moved to Bill Davis Racing in 2006 after a great year at Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 2005. We didn’t run well right from the start. It beat me down to the point where it basically ended my career.”

    Waltrip went and raced for himself for a few years, before hanging up the helmet and taking on the ownership role. Waltrip also has found himself in a position that works better for a man of his personality with working in the booth during the Camping World Truck Series races with Rick Allen and Phil Parsons.

    For the 2011 Daytona 500, Waltrip will try to add another chapter to his Daytona story as he runs a paint scheme paying tribute to Dale Earnhardt.

    “This is a very special day,” Waltrip said during the media tour. “Ten years ago I won the 500 in my first race with NAPA and we know February 18, 2001 is a day that NASCAR fans will never forget. What looked to be a storybook ending turned to tragedy seconds later.  To mark the 10th anniversary of that race and my 25th consecutive 500 will be quite emotional for me and fans alike.”

    Also to go with the 10th anniversary, Waltrip has released a book that tells the events that happened on February 18th and other challenges in his life in his perspective in his new book In the Blink of an Eye, which went on sale Feb. 1st.

    “I’ve spent much of last year writing the book,” Waltrip said. “It forced me to put into words a lot of emotions from that weekend and how we and the whole NASCAR world dealt with the loss of Dale. When I got my first copy the other day I told people that I felt like I had given birth. The book has become a part of me and I know fans are going to love it.”

    The color will be black and blue, following along the lines of the yellow and blue paint scheme that Waltrip drove for Dale Earnhardt Incorporated.

    “Hard to believe 10 years have passed since that fateful day in 2001 when we celebrated Michael’s Daytona 500 win and unfortunately mourned the loss of our friend, Dale Earnhardt,” Bob Susor, NAPA President, said. “We could not think of a better way to honor our friend Dale as well as mark this milestone in Michael’s career than to bring the NAPA No. 15 back to the Daytona 500 with a special paint scheme. We are hopeful fans, family and friends enjoy the tribute to both Michael and Dale.”

    Regardless of how the 2011 chapter plays out, Waltrip’s story will always remain in the Daytona history books forever and touches the magical aura of Daytona.

  • Brett Moffitt Plans to Follow MWR Teammate Ryan Truex to East Series Championship

    Brett Moffitt Plans to Follow MWR Teammate Ryan Truex to East Series Championship

    Up and coming NASCAR driver Brett Moffitt will soon take the wheel of the race car formerly driven by Ryan Truex, the two-time K & N Pro Series East champion and little brother of Cup driver Martin Truex, Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing’s newest addition also plans to follow in Truex’s footsteps by winning the East Series championship in 2011.

    “We’re really excited,” Moffitt said of his new Michael Waltrip Racing ride. “It’s really a good fit right now for where I’m at in my career and what they are looking to do. I’m really excited to try to run for their third consecutive championship in the East Series.”

    [media-credit name=”Brett Moffitt Racing” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]Moffitt credits his “good PR lady Michelle” for talking to Ty Norris at MWR and securing his new ride. As are many drivers, Moffitt continues to search for sponsors for the car, the No. 00 so familiar to Michael Waltrip Racing fans.

    Moffitt will be running the full K&N Pro Series East schedule in 2011, from Greenville-Pickens Speedway where he won his first ever pole, to the Monster Mile where he won a race in the 2010 season. This is the third year that Moffitt has raced the East Series, finishing third and then second in points, last year and this year respectively.

    “My first year in the Series, I ended up third in points with Andy Santerre Motorsports,” Moffitt said. “This past year with Joe Gibbs Racing, I ended up second in points. So, if I continue that trend, then I should be the champion next year.”

    Moffitt will also have the same crew chief, Mike Greci, who took Ryan Truex to his championships. In addition to the two East titles with Truex in 2009 and 2010, Greci has won two other East championships, both with Mike Stefanik in 1997 and 1998.

    “I’ll also have the same crew that Truex had on his team,” Moffitt said. “Travis Pastrana will also be running some West races for the team but they really don’t know what he’s going to do yet.”

    Pastrana, who will be Moffitt’s teammate in the companion West Series, actually did some testing in Florida this week at New Smyrna Speedway. He intends to make his NASCAR debut at the Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale in January 2011.

    In addition to having an action sports star as a teammate, Moffitt also knows that he has big shoes to fill as he follows in Champion Ryan Truex’s footsteps.

    “I’m excited. I’m ready to go out there,” Moffitt said. “I’ve had a lot of fast cars these past two years but a lot of bad luck. Hopefully we can turn that luck around and I’m looking forward to the first race just to see how we do.”

    The young driver, just 18 years old, also knows that he is very fortunate to even have a ride, given the toll of the economy, especially on the more local tiers of NASCAR racing.

    “This is an amazing opportunity,” Moffitt said. “At this point with how hard it is to find sponsors and what not, to be able to know during the off season what you are doing next year is really quite a relief. It’s stressful trying to find out what you’re going to do, but I’m definitely excited to be in the position I am right now.”

    With his ride in hand and his plans secure, Moffitt now intends to focus on preparing for the 2011 season.
    “I’ll be doing a lot of personal training,” Moffitt said. “We’re going testing right in the middle of January so that will help our team and help me more.”

    Moffitt, a native of Grimes, Iowa, will continue to live with his parents next year. But he is anxious to move to North Carolina, “if only his parents would allow” him to make the move.

    Moffitt will be celebrating the holidays in what he calls “snow-covered Iowa.” He, like so many others, has recently spent a great deal of time in airports, experiencing the delays that only Mother Nature can share at this time of year.

    As he waits, however, he is most definitely counting all of his blessings as he contemplates the 2011 season.

    “This is a heck of an opportunity,” Moffitt said. “I’m honored they chose me to contend for another championship. I plan to show them they made the right decision.”

    “We have a lot of faith in Brett,” car owner Michael Waltrip said. “We saw what he did the last two years on the track and we are confident he will do well with us. I think MWR fans and NASCAR fans are really going to like him.”