Backstretch Motorsports

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. – 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.

NHRA Pro Stock star Erica Enders to compete in Las Vegas Pro Stock Showdown at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with new team and sponsors

LAS VEGAS – NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock driver Erica Enders is coming to Las Vegas this weekend to test at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and compete in the fourth annual Las Vegas Pro Stock Showdown. Enders will be joined by at least 16 other drivers, including defending NHRA Pro Stock champion and 2008 event winner Jeg Coughlin Jr., Allen Johnson, V Gaines, Mike Edwards, Tom Hammonds, Jerry Haase, Ron Krisher, Rickie Jones, Bob Panella, Roger Brogden, J.R. Carr, Frank Gugliatta, Bob Yorke, Johnny Gray, David Beckley and Greg Stanfield.

Enders, the only female driver to reach a Pro Stock final round and earn No. 1 Qualifier status, will drive a Ford Mustang for Jim Cunningham, owner of Capitol Raceway in Maryland.

“I’ll be testing (and racing) Friday and Saturday,” said Enders as she was about to board a plane to Las Vegas this afternoon. “It’s a full-time deal for 2009. I filled in for him at a race last year when he had a family emergency and that’s how the business relationship started.

“Las Vegas is one of my favorite tracks in the country. I’m looking forward to getting back in the car – it’s been a long winter and it’s only a week before Pomona, but we’ve been waiting on parts. I’m very excited to get back to Las Vegas.”

Enders is sponsored by Dragstar, a company that markets clothing for girls. Her team also will get a big assist from the Ford Motor Company.

“We are excited about working with Erica and Jim on their efforts in Pro Stock,” said Brian Wolfe, North America Motorsports Director of Ford Motor Co. “We are working on a new cylinder block and cylinder head that we hope to get approved by NHRA for competition later this year.”

Enders told NHRA.com, “Last year was very tough for me not being able to compete, but I am very glad that I attended as many races as I did last year in order to maintain my contacts with NHRA racing, and it was my trip to Indianapolis that made all this happen.”

The weekend – which allows drag racing fans a sneak peek at the 2009 campaign – kicks off on Friday, Jan. 30, with Pro Stock qualifying at noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Pro Stock eliminations begin on Saturday, Jan. 31, at noon.

The weekend also includes the National Open for Stock/Super Stock Combo, Super Comp, Super gas, Super Street, Top Sportsman/Top Dragster Combo, Electronic Bracket, Non-Electronic Bracket and Sportsman Motorcycle teams. NHRA divisional grade points will be awarded and winners will receive NHRA “Wally” trophies.

Driver scheduled to compete in the Las Vegas Pro Stock Showdown at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:

Jeg Coughlin Jr.
Allan Johnson
V Gaines
Mike Edwards
Tom Hammonds
Jerry Haase
Ron Krisher
Rickie Jones
Bob Panella
Roger Brogden
J.R. Carr
Frank Gugliatta
Bob Yorke
Johnny Gray
David Beckley
Greg Stanfield
Erica Enders