Track Schedules

Moffitt Shows Speed at Historic Bowman Gray Stadium 

GRIMES, IA (June 6, 2011) – Brett Moffitt, driver of the No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota, showed his team’s championship strength again this past weekend at the fifth stop on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East schedule at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, NC for the Army Strong 150. 

Coming off the biggest victory of his young career, the 18-year old drove a smooth race, running inside the top 3 for the majority of the race, until another competitor made contact with him with only forty laps remaining.  Despite heavy body damage, Moffitt was able to battle back from a lap down and drive home with a 16^th place finish. 

“Our goal was just to run in the top 5 and survive,” Moffitt said.  “I really thought we were in a good position as the race was winding down, until we got spun.  The crew did a good job salvaging the race car and making sure we were able to finish.” 

The team unloaded fast to start the weekend, with Moffitt setting the third quickest pace in the only practice session.  Moffitt backed up his practice speed by qualifying fourth, with a time of 14.908 seconds (60.370 MPH) on the challenging quarter-mile track. 

“We knew that having the car handle well on the bottom during the race was a priority, so we spent most of the time during practice trying to set it up for race conditions,” Moffitt said.  “I was happy that we were able to start toward the front, but more importantly, I was very happy with the way the car handled.” 

Once the green flag dropped, it wasn’t long before Moffitt started showing his strength.  By lap 5, Moffitt had moved into third place and began pressuring for second.  After over 100 smooth laps and avoiding a number of mishaps that brought out both the yellow and the red flags, Moffitt’s luck ran out on lap 110 while running in third place. 

Moffitt’s intent had been to ‘ride’ in an odd-numbered position during the race, in order to be on the inside lane for the restarts.  “Our game plan was to try to be on the inside for every restart,” Moffitt said.  “Once we were in third, I knew if I rode it out, stayed out of trouble, and just saved our stuff, I would be in a good position at the end.  Because of the configuration of the track, starting on the inside is a major advantage.” 

This plan was derailed when Moffitt was tagged by the fourth place car, which sent the No. 00 Michael Waltrip Toyota into the outside wall with heavy damage.  Although Moffitt was able to drive away, he lost a lap while pitting to fix the brakes.  On lap 149, Moffitt received the “Lucky Dog Pass”, putting him back on the lead lap, but he was unable to contend for the win.  Given the condition of the car, Moffitt was fortunate to bring it across the line for a 16^th place finish.  Although the finish dropped Moffitt from first to fourth in the Championship point standings, he is only 34 points out of the lead. 

“I’m bummed that we lost the lead,” Moffitt said, “but I know that a good run at our next race can easily put us back in first.  We just hope we have used all of our bad luck for the year and can click off consistent top finishes going forward.” 

The Army Strong 150 is scheduled to air on SPEED TV on Thursday, June 9^th at 6 PM EST. 

In other news over the weekend, NASCAR Home Tracks released an article chronicling and highlighting Moffitt’s career in the NASCAR K & N Pro Series East.  To view the article, go to:  http://hometracks.nascar.com/feature/Championship_Form_For_Moffitt 

The next stop on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East schedule is Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, GA, on June 11^th, the halfway mark of the season. 

“Racing at Gresham was a lot of fun last year,” Moffitt said.  “I enjoy the track, and I know how fast the Michael Waltrip Racing team was there, so I really look for us to rebound.” 

For additional information, and to follow Moffitt’s racing career, log on at: www.brettmoffittracing.com, and for information about Michael Waltrip Racing, log on to www.michaelwaltripracing.com.  To stay up to date with all of Moffitt’s news, both on and off the track, follow him on Facebook at Brett Moffitt Racing. 

For information on sponsorship opportunities with Brett Moffitt Racing, contact Dick Moffitt at:  515.202.2310 or rmoffitt@destinyhomesusa.com.