Forgive Brett Moffitt if he has become somewhat selective in the NASCAR rides he takes these days.
The 25-year-old native of Grimes, Iowa, was sort of a last-minute addition to Hattori Racing Enterprises but two weeks into the Camping World Truck Series season, he already has a win at Atlanta and has his No. 16 Toyota team locked into the playoffs.
“I take every opportunity no matter what series it is and I am grateful for it. To be back in winning equipment is what’s important to me,” Moffitt said Thursday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, site of Friday night’s Stratosphere 200.
“I got so burnt out running 20th on back in the Cup Series that you’re just collecting a paycheck at that point. Which is sometimes what you have to do.
“I would go race for free if we’re racing for wins. It’s the passion of competition.”
Fight to enter the Cup Series
Moffitt appeared to be on a fast-track to NASCAR success, racking up nine wins in the K&N Pro Series East between 2009 and 2013.
He made seven Cup series starts in 2014 and then in the second race of 2015, he was called on by Michael Waltrip Racing to fill-in for Brian Vickers, who had to take a medical leave of absence.
Moffitt made six starts with MWR then spent most of the rest of the season at Front Row Motorsports, where his best finish was 27th. In 2016, he made six Truck starts with Red Horse Racing and picked up his first win at Michigan.
He ran the first five Trucks races last season for Red Horse until owner Tom DeLoach elected to close the organization’s doors.
Moffitt didn’t have any solid ride prospects this season until the opportunity with HRE developed.
“When you’re not upfront, it’s not fun and this opportunity, I am grateful for it,” he said. “To be back and competing for wins with these guys upfront just brings the fun back to racing. I’m looking forward to the rest of the year.”
There’s every reason to believe this weekend could be another solid one for Moffitt.
The No. 16 team, led by crew chief Scott Zipadelli, has three top-five and four top-10 finishes in its last five races at 1.5-mile tracks, including last weekend’s win at Atlanta. The team is also planning to use the same truck as they did a week ago.
“We actually turned around the exact same truck we won with at Atlanta. The guys worked hard on Sunday afternoon all the way until they loaded the truck (Monday) night. Then they kind of switched gears to get the Martinsville truck ready,” Moffitt said.
“I expect us to be better. I think we learned a lot (at Atlanta). We had a few mishaps that hurt our performance a little bit and we all know we can get better.”
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