Moss Can Catch, BUT …
April 30, 2008 by Tim Zaegel
Filed under Racing
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That’s right, folks, arguably the most talented Wide Receiver playing in the National Football League has decided to make a major multi-million dollar business decision, and it’s got NASCAR written all over it. Randy Moss, star WR for the New England Patriots, announced this past Tuesday the official formation of Moss Motorsports, LLC and his intent for the team to race a partial schedule in the Craftsman Truck Series as early as in the second half of this year, with a full-time schedule on his radar for 2009.
With sponsorship and personnel to be announced at a later date, Moss admitted that it would probably make more sense for the organization to attempt to find a driver with a veteran status that can get them into Victory Lane as quickly as possible, rather than attempting to build a team from the ground up centered around an unproven talent as many other race teams have attempted. Moss does not currently have anyone in mind, though, but is already scouting the market to see who will be available.
In terms of sponsorship, this is likely to be an area that Moss should find very little resistance. Aside from being one of the most marketable athletes in professional sports, the single season receptions record holder has purchased several local businesses, and has aligned himself with a slew of others. Though some of these companies may not necessarily serve as a full-time primary sponsor for his team, Moss does believe that these businesses will be delighted at any opportunities they may have to reach out to a new audience through this avenue. To help expedite matters, he has also contracted out with Integrity Sports Marketing LLC, one of the leading marketing companies for NASCAR.
Something that many of you may not know already, is that this is not the first venture in the racing world for Moss. He has been involved with sponsorship for local dirt track racing, and has also served as an ambassador for the Urban Youth Racing School. And, as we all know, he is certainly not the first person from the NFL to throw their hat into the NASCAR arena. A few years ago, hall of fame Quarterbacks, Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach, teamed together to form Hall of Fame Racing which they later sold towards the end of 2007. Oh, and it’s rumored that a former head coach by the name of Joe Gibbs may have something to do with the sport as well.
Moss told the media on Tuesday, “I am by nature a very competitive person and this is an outlet for me to compete at another level. There are some pretty awesome challenges in building a program like this from the ground up, but I am looking forward to it.”
The addition of Randy Moss to NASCAR’s roster is certain to be viewed as a positive step for the sport as it continues to evolve and reach out in their diversity programs. In the last few years, NASCAR has has already added drivers with immense international popularity, such as Juan Pablo Montoya and Dario Franchitti, and just earlier this year Chrissy Wallace signed a deal in the truck series that is expected to draw a larger female audience. This could prove valuable in their search for an untapped urban fanbase.
For more opinions and insight on this topic, please be sure to read Moss Motorsports to Hit NASCAR Tracks Running over at Full Throttle.
Hey Tim.. when I first heard that Moss was starting a team, I didn’t have a lot of faith in the plan, but having read about it, I guess there’s a bit of hope.
Great post.
I was a little skeptical myself, but after listening to him on NASCAR Now, and reading up on the deal, I think he will be successful.
You are right, sponsorship should be no problem at all.
He said he has spoken to Gibbs, and you know that JGR is one of the leaders in the diversity program. I can see Moss Motorsports in a Toyota with support from JGR. Maybe even a Stewart-Moss team in 2009. Okay, that last line may be stretching it a little.
Bruce, I’m glad you liked the post, and thrilled that it may have given you a new spin on the whole issue. It’s got “PR Stunt” written all over it for sure, but I think they’ve got the right guy for the job. Moss is a pretty smart businessman.
Rev, you’re really pitchin that theory of yours around like there’s no tomorrow, eh? I like the idea of Moss putting his team in Toyotas, and that will probably happen … the problem with getting support from JGR, though, is that they’re not in the truck series, so there’s a real lack of information and equipment that can be exchanged there. Bill Davis Racing would be a stout possibility, though.
Hey, I said it was pure speculation. It Tom Bowles can report that Stewart is getting out of his contract early to go with a losing team, I can speculate on the truck series, can’t I? Bowles gets paid to write his bs, I don’t, so I can stretch without mentioning “unnamed sources.”
Gibbs has some experience in the Truck Series, and it really hasn’t changed that much since ‘03.
I’m just saying it’s possible that they could support him.
It isn’t like Moss would be running the team himself, anyway. He knows he has to put the “right people in the right place” to make it work.
I could maybe see Gibbs lending a hand to Moss for the sole purpose of giving them some grab in the truck series without actually having to put their own team there.
I still like Bill Davis Racing for this occasion, though.
Just another big hype stunt. This team will be decent at best maybe but i dont think they’ll ever be the real deal.