Brett Moffit doesn’t get a lot of opportunities to drive nowadays, but two weeks ago he learned that his biggest opportunity yet is nearly a month away.
During the 33rd annual Media Tour, Michael Waltrip Racing co-owner Michael Waltrip announced that their development driver earned the opportunity to drive the No. 55 Aarons Toyota at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 1. Moffitt will sub for Brian Vickers who has been medically cleared to return to competition at Las Vegas Motor Speedway following heart surgery this offseason.
The chance is huge for Moffitt, the former NASCAR K&N Pro Series standout and undoubtedly (he) plans to make the best of it.
“I’m thankful this day is here,” Moffitt explained having to keep the announcement silent before the Media Tour. “It was stressful wait to find out if I was going to drive for them at Atlanta obviously. I wanted this opportunity really bad and I’m just really thankful for it.”
Moffit will make his eighth career start in Sprint Cup in March. In seven showings last season, he managed a best finish of 22nd in his debut at Dover International Speedway driving the No. 66 for Jay Robinson. Additionally, Moffitt posted a 34th place finish at Atlanta last fall acquiring crucial seat time that could play dividends in the second race of the season.
The Grimes, Iowa native is well liked and respected by his peers earning even more accolades since serving as the organization’s research and development driver since last season. Driving for Shigeaki Hattori, Moffitt finished a career-high third in the 2012 K&N Pro Series division championship but struggled to find funding to advance to compete at a higher level on a more permanent basis.
“You’re filling in for a great driver and a great team, you gotta step up to the plate and perform to that level,” offered Moffitt. “I feel very blessed. I see it more as an opportunity than as a challenge. They don’t put any pressure on me. They’re very confident in me which brings my confidence level up which obviously will bring my performance up.”
While humble yet enthusiastic about his one-race substitution role at MWR, the nine-time K&N Pro Series East winner isn’t blind to know that he needs more seat time to prove his worth. That being said, the outcome of the Folds of Honor Quik Trip 500 has the ability to open more doors, either at MWR or for another Toyota team across NASCAR’s three national series.
“I’m very happy at MWR,” the 22-year old said. “They are very supportive of me and have been since 2011. They gave me my first chance to test a Cup car. They gave me my first opportunity to race in the Sprint Cup Series. I wouldn’t be where I am without them, but I do need to be in a car more and they have been willing to work with me.”
For MWR, it was an obvious choice to keep the decision from their own.
“Brett has been working with our team for a couple years and when we would go test (Cup) last year, he was as fast as anybody,” said MWR team co-owner Michael Waltrip. “He gives great feedback, has a work ethic unlike any other I’ve ever seen. He’s just very focused on being successful in NASCAR. He was overwhelmingly the first choice to drive the car.”
Vickers stood by his team’s decision to put Moffit into his ride and believes that despite his inexperience in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, he’s capable of winning.
“I’m very excited for Brett Moffitt,” sounded Vickers. “He is a great young man. He has a good head on his shoulders, he’s a great racecar driver. I’ve been able to work with him a lot through the testing and been very proud of his efforts. No one is more deserving of getting a shot at this car at Atlanta than him. I think it was the right choice by everyone. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s going to go there and have a shot to win that race.”
All that being said, a clouded future remains for Moffitt – but Waltrip is firm that their affirmation of his ability has never been clearer.
“We believe in Brett,” Waltrip said. “He’s our guy and we hope he has success at Atlanta and we can loan him out to other Toyota teams and race somewhere else this season. That would make me really happy.”
It’s been 13 years since we’ve seen a grand entrance by a driver with limited experience at the Cup level – dating back to Jamie McMurray’s masterful win at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October 2002. What a feat that would be if Moffit pulled off the upset and not only put Michael Waltrip Racing back in victory lane but in Aarons backyard too.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
