Anyone who questions how serious Randy Moss is about succeeding in NASCAR need look no further than his announcement on Wednesday that Jimmie Johnson would drive his truck in the Craftsman Truck Series race at Bristol later this month.
Randy Moss Motorsports, which in its first two races has finished a respectable 13th and 14th, will put a two-time Sprint Cup champion in the wheel at one of NASCAR's most exciting tracks. It's a smart move, and even if Johnson doesn't win the race (which I kind of doubt he will, this being his Truck Series debut), it shows just how seriously Moss is taking this venture.
Moss has already shown he's serious enough to shell out his own money in the event of a lack of sponsorship, and he's already shown how serious he is by starting off in the Craftsman Truck Series, the perceived lowest of NASCAR's three national touring series.
Previous NFL players-turned-NASCAR owners failed, in part because they started in the Sprint Cup Series, a series dominated by four super teams that leave little room for anyone else. Moss, by starting off in the Truck Series and being willing to fund it himself, is showing he's trying to learn from the mistakes of others, and putting a driver like Johnson behind the wheel, even if only for a race, gives that team credibility.
And by agreeing to drive that truck, Johnson is in a way validating Moss' effort. Who knows? If a sponsor or up-and-coming driver sees Johnson climb into the No. 81 and have a solid run ( atop-10 would go a long way), they might decide to latch on, giving Moss even more stability and the chance for future success.
Even with everything Moss is doing right, though, even he can't find a solution for the tire debacle at Indy. Oh well, we can't all be miracle workers ...
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