2018 truck series champion, Brett Moffitt, will return to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this weekend at Talladega, marking his first race in the series since Knoxville in 2022.
Moffitt, 31, will race a throwback to his 2015 Cup Series paint scheme.
He was the 2015 Cup Series Rookie of the Year, and will also drive for the team in which he won the award with, Front Row Motorsports; it will also be a second entry for the team and he will carry the number 34, the same number he used to capture the award as well.
Moffitt has bounced around NASCAR teams since his 2015 campaign in the Cup Series, something he wasn’t supposed to do that year to begin with.
David Ragan was driving the number 34 for Front Row Motorsports in the Cup Series, but was later called to fill in for Kyle Busch, who broke his leg in the season opener for the NASCAR Xfinity Series (and would go on to win the Cup Series championship).
This opened the door for Jack Roush’s Xfinity Series prospect, Chris Buescher, to gain some experience. Moffitt was tapped by Michael Waltrip to substitute for Brian Vickers, who went through the second stint of his career where he was sidelined with a blood clot, resulting in him taking the rest of the season off.
Ragan would later go on to drive the number 55 Aaron’s Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing, and Moffitt was given the opportunity to replace Ragan, however, he would not be signed on for 2016 as Chris Buescher was the 2015 Xfinity Series champion.
Moffitt would drive for Red Horse Racing on a part-time basis in the truck series in 2016, scoring a win at Michigan and was signed full-time in 2017, however the team could not find funding and shut down two races into the season.
He would drive for GMS Racing in his home track race at Iowa, but his season would end after that race.
Moffitt would go on to replace Ryan Truex at Hattori Racing Enterprises in 2018, and despite winning two races by June, funding was running low.
He ended the year with six wins and the truck series championship, which is still touted as one of NASCAR’s greatest championship upsets.
While Moffitt would not repeat as champion or return to HRE in 2019, he’d move to GMS Racing in 2019, but had very little sponsorship, prompting the number 24 team to shut down, and he’d return in 2020 driving the number 23, scoring a win at Kansas.
He’d also run part-time for Our Motorsports in the Xfinity Series in both years at GMS, moving to a full-time campaign in 2021.
He’d move to AM Racing in 2022 after Indianapolis. He returned in 2023, however as of September 24th, there are rumors circulating that he will not return to the in 2024, and no replacement has been linked to those rumors.
Moffitt last raced in the Cup Series in 2017.
For more of the latest NASCAR news and analysis, visit Speedcafe US
Discussion about this post