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Moffitt Uses Off-Season Activities to Celebrate and Prepare
for 2009
by: Chuck Stowe
GRIMES, Ia (February 19, 2009) – Brett Moffitt has been a pretty busy guy
during what has become a shorter and shorter off-season in the world of
motorsports. For Brett, it hardly seems that almost four months have passed
since he made his mark in the late model world by nearly defeating short
track legend Steve Carlson during the ASALMS North Series feature at the La
Crosse Speedways annual “Oktoberfest” event. In an article from the La
Crosse Tribune by Jeff Brown, Jeff wrote: “What made a crowd estimated at
5,000 stick around was one of the best battles for first place in the
history of the Oktoberfest weekend. Wiley Veteran Steve Carlson, who folks
around the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway know very well, had his hands full
- and then some - with a 16 year old whiz kid named Brett Moffitt. Remember
that name. Carlson and Moffitt were inches apart - or less - for much of the
final 15 laps, and put on a show that had the crowd on its feet. Moffitt, in
fact, stole the lead from Carlson six laps from the finish, but Carlson
refused to give in. Carlson took the lead back on lap 95 and held off
Moffitt for the victory in what was the most hotly-contested race of the
39th annual Oktoberfest Race Weekend...”
Shortly after the Oktoberfest event, Moffitt started making plans for the
2009 season. After several phone calls and a trip to the Charlotte area,
Moffitt found himself signed with one of the Camping World East Series’ most
highly respected teams, Andy Santerre Motorsports. An initial test session
was put together in December at the Motor Mile Speedway, located in Radford,
VA. Brett’s results were impressive, as indicated by the following comments
from team owner, Andy Santerre. “Brett had good car control – from start to
finish, Brett always had complete control of the car. It never broke loose
or looked out of shape. Brett ran the track as fast as any veteran that Andy
Santerre Motorsports has ever tested at Motor Mile Speedway.” Santerre
continued, “Brett provided feedback beyond his years. We would make changes
to the car and not tell him what we did; he would go back on the track, and
his feedback matched the changes we had made. Brett was able to dial the car
in quickly and accurately. His feedback matched what the tire temps and
brake temps were telling us.” Santerre, a four time East Series Champion,
concluded by commenting, “Brett is a young kid, only 16 years old, but he
races with the maturity and ability of someone 10 to 20 years his senior. He
is a true rookie, having only raced one year on asphalt in full bodied cars,
but you would never know it by watching him on the track or listening to him
on the radio.” Santerre added, “I am really excited about 2009 and believe
Brett can be competitive right out of the box in the NASCAR Camping World
East Series.” Moffitt, along with the Andy Santerre Motorsports Team, plans
to compete in the full NASCAR Camping World East Series schedule, contesting
for their “Rookie of the Year” honors.
In January, Moffitt traveled to Toledo, OH, where he attended the annual ASA
Late Model Series awards banquet. Moffitt was honored at the banquet as the
ASALMS North Series “Rookie of the Year” and also received his share of the
2008 points fund for finishing second in the over-all points standings.
Moffitt finished just 103 points behind 2008 Champion and veteran driver,
Eddie Hoffman. Moffitt can be very proud of his rookie accomplishments,
considering that in 2007, he was racing an IMCA SportMod on the dirt, and in
2006 he was competing in go-karts.
In preparation for the road course events that Moffitt will compete in with
the NASCAR Camping World Series, Brett also took advantage of the off-season
to attend the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving. Moffitt’s
instructor was Danny Bullock, who has been a lead instructor at the driving
school for nine years. Bullock’s presence at the school and his manner with
the students are the result of years of motorsports experience as a racer,
instructor, coach, precision driver, and speaker. Bullock commented that
Brett was quick to pick up on the techniques necessary to compete on road
courses. He adapted to the theory very easily and much quicker than most
students. Brett will be a very welcome addition to any team. His cool
demeanor, great personality, and driving ability will make him a success in
the motorsports arena.
And if that is not enough, Brett Moffitt is currently attending a Dale
Carnegie training course, attending high school every day, and simply taking
some time to hang out with his friends and be a sixteen year old teenager.
In just a few short weeks, Moffitt will start his 2009 racing season,
returning to the dirt to defend his 2008 IMCA Spring Nationals Championship
at the 2009 Beatrice (NE) Speedway IMCA Spring Nationals. On April 11th,
Moffitt will make his debut in the NASCAR Camping World East Series during
its season-opening event at the Greenville-Pickens Speedway located in
Greenville, SC. In addition to the full Camping World East Series schedule,
Moffitt also plans to compete in select ASA Late Model Series events, select
ASA Mid-West Tour events, a Camping World West Series event, select ARCA
events, and when his schedule allows, he will return to the dirt, racing his
IMCA SportMod at tracks located near his home.
For additional information about Brett Moffitt and to follow Moffitt’s
racing career, log onto his web site at:
www.brettmoffitt.com and the
Andy Santerre Motorsports website at:
www.andysanterremotorsports.com .
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