Catchfence

Tayler Malsam

No. 25 Iron Horse Jeans Toyota Tundra

Phoenix International Raceway – Lucas Oil 150

February 25, 2011

2011 NCWTS Tayler Malsam - Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR

• This Week’s Tundra… Tayler Malsam and Randy Moss Motorsports will compete with chassis MDM-109 at Phoenix International Raceway on Friday night.  MDM-109 is a brand new chassis that was built especially for Phoenix International Raceway and events at other short-tracks throughout the 2011 season.  The opening practice session on Friday morning will mark the first time MDM-109 has been on the track. 
• A Different Kind of Horsepower… Tayler Malsam and Randy Moss Motorsports will welcome Iron Horse Jeans back to the hood of their Toyota Tundra.  The California-based company made their debut with Randy Moss Motorsports at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Nov. 2010.  Iron Horse Jeans makes premium denim jeans affordable without sacrificing quality and guarantees them to last. Their line is vintage inspired because they take cues from the hard working jeans of past generations and update them with modern fits for today’s men and women.  For more information and retail locations, visit www.ironhorsejeans.com. 
• Follow Tayler… Fans are invited to follow Tayler Malsam, driver of the No. 25 Iron Horse Jeans Toyota Tundra, on twitter @TaylerMalsam and Facebook (NASCAR Driver Tayler Malsam).  Fans can also check out http://www.taylermalsam.com for news, updates, and photos throughout the week.
• Get the Inside Scoop… Follow Randy Moss Motorsports on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook to get real-time updates and behind-the-scenes content and photos.  Visit Facebook.com/RandyMossMotorsports or @RMMRacing to see what you’re missing.
• Watch and Listen…The Lucas Oil 150 from Phoenix International Raceway will be broadcast live on SPEED, MRN Radio and Sirius-XM NASCAR Radio, channel 128, beginning at 7:30 p.m. EST on Friday, Feb. 25.  Fans can also watch practice live on SPEED at 11:00 a.m. EST on Friday, followed by qualifying at 5:00 p.m. EST. 

• Quick in Qualifying… As the NCWTS works off the 2010 point standings to guarantee competitors a place in the opening four events of the 2011 season, Tayler Malsam must be fast in qualifying to earn a place to race on Friday night.  The 22-year-old from Seattle, Wash., does not have points to fall back on, and must therefore qualify into the race on time. 

Tayler Malsam on racing at Phoenix International Raceway

“I’m excited to be back racing on the West Coast.  I’m really lucky to have such great sponsors behind me and I’m thankful for all of their support.  The No. 25 truck is going to have Iron Horse Jeans back on the hood, and I’m looking forward to hanging out with all of their guests at the racetrack.  The truck I had last weekend was one of the best trucks that I’ve ever taken to the race track, and we’re taking a brand new piece to the track this weekend.  I’m excited to see how it handles and how we do throughout practices and qualifying on Friday.”

Crew Chief Dan Stillman on competing at Phoenix International Raceway

“Phoenix is a great little racetrack and one that we always look forward to racing at.  Our team has a lot of great supporters behind it, and we’re excited to have Iron Horse Jeans back with us this weekend.  We need to qualify into the race, so there’s a little more added pressure, but we have a great group of guys that are more than up to the challenge and a brand-new truck that we’re really excited about taking to the track.”

Tayler Malsam

Driver Bio

Birthdate: February 15, 1989

Hometown: Seattle, Washington

Residence: Mooresville, NC

Status: Single

After spending the 2010 season making a series of starts in both the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS), Tayler Malsam returns to his seat at Randy Moss Motorsports to compete with the team that helped him throughout his rookie campaign.  The 21-year-old from the Pacific Northwest proved to be a contender in his Randy Moss Motorsports-prepared Toyota Tundra two seasons ago, and with another year of racing experience and greater confidence in his talent, the young driver is sure to make his mark in the series in 2011.

Malsam began racing shifter karts at age 15 in his hometown of Sammamish, Wash.  After qualifying for the US Nationals, Malsam made the leap into a full season of Formula TR open-wheel road racing in 2005.  That same year he began competing in both 360 and 410 Winged Sprint car competition, advancing to the Knoxville Nationals where he set the fastest qualifying lap for a rookie during the 47^th annual event.

In 2007, Malsam made the jump to stock cars, racing Late Models at Irwindale (Calif.) Raceway.  He also made his ARCA Racing Series debut at Toledo Speedway that year, starting his first race from the eighth position.  His talent caught the eye of Penske Racing, who gave him a shot as a development driver in 2008, racing the full ARCA Racing Series season and finishing ninth in the driver Points Standings.  In August 2008, Malsam also made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

By 2009 Malsam moved up the ranks to race full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series when an opportunity opened up at Randy Moss Motorsports.  The Sammamish, Wash., native finished second in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings and recorded one top-five and 10 top-10 finishes throughout his rookie campaign.  The success caught the eye of NASCAR standout Kyle Busch who hand-picked the young driver to join the newly formed Kyle Busch Motorsports to start the 2010 season.  After an opportunity arose to race in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for Braun Racing, Malsam returned to Randy Moss Motorsports to finish out the season.

With 38 NCWTS starts on his resume, Malsam has proven to be a quick study in figuring out the ins and outs of truck series racing.  The young driver boasts a total of 11 top-10 finishes, including a 10^th-place finish in the 2010 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and a career best finish of fifth at Gateway (St. Louis) International Raceway.

Defining Moments…

• First NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race:

August 20, 2008, Bristol Motor Speedway, (qualified 22^nd, finished 21^st)

• NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Career Best Start:

Fifth – Iowa Speedway, September 5, 2009

• NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Career Best Finish:

Fifth – Gateway International Raceway, September 12, 2009

• NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Career High Points Finish:

12^th – 2009

- Randy Moss Motorsports, Press Release