Jimmie Johnson started 698 races in the Cup Series and 93 races in the Xfinity Series. But in all his years of racing in NASCAR, he ventured into the Craftsman Truck Series only once. The appearance came at the Bristol Motor Speedway, driving the No. 81 Chevrolet Silverado for NFL All-Pro receiver Randy Moss’s racing team and remains an iconic moment in Johnson’s career.
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Moss had purchased a 50% stake in Morgan Dollar Motorsports only a month before the 2008 Truck Series race in Bristol. One of his first moves was to get the two-time champion Johnson (at the time) to race for him. The Hendrick Motorsports driver told the press, “I’m really looking forward to it. It should be fun. Heck, my brother, Jarit, has run more than me [in Truck races].”
“But it’s going to be a good time. I’m excited to run Randy’s truck. Hopefully, we can get them a good finish.” He led 28 laps after the green flag flew, but crashed in Lap 102 and finished 34th. It’s a shame considering that he could have brought in better results had he got a few more starts in the series.
Randy Moss Motorsports had earlier been co-owned by David Dollar and Rob Morgan. It was originally based in Oklahoma where it participated in Pro-Stock and Late Model races. The team transitioned to North Carolina in 2004, and Moss took over in 2008. It won a total of 13 races since it was formed in 1997, before being shut down in 2012 for good.
The Truck Series wasn’t Johnson’s only foray outside of his comfort zone in 2008. He drove four races in the Nationwide Series for JR Motorsports. They came at Charlotte (x2), Watkins Glen, and the Auto Club Speedway.
His best finish was tenth in Charlotte. Although his adventures in the lower tiers were a tad bit underwhelming, he made up for them in the Cup Series.
Johnson took his No. 48 Chevrolet to victory lane seven times that year. He ended up becoming the champion for the third consecutive time and matched a record that was set by Cale Yarborough from 1976 to 1978.
Infamously, the late legend sang Johnson’s praises in the year-end awards banquet before saying, “I set a pretty good record, didn’t I? It took them 30 years to do it.”
The champion had been only too pleased and humbled with the honor of sharing a stage with Yarborough. 2008 remains a memorable year in NASCAR history with such key events.
