Moss has played in the National Football League for 10 seasons, mostly with the Minnesota Vikings, and has been a NASCAR fan for several years. He previously sponsored a local dirt track program in his home state of West Virginia and recently decided to get involved with big time auto racing. He plans to continue his association with the Urban Youth Racing School in Philadelphia in addition to his involvement with American Youth Football.
Driver candidates have not been mentioned while Moss has had preliminary discussions with different car manufacturers. He would prefer to hire a young driver or two once his program is off the ground, acknowledging that an experienced racer with instant name recognition is the right move initially.
Other professional athletes have tried to become NASCAR owners in the past with little success. NFL head coach Joe Gibbs made a successful transition, but Hall of Fame quarterbacks Terry Bradshaw, Troy Aikman, and Roger Staubach are among the latest casualties. The superstardom that Moss has sustained through a decade of professional football leaves skeptics doubting whether he can prolong his interest in building a NASCAR team from scratch-along with all the headaches that come from early frustrations and multiple setbacks as more money is pumped into an operation that may not succeed.
Moss signed a three-year $27 million deal with the Patriots in February. Clearly, the Foxboro franchise does not want their star receiver to become distracted on the gridiron.
It took three years for Aikman and Staubach to give up on Hall of Fame Racing, although the team still exists under new ownership. Proven personnel and first-rate equipment are hard to get and harder to keep for established teams like Petty Enterprises and Dale Earnhardt Inc. NASCAR giants such as Jack Roush have had to take on partners just to keep up.
While NASCAR strives for diversity, Moss also carries considerable baggage after a series of legal and personal problems since his high school days, when he pleaded guilty to a battery charge that caused Notre Dame to revoke his scholarship offer. He was later dismissed from Florida State before transferring to Marshall University, where his record-setting play placed him fourth in the Heisman Trophy balloting and made him a first-round draft pick by the Vikings after his sophomore year in 1998.
He has his work cut out for him.