Thomas "Moose" Praytor IV (born February 28, 1990) is an American professional
stock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...
driver who currently competes part-time in the
ARCA Menards Series
The ARCA Menards Series is an American stock car series, the premier division of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). It is considered a minor, semi-professional league of stock car racing, used as a feeder series into the three national ...
, driving the No. 9 Chevrolet for his family team, Max Force Racing.
Racing career
![Michiganlevinecrosby](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Michiganlevinecrosby.jpg)
Praytor started racing at eight years old in a borrowed yard kart from a family friend. He quickly progressed from karts to
Bandoleros, where Praytor would drive one that was sponsored by The
Outdoor Channel
Outdoor Channel is an American pay television channel focused on the outdoors, offering programming that includes hunting, fishing, Western lifestyle, off-road motorsports and adventure. The network can be viewed on multiple platforms including ...
. He later began racing
late models
A late model car is a car which has been recently designed or manufactured, often the latest model. (An early model car or classic car is a car old enough to be of historical interest; there is no usual intermediate term.)
The precise definition ...
, running in the Southeast and picking up three US Army Rookie of the Year titles, local and state titles. Praytor and the Max Force Racing team earned the Ironman Status of the Gulf Coast competing in every Pro and Super Late Model Race at
Mobile International Speedway
Mobile International Speedway is a 1/2-mile paved oval track along U.S. Highway 90 in Irvington, Mobile County, Alabama, United States. It was built by Walter "Skip" Wetjen, and opened in 1965.
History
During the golden age of stock car racin ...
and
Five Flags Speedway
Five Flags Speedway is a half-mile (0.8 km) paved oval track racing, oval racetrack in Pensacola, Florida, United States. It opened in 1953 and is located on Pine Forest Road. It is christened after the nickname of Pensacola—"City of Fiv ...
while finishing in the top 10 of the Championship standings at both tracks.
Praytor made his first
ARCA Racing Series
The ARCA Menards Series is an American stock car series, the premier division of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). It is considered a minor, semi-professional league of stock car racing, used as a feeder series into the three national ...
start at the inaugural ARCA Mobile 200 at the
Mobile International Speedway
Mobile International Speedway is a 1/2-mile paved oval track along U.S. Highway 90 in Irvington, Mobile County, Alabama, United States. It was built by Walter "Skip" Wetjen, and opened in 1965.
History
During the golden age of stock car racin ...
in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
. He made later starts at
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway, nicknamed “'Dega”, and formerly named Alabama International Motor Speedway (AIMS) from 1969 to 1989, is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base ...
and also saw starts with
Venturini Motorsports
Venturini Motorsports is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East, and ARCA Menards Series West. Founded in 1982 by Bill Venturini Sr., Venturini Motorsports is t ...
. In the
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
season, Praytor ran for rookie of the year as it was his first full season in ARCA. He drove the No. 2 Ford/Chevrolet for Hixson Motorsports and finished the season ninth in points and also earning the HG Adcox Sportsmanship Award. Returning to the Hixson No. 2 in
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
, Praytor acquired sponsorship DK-LOK Fittings and Valves and ended the season eighth in points. Praytor was also named the Hard Charger Driver after the Herr's Chase the Taste 200 in
Winchester
Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
. For the
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
season, Praytor and his father Tommy started their team, Max Force Racing, which fielded the No. 9 DK-LOK Ford for Praytor, who would finish ninth in points. The team was named in memory of Thomas's brother Max, who died in June 2001.
Praytor statistically had his best season in
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
. Competing in all 20 events and earning 4 top-10 finishes, he went on to finish 5th in season points.
The following year, Praytor dropped to seventh in points, not earning a top-10 that year but still having a consistent season overall.
In
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
, the team would cut back their schedule, only running the first four races before taking a break. The team would return to field their No. 9 car for
Jesse Iwuji
Jesse Ekene Iwuji ( ; born August 12, 1987) is an American professional stock car racing driver and officer in the United States Navy Reserve. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 34 Chevrolet Camaro for Jesse Iwuji ...
at
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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. Additionally, the Max Force team entered a second car at Daytona, the No. 99, for Ronnie Osmer. Their only races in
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
came at Talladega, where Praytor would finish 20th in the race. Their next race would not come until Daytona in
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
, where it was later revealed that they took most of the 2019 season off so Praytor could spend time with his newborn son, (Hugh) Thomas Praytor V.
Personal life
![Thomas Praytor AJ McCarron](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Thomas_Praytor_AJ_McCarron.jpg)
Praytor was born and raised in
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...
, and is the son of local
realtor
A real estate agent or real estate broker is a person who represents sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and agen ...
and owner of Praytor Realty, Thomas ("Tommy") Praytor III, who also used to drive racecars.
Praytor is nicknamed "Moose". The name derived from one of Praytor's first cars being sponsored by The Outdoor Channel and featuring a giant Moose coming out of the rear wheel well. When that paint scheme was run, the name "Thomas" above the window net on the car was changed to "Thomoose", which was later shortened to "Moose" and the nickname stuck. Every car Praytor has driven since then has had "Thomoose Praytor" above the window net.
Praytor is a weekly host on the ''Inside ARCA Racing'' radio show on
WNSP
WNSP (105.5 FM, "Sports Radio 105.5") is a radio station licensed to serve Bay Minette, Alabama, United States. The station, founded in 1964, is currently owned by Dot Com Plus, LLC. WNSP and sister station WZEW broadcast from the former Smith ...
, a station in his home state of Alabama. Praytor's segment, the "Moose Call", is named after his nickname.
In 2008, Praytor's team had a car for sale, which led to a partnership with
Warner Brothers Pictures
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
for the film series ''
Final Destination
''Final Destination'' is an American horror franchise that includes five films, two comic books, and nine novels. It is based on an unproduced spec script by Jeffrey Reddick, originally written for ''The X-Files'' television series, and was d ...
'' fourth installment, ''
The Final Destination
''The Final Destination'' (also known as ''Final Destination 4'') is a 2009 American 3D supernatural horror film written by Eric Bress and directed by David R. Ellis. It is the fourth installment in the ''Final Destination'' film series and t ...
''. Filmed at
Mobile International Speedway
Mobile International Speedway is a 1/2-mile paved oval track along U.S. Highway 90 in Irvington, Mobile County, Alabama, United States. It was built by Walter "Skip" Wetjen, and opened in 1965.
History
During the golden age of stock car racin ...
, Praytor and fellow driver David Ellis worked as stunt drivers for the film.
During the 2013 season, Praytor joined up with
Alabama Crimson Tide
The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a mem ...
quarterback
A. J. McCarron
Raymond Anthony "A. J." McCarron Jr. (born September 13, 1990) is an American football quarterback for the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL. He previously played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. McCarron played college f ...
to design a McCarron replica helmet; Praytor wore the helmet at
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR as well as its season opening event. In addition to NA ...
and Talladega, after which it was donated to the Alabama Institute of the Deaf and Blind to benefit the annual Race Fever Action.
On May 9, 2022, it was revealed that Praytor was diagnosed with
rhabdomyolysis
Rhabdomyolysis (also called rhabdo) is a condition in which damaged skeletal muscle breaks down rapidly. Symptoms may include muscle pains, weakness, vomiting, and confusion. There may be tea-colored urine or an irregular heartbeat. Some of th ...
. On lap 5 of the
2022 General Tire 200, Praytor lost movement in his left arm and leg. He would drive with his right hand, until the red flag came out with 10 laps to go. He went through a driver change, with
Sean Corr
Sean Corr (born February 21, 1984) is an American professional stock car racing driver and owner. He currently competes part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, driving the No. 8 Chevrolet SS for Empire Racing. Corr is also the president of Education ...
taking over his car for the remaining 10 laps. Medical personnel removed Praytor from the car, where he was transported to the infield care center. He had flu-like symptoms just a few days prior to the race.
Motorsports career results
ARCA Menards Series
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (
Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Season still in progress
Ineligible for series points
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Praytor, Thomas
Living people
ARCA Menards Series drivers
1990 births
Racing drivers from Alabama
Sportspeople from Mobile, Alabama