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I'm sure most people who read this will read the title and automatically think this article from the Charleston Gazette is something negative.. Well, think again....

You could say Brock Morris was Randy Moss' first-round draft pick.

Long before the New England Patriots wide receiver bought a NASCAR Craftsman Series Truck team this month, Morris was his one and only driver. The 11-year-old Charleston native, who drives a modified lite or dwarf car, is in his second year of a racing sponsorship with Moss.

"I'm going to have to get into his Craftsman Truck Series team and I'm going to have to give him some victories,'' smiled Morris.

Gallery [+] Enlarge Lawrence Pierce Eleven-year-old Brock Morris, pictured with his father, Scott, races a modified lite car sponsored by New England Patriots receiver and Rand native Randy Moss. Buy This Photo Moss purchased 50 percent of Morgan-Dollar Motorsports July 3, a fledgling truck team racing this season without a sponsorship. He renamed the team Randy Moss Motorsports and changed the truck number from 46 to 81 to reflect his jersey number.

The team will make its debut in today's Built Ford Tough 225 at Kentucky Speedway. The event will be broadcast at 3:30 p.m. (qualifying) and 6:30 p.m. (race) on the Speed Channel.

Morris received a sponsorship from Moss last year and raced under the Inta Juice name and colors. Moss owns two of the company's smoothie stores in Charleston.

This year, however, Moss wanted Morris to use the All-Pro's likeness as the car's theme. Morris' car has Moss' No. 81 jersey number emblazoned on its sides along with a Patriots logo and color scheme. On each wing is a picture of Moss hauling in his NFL single-season record 23rd touchdown reception from last season.

"Last year [Moss] sponsored about 75 percent of the total cost,'' said Scott Morris, Brock's dad. "This year it's a little less than that, but I purchased a brand new car so that was the majority of the cost expenditure.

"He's sponsoring over half of the overall cost, which is a big burden. It's been very generous at the level of racing we're at. I guarantee you there's not a better sponsor at [Brock's] age than what we have.''

Brock Morris was invited to display his car at the Links for Learning/Randy Moss Foundation Golf Tournament at Sleepy Hollow Golf Club in Hurricane last month.

Moss, Jason Williams, the Miami Heat guard and Moss' high school teammate, and New York Jets and former Marshall quarterback Chad Pennington signed the inside railings of the racecar.

"He's been really good to us,'' Brock said of Moss. "He's very supportive. He's very nice and people just don't know who he is. I love representing his name. It's just one of the greatest things that he would take some of his time to help me out.''

"We've got our DVR set for every Patriots game,'' added Scott Morris.

You could say Brock Morris was Randy Moss' first-round draft pick.

Long before the New England Patriots wide receiver bought a NASCAR Craftsman Series Truck team this month, Morris was his one and only driver. The 11-year-old Charleston native, who drives a modified lite or dwarf car, is in his second year of a racing sponsorship with Moss.

"I'm going to have to get into his Craftsman Truck Series team and I'm going to have to give him some victories,'' smiled Morris.

Moss purchased 50 percent of Morgan-Dollar Motorsports July 3, a fledgling truck team racing this season without a sponsorship. He renamed the team Randy Moss Motorsports and changed the truck number from 46 to 81 to reflect his jersey number.

The team will make its debut in today's Built Ford Tough 225 at Kentucky Speedway. The event will be broadcast at 3:30 p.m. (qualifying) and 6:30 p.m. (race) on the Speed Channel.

Morris received a sponsorship from Moss last year and raced under the Inta Juice name and colors. Moss owns two of the company's smoothie stores in Charleston.

This year, however, Moss wanted Morris to use the All-Pro's likeness as the car's theme. Morris' car has Moss' No. 81 jersey number emblazoned on its sides along with a Patriots logo and color scheme. On each wing is a picture of Moss hauling in his NFL single-season record 23rd touchdown reception from last season.

"Last year [Moss] sponsored about 75 percent of the total cost,'' said Scott Morris, Brock's dad. "This year it's a little less than that, but I purchased a brand new car so that was the majority of the cost expenditure.

"He's sponsoring over half of the overall cost, which is a big burden. It's been very generous at the level of racing we're at. I guarantee you there's not a better sponsor at [Brock's] age than what we have.''

Brock Morris was invited to display his car at the Links for Learning/Randy Moss Foundation Golf Tournament at Sleepy Hollow Golf Club in Hurricane last month.

Moss, Jason Williams, the Miami Heat guard and Moss' high school teammate, and New York Jets and former Marshall quarterback Chad Pennington signed the inside railings of the racecar.

"He's been really good to us,'' Brock said of Moss. "He's very supportive. He's very nice and people just don't know who he is. I love representing his name. It's just one of the greatest things that he would take some of his time to help me out.''

"We've got our DVR set for every Patriots game,'' added Scott Morris.

Scott Morris said they have received a lot of attention at tracks because of Moss' sponsorship.

"We got more positive feedback last year just having Randy as a sponsor than we had gotten in the last five [or] six years combined,'' said Scott Morris. "A lot of people think it's really awesome that Randy sponsors racing. They have a new appreciation for his generosity.''

Scott Morris tried to drum up a sponsorship last year for Brock, but had no success. A gentleman at the Morris' church suggested they ask Moss for support. Scott submitted a proposal to Tim DiPiero, Moss' agent, and after a couple of meetings the sponsorship was secure. Moss renewed the sponsorship this year.

"We tried every place we thought would be willing to sponsor us, even in the smallest amounts, and we had nobody with any kind of interest except Randy,'' Scott Morris said.

"He basically gave us a sponsorship we asked for. With his help we were able to go and compete against the best of the best in racing. It really helped us to see where we needed to be.''

Last year, Brock Morris competed regionally in a bandolero, an entry-level racecar with about 30 horsepower, in Indiana, North Carolina and Ohio. One of the highlights was competing in a race at a packed Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., before the NASCAR All-Star event.

Scott Morris said because of family concerns and rising fuel costs the family decided to stay closer to home this year. Brock is racing on Saturdays at the I-77 Speedway in Fairplain and tracks in Ohio.

"This year we found an avenue where we could race closer to home and actually give [Brock] more skill assets by racing on dirt with more horsepower, using the clutch and shifting gears, which should accelerate his learning curve.''

Brock Morris was the state champion last year in his age group in the bandolero, posting three victories on asphalt tracks.

This year Brock, who races against men twice and three times his age, drives a modified lite with a Suzuki 1000 GSXR motorcycle engine, which hits speeds between 100 to 105 mph on dirt tracks. Brock won his first race in the new car at I-77 Speedway.

"He's doing really well,'' said Scott Morris. "The first week he raced [at I-77] there were 26 cars that showed up and they only took 20 to the feature. [Since] he was new they made him start dead last and he still qualified 18th. There were six men that had to go home.''

Reach Tommy R. Atkinson at 348-4811 or http://wvgazette.com/Sports/contact/gngxvafba+jitnmrggr+pbz+return=/Sports/200807180660