TJ Moon is the top driver in the Bandolero Outlaws National Championship points chase, and has already captured the Winter Nationals title this season with his eyes set wrapping up the Cook Out Summer Shootout championship in two weeks time. He is quickly leaving his mark in Bandoleros before making the jump to late models in 2025.
Hometown: Taylorsville, NC
Division: Outlaws
Car Number: 9
Team: Redhead Racing
1. How did you get your start in racing?
First my dad started racing at Oxford so I followed foot and started racing go karts there and then went to Richmond. From there I worked my way through and got to where I am now [in Bandoleros].
2. What has your racing journey been like?
We started in karts at an asphalt track and then we went to dirt for two or three years. We went to Bandolero racing a couple years ago and didn’t do that well, so we came down here and got with Redhead (Racing) and now we’re trying to go for a national championship.
3. What was the biggest challenge you faced when going from karts to Bandoleros?
It would have to be trying not to spin out the car. The Bandoleros have one brake and it’s pretty easy to spin them out if you get on the brakes too hard, where the karts have two. It’s a pretty big swing.
4. How did you come up with your car number?
My uncle started with the number 9 and my dad went with the 97, so I decided to keep the 9 in the family.
5. What does it mean to be a part of Redhead Racing?
It’s pretty cool to know the fact that you’re a part of something that’s going to be pretty big one year. It’s great.
6. What is your favorite track to race at?
It’s probably here (Charlotte Motor Speedway) or Citrus County Speedway. Citrus is a high-speed track and you carry so much momentum through the corners. There’s multi-groove racing which makes it really fun.
7. What has been your favorite win of your career?
Probably last year at the Summer Shootout when I won Round 8. We had never raced down here and my sponsors were located in the Charlotte area so it was cool to do it here.
8. If you had to pick one race to win in the world, what would it be?
I would have to pick the Daytona 500, it’s one of the biggest both of the year and in the world.
9. Who do you consider your role model in racing?
It would be my dad. He’s really well taken care of and he’s helped me through all of my racing since I was five years old. He’s been there the whole time.
10. What is the most difficult thing in racing?
Learning the aspects of the tracks and how to drive them. It’s going to be a lot since I’m moving up to Late Models next year and later this year I’m going to be running some junior Late Models, it’ll be a fun event. We’re going out after Bando Nats in September and again in October.
11. What does it mean to have your family so involved in your racing?
It’s cool to know they always have my back and some people don’t have this opportunity so I’m taking it all into perspective.
12. As someone who has raced both Atlanta and Charlotte this season, how do you change your approach to driving each track?
In Atlanta you have to slow down the corners more because it’s a tighter track and a little longer straightaways. It’s different than Charlotte because it’s sweeping corners and long straightaways. I have to change a couple things in my driving style for both because I like to be aggressive and attack the corners, whereas Atlanta you have to roll in easy and try to attack the exit of the corner.
13. How did it feel to win the Outlaws Division Championship at 2024 Winter Nationals?
That was cool. I really didn’t think we were going to go in there and win all five (races). We were just trying to win a couple races and get my name out there and we ended up winning all five so that was pretty spectacular.
14. What are your goals for this year?
Just trying to maintain the [points] lead, keep a good distance from everybody. Trying to stay up front and finish all the races because we’ve had some bad luck for a couple of races.
15. What are your long-term racing goals?
Getting into NASCAR, it’s been my goal since I was a kid. Grew up watching it and I want to make it happen.
16. What moment have you learned the most from so far in your career?
Probably the first round of Shootout here last year. It’s so much more different. It’s more tight pack racing than any other track that we’ve gone to. It’s pretty hard racing here, we got a lot of stiff competition and a lot of people who know how to run this track.
17. What would you pursue if you weren’t in racing?
I would probably follow what my dad is doing now and work as a manager. He has a company he works for up in main and he’s the manager of a lot of people, so it seems fun.
18. What will you take from your Bandolero to Jr Late models?
Probably being up on the wheel as much as I am in a Bando. Just being able to save the car and drive it through everything, so that’s going to be the biggest thing.