About
2009 ARCA Racing Series Champion
Born: February 18, 1986
Hometown: Westmorland, California
Residence: Huntersville, North Carolina
Marital Status: Single
Hobbies: video production, biking, filler racing, golf
A native of Westmorland, California, Justin Lofton has raced a variety of machines in numerous divisions en route to the Camping World Truck Series.
He started early, at the age of 11, racing downhill mountain bikes. In 2001, Lofton was the champion in Downhill Slalom. From there, Lofton won races and top rookie honors throughout his native California before making the transition to stockcars.
He honed his skills behind the wheel of a late model, winning at one of the country’s most beloved and historic bullrings, the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.
Lofton then moved on to the NASCAR Grand National West Series where he stayed for two years, before making the jump to ARCA RE/MAX Series competition in 2008.
In ’08, Lofton joined Eddie Sharp Racing a few races deep into the season. Despite the late entry, Lofton proved that he was a contender out of the gate. After just three months and eight races in ARCA, Lofton scored the outside pole at Michigan International Speedway, followed by his first series win.
Through the season he scored three top-five finishes and five top-10s.And that was just the beginning.
2009 was a stellar season for Lofton, as he dominated the series en route to the championship. He led the series with five pole awards, 15 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes. He showcased his diversity behind the wheel, earning six checkered flags with race wins spanning superspeedways to short tracks (Talladega, Berlin, Pocono, Chicagoland, Toledo, and Salem). He also led a whopping 1,005 laps spanning 15 races.
Lofton also made his NASCAR debut in 2009, running the Nationwide Series event at Michigan International Speedway. He qualified 19th and finished an impressive 16th.
His performance throughout the 2009 racing season garnered the attention of Red Horse Racing owner Tom DeLoach. The two sides quickly teamed up, with Lofton set to run the entire 2010 Camping World Truck Series schedule behind the wheel of Red Horse Racing’s No. 7 Toyota Tundra.
Throughout his rookie year within Truck Series competition, he tallied four top-five and eight top-10 finishes. Lofton’s best finish fell at one of the circuit’s most challenging tracks, Dover International Speedway, where he finished third. He ended his debut season 12th in the driver standings.
Career highlights
2010 – NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – four top-five finishes – eight top-10s – best qualifying effort of third (Darlington) – best finish of third (Dover)
2009 – ARCA RE/MAX Series – Champion – 6 wins – 5 poles – 15 top-five finishes – 19 top-10s
2008 – ARCA RE/MAX Series – 1 win – 2 poles – five top-10 finishes
2007 – Grand National West – five top-10 finishes – five top-five finishes – only driver to lead on road course, short, and intermediate tracks
2006 – Grand National West – five top-10 finishes – Irwindale Late Models – track record
Notable
2004 – Desert Buggy Class 1000 – 3 wins – Class 1000 Championship – Rookie of the Year
2003 – Colorado Hill Climb Association – Rookie of the Year
