“We had a good qualifying spot. We were fifth overall out of 88 trucks. On Saturday, we slid off the road, hit a tree, and broke the transmission. Those things happen in the desert,” Lofton said. “We worked on it for a while but we were already out of the hunt for the win. We’ll fix it and start testing for the General Tire Mint 400.”

Lofton, who won the BITD event in his No. 1577 unlimited buggy in Henderson, Nevada in December, ran just 14 of the 425 miles before the transmission problems plagued his General Tire/College Complete (www.collegecomplete.com ) entry.

However, the Parker 425 was only the first of six BITD off-road events that the California racer, who also competes full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS), has scheduled for the 2012 season, giving him numerous opportunities to revisit the winner’s circle. His next event will be March 23-25 in Las Vegas for the General Tire Mint 400. Since its inception in 1967, the event has been one of the most storied in off-road racing competition.

The General Tire Mint 400 falls during a break in NCWTS competition. The following week, he will be back behind the wheel of his No. 6 College Complete Chevrolet at the Martinsville Speedway short track in Martinsville, Virginia. But first, Lofton will kick off the NASCAR season on February 24th at the famed 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway.

In addition to primary co-sponsors General Tire and College Complete (http://www.collegecomplete.com), who also serves as primary sponsor on his No. 6 NCWTS entry, the No. 77 unlimited buggy also had support in Parker from MasterCraft, Fox Racing Shocks, Fortin Racing Inc., Dougan Racing Engines, and Rusty’s Motor Car Inc.

Lofton will next be behind the wheel of his full-time ride, the No. 6 College Complete Chevrolet Silverado in the Truck Series, for his first laps of competition this season for practice on February 23rd at Daytona.

“I am really excited about running these new General Tire Grabbers on the car and seeing the hook up that they have,” Lofton said. “It’s a fun course and with these new tires, it should be a good weekend for us.”The last time he raced his Class 1500 entry in December, he dominated the field after scoring the top qualifying spot and the TransWest Ford Henderson 250 event win. Lofton crossed the finish line with over a 13-minute lead over the rest of the competition.

Jorge Lameda will serve as the navigator during Lofton’s drive through the course, which is a 136-mile loop run three times, with additional miles at the beginning and end of the event.

The BlueWater Parker 425 is the first of six BITD off-road events Lofton has scheduled through the 2012 season in addition to the full NCWTS schedule. Following this weekend’s run, Lofton will shift his focus to his No. 6 College Complete Chevrolet Silverado for the season-opening NCWTS race at Daytona International Speedway on February 24^th.

Lofton’s first run in his Class 1500 unlimited buggy will be on Thursday, February 2nd during time trials.

“The support that we got this year meant a lot. I am so glad to be able to provide more for the kids at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Imperial Valley,” Lofton said. “I can’t thank everyone enough for their involvement. Whether it was playing in the tournament, sponsoring a tee, bidding on an auction item – it all means more for those kids, and to be able to help them is a great thing.”

Lofton, who is from nearby Westmorland, California, chose to host the event near his hometown so that the community could be more involved. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Imperial Valley was his charity of choice for the event, and is located just miles from the golf course.

Currently, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Imperial Valley serve over 600 Imperial Valley youth, providing kids a safe, supervised, and affordable place to go every day after school. Nearly 200 kids are greeted daily by caring adult staff and participate in character-building, educational and recreational programs all while making friends and having fun. Concentrating on youth who need the most support, the Club provides programs in four key areas: health and fitness, education, the arts, and most importantly, in character development.

Through support of the Second Annual Justin Lofton Charity Golf Tournament, supporters are broadening the opportunities for children through tutoring programs, sports programs, arts and crafts, computer labs, and mentoring.

Activities began for Lofton on Friday afternoon when he made a stop to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Imperial Valley. Lofton talked with the kids, took photos, signed autographs, passed around his fire suit, and let them get an up close look at his No. 6 College Complete (www.collegecomplete.com) Chevrolet.

On Saturday, the golfers split into teams and teed off for the tournament at the Del Rio Country Club. Trevor Tagg, Garret Fargo, and Joe Iten made up the winning team.

That evening, the fun moved to the Stockmen’s Club for the awards ceremony, dinner, auctions, and concert with Curb Records recording artist Tim Dugger. The event included a silent auction, and a live auction consisting of donated items from fellow drivers and teams from off road, drag racing, and NASCAR. The highest items during the live auction included a race worn fire suit, donated by two-time NCWTS champion Todd Bodine, an electric bike, space on Lofton’s truck during the season-opener at Daytona, and a Lofton race worn helmet signed by Lofton, five-time Sprint Cup Series champ Jimmie Johnson, four-time NSCS champ Jeff Gordon, three-time NSCS champ Tony Stewart, and many others. The helmet was the highest bid upon item of the evening, which went for $3,100.00.

The total amount raised for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Imperial Valley will be determined over the next few weeks, as final auction items are picked up and donations are counted.

Thank you to tournament patron and tee sponsors: Accelerex, Accu Data Corp., AdMax, Advanced Payment Services, All American Grain, BackToLearn.com, Benson Farms, Brandt Company, Burnett Farms, Butterspur Cattle Feeders, Cal Energy Operating Corporation, Cameiro Heifer Ranch, Debbie and Paul Cameron, Community Valley Bank, Coni Stokely Insurance, Consuasor Insurance Advisors, Cosmetic Gasket, Crusader Staffing Associates, Curl Up ‘N Dye, Debbie Davis, El Toro Land and Cattle, El Toro Export, Equine Veterinary Services, Farmer’s Insurance, Farmer’s Land Leveling, Fred Eady Insurance, Higher Ed Growth, Hutchinson & Bloodgood, Patrick Hutchinson, Lidco, McDaniel’s Accounting, McNeece Brothers Oil Company, Mesquite Cattle, Jill Newcomb, Phillips Cattle Company, Primo Construction, Rabobank, Richard Laughrin, Spreadco, Superior Cattle Feeders, Superior Export, Steve Dahm Ranches, Stiff Equipment, Team Onion, The Elmore Company, Troy Caston Farms, VHM Network/JobDiagnosis, Viejas Casino, Wells Fargo Commercial Bank, Westway Feed Products.

A special thank you to our presenting sponsors for their support: CollegeComplete.com, J.D. Heiskell & Co., Rogers and Rogers Toyota, and Eddie and Theresa Wiest.

“I am so excited about this year’s event. We knew it was going to be bigger than last year because we got a lot of support from other teams and drivers with their donations for the auction. It just kept growing from there,” Lofton said.

All proceeds from the event benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of Imperial Valley, near Lofton’s hometown of Westmorland, California.

The tournament will take place at the Del Rio Country Club, with over 100 golfers entered and divided into teams for the Saturday morning event.

CollegeComplete.com, who sponsors Lofton’s Truck Series endeavors, is signed on as the tournament’s presenting sponsor. J.D. Heiskell & Co., Rogers and Rogers Toyota, and Eddie and Theresa Wiest are also presenting sponsors for the event.

Last season the Inaugural Justin Lofton Charity Golf Tournament raised over $40,000 for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Imperial Valley. This season, the event has grown, with Lofton set to participate in two separate meet and greet appearances the night before the tournament, including a visit to the Boys and Girls Club.

Currently, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Imperial Valley serve over 600 Imperial Valley youth, providing kids a safe, supervised, and affordable place to go every day after school. Nearly 200 kids are greeted daily by caring adult staff and participate in character-building, educational and recreational programs all while making friends and having fun. Concentrating on youth who need the most support, the Club provides programs in four key areas: health and fitness, education, the arts, and most importantly, in character development.

Through support of the Second Annual Justin Lofton Charity Golf Tournament, supporters are broadening the opportunities for children through tutoring programs, sports programs, arts and crafts, computer labs, and mentoring.

As the tournament kicks off on Saturday, Lofton will join his fellow golfers on the green before celebrating post tournament festivities at the Stockmen’s Club where the awards ceremony, dinner, benefit auction, and live concert will take place. Lofton’s long-time friend, Curb recording artist Tim Dugger, will provide the live entertainment.

Tickets for the post tournament event are still available via https://secureonlinegiving.com/events/site/index.asp?eventID=768.

In addition to the presenting sponsors, a special thanks also goes out to patron and tee sponsors: Accelerex, Accu Data Corp., AdMax, Advanced Payment Services, All American Grain, BackToLearn.com, Benson Farms, Brandt Company, Burnett Farms, Butterspur Cattle Feeders, Cal Energy Operating Corporation, Cameiro Heifer Ranch, Debbie and Paul Cameron, Community Valley Bank, Coni Stokely Insurance, Consuasor Insurance Advisors, Cosmetic Gasket, Crusader Staffing Associates, Curl Up ‘N Dye, Debbie Davis, El Toro Export, Equine Veterinary Services, Farmers Land Leveling, Fred Eady Insurance, Higher Ed Growth, Hutchinson & Bloodgood, Patrick Hutchinson, Lidco, McNeece Brothers Oil Company, Mesquite Cattle, Jill Newcomb, Phillips Cattle Company, Primo Construction, Rabobank, Richard Laughrin, Spreadco, Superior Cattle Feeders, Superior Export, Steve Dahm Ranches, Stiff Equipment, Team Onion, The Elmore Company, Troy Caston Farms, VHM Network/JobDiagnosis, Viejas Casino, Wells Fargo Commercial Bank, Westway Feed Products.

After a season where College Complete sponsored many different drivers in the truck series, the stars aligned as the season went on and as Justin Lofton (
http://www.loftonracing.com) rejoined Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) College Complete came over with him.

Since coming together and making the mid-season shift to Chevrolet the No.6 CollegeComplete.com Silverado came through with two top-10 finishes and seven top-15 finishes. The Eddie Sharp Racing (http://www.teamesr.com) team improved its performance at the end of the year through hard work, dedication and the purchase of the assets of Kevin Harvick, Inc.’s truck program.

“We were very impressed with Justin both on and off the track and are proud to have him as our spokesperson” said College Complete co-founder Daniel Haim, “We are looking forward to a strong season in 2012 topped off with a number of visits to victory lane.”

College Complete helps potential students understand all of their various school and program options, making sure that they’re choosing the right ones to help them achieve their personal and career goals. With more opportunities available in higher education than ever before, it is easy for students to become overwhelmed with choice. This is where College Complete aims to serve, ensuring that these students get started on their educational journey the right way, whether it is for a traditional Associate’s, Bachelor’s, or Master’s degree, or whether it be a shorter term skilled trade certificate.

Perhaps the most exciting thing about the partnership with CollegeComplete.com is what it means to the sport of NASCAR, and to its fans. The traditional NASCAR audience has been, to a large extent, overlooked by higher education. With the continuation of the partnership, and with Lofton as their vehicle, CollegeComplete.com will continue driving their message to the public, inviting those who are considering a college degree or trade program to utilize their service to fully understand their various educational options.

Joining CollegeComplete.com on the No. 6 Chevrolet will be Advanced Payment Services (http://www.JoinAps.com). APS provides Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover merchant services. With national merchant accounts, APS has developed into the premier Independent Sales Organization (ISO). With industry professionals who have 70-plus years experience, APS provides superior service to all its clients; agents and merchants.

APS was a sponsor alongside CollegeComplete.com throughout the 2011 season and will be taking on a larger presence in the 2012 season including some co-primary placements.

“There are tough times right now and it is really special to have sponsors and partners as great as CollegeComplete.com. They are a great service to adult learners, providing education advancement and career advice,” Lofton said. “I am really looking forward to the 2012 season with the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com team.”

Added team owner Eddie Sharp, “I am really glad College Complete has chosen Justin as their spokesperson and with all the exiting things happening at ESR for 2012 having College Complete on board completes the package. College Complete, Justin Lofton and ESR are going to be a winning combination.”

Look for CollegeComplete.com, Eddie Sharp Racing, and Justin Lofton to make another leap forward in 2012, and to make a big impact in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series both on and off the track!

“We had a smooth day out there. It was a lot of fun. It had been a few years, so it feels really good to get the win,” an elated Lofton said.

Copyright Justin Lofton Inc. / Bink Designs Photo not for use

Lofton started the weekend off by taking the top qualifying position for the event. With a new navigator along for the ride, he dominated the field through Saturday, as he never looked back from the top position.

Justin Santz, who usually navigates for the No. 30 MasterCraft Trophy Truck driven by Robbie Pierce, was in the shotgun seat for the 240-mile race.

Santz helped Lofton stay on course through the 80-mile loop, as Lofton wheeled his way around three times. He averaged his buggy at a little over 62 miles per hour as his competition fought to catch up.

On the final of the three trips around the 80-mile loop, Lofton got service on his No. 1577 machine. With the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season complete, Lofton had a few of his team members from his No. 6 Eddie Sharp Racing team on hand, assisting with his off-road venture. Crew chief Dan Bormann, who calls the shots on race day for the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet Silverado for Lofton within truck competition, helped to change the two right rear B.F. Goodrich tires on the buggy, as hauler driver Jason Taggart added the fuel.

After rejoining the event, Lofton sailed the rest of the way, crossing the finish line 13 minutes ahead of the rest of the pack.

The Lofton entry had support from MasterCraft, BF Goodrich, Fox Racing Shocks, Fortin Racing Inc., Dougan Racing Engines, and Rusty’s Motor Car Inc. and South Point Hotel, Casino, and Spa.

The Henderson 250 win adds to a storied list of off-road successes for the California native. In 2004, he earned the Rookie of the Years honors within the BITD, in addition to three Desert Buggy Class wins, and the Class 1000 championship.

With the off-road event behind him, the 25-year-old will now shift his focus to the Justin Lofton Charity Golf Tournament presented by CollegeComplete.com, which is set for January 7th in Brawley, California. More information can be found online atFacebook.com under “Justin Lofton’s Charity Golf Tournament.” Interested parties looking to donate or register for the event can do so online at https://secureonlinegiving.com/events/site/index.asp?eventID=768.

Lofton, who just closed out the NCWTS season 14th in the driver point standings, will pilot a Class 1500 Buggy in Henderson, Nevada this Saturday, December 3rd, in the Best in the Desert (BITD) Racing Association’s season finale.

“I’m really looking forward to the race this weekend,” Lofton said. “We’ve had a few good runs over the last year but something has gone wrong late. Hopefully we can turn it around this week.”

On Saturday, Lofton’s class will compete on an 80-mile loop three times, totaling 240 miles. He will have a new navigator on board for this event, as Justin Santz will strap in for the ride. Santz usually navigates for Robbie Pierce, driver of the No. 30 Trophy Truck.

The Lofton entry will have support from Mastercraft, BF Goodrich, Fox Racing Shocks, Fortin Racing Inc., Dougan Racing Engines, and Rusty’s Motor Car Inc.

Though he now races full-time within NASCAR competition, Lofton’s early racing career saw him earn the BITD Rookie of the Year honors (2004), along with three wins in the Desert Buggy Class, and the Class 1000 championship.

And although the NASCAR season is over and Lofton will be focusing on his desert run this weekend, he will still have support from his crew chief at ESR, as Dan Bormann is making the trip to be on hand for the event.

Following his desert run, the 25-year-old will head back to North Carolina where he will begin making preparations for the 2012 racing season with ESR. After a short break to celebrate the holiday season, he will return to California and shift his focus to the Justin Lofton Charity Golf Tournament presented by CollegeComplete.com, which is set for January 7th in Brawley, California. More information can be found online at Facebook.com under “Justin Lofton’s Charity Golf Tournament.” Interested parties looking to donate or register for the event can do so online at https://secureonlinegiving.com/events/site/index.asp?eventID=768.

After rain canceled qualifying, the team took the green flag in the finale from the ninth position. Just as the weather played a role in the starting spot, it also affected the outcome, with a heavy downpour forcing NASCAR to shorten the event on lap 119 of 134. The condensed race took away from a final run to the front following a final pit stop, leaving Lofton and team 18th.

“I wish we could have finished the race, but it would have taken a while to dry the track for the last 15 laps. I am so proud of my crew chief Dan (Bormann) and all of the guys. They have worked really hard the last few months. From rejoining Eddie to switching to Chevrolets, we’ve got a lot accomplished,” Lofton said.

Just as the teams were preparing to hit the track for the first time on Friday morning for practice, a pop-up rain shower soaked the track, postponing the session. Once underway, rain forced a yellow flag in the closing minutes. Once the yellow was lifted, a final two-lap run at the end of the session boosted Lofton, as he drove his CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet up the speed chart from 21st to ninth.

Re-occuring rain showers fell throughout the afternoon, forcing the cancelation of qualifying. With the field set based on practice speeds, Lofton was given the ninth starting position for the start of the race.

Since the rain washed all of the rubber off of the racing surface, Lofton noted early in the race that the track was slick, with little grip. With a competition caution waving on lap 20, crew chief Dan Bormann called Lofton to the pits for the team’s first stop of the day. After swapping out right side tires, Lofton rejoined the race in the fifth position.

After battling both a loose and tight condition in the CollegeComplete.com Chevy as the race went on, Lofton made his final pit stop on lap 96, taking on an air pressure adjustment with the new tires, and fuel. He restarted the race in the 19th spot on lap 101.

The California racer dug in, picking up one more position before the rain came less than 18 laps later. The track condition and amount of time needed to dry the track forced NASCAR to end the race shy of the scheduled distance, leaving the team in 18th as the season came to a close.

Lofton ended the season with three top-10 finishes with a best finish of seventh. He also closed out the year 14th in the driver point standings. Team owner Eddie Sharp closed out the season 16th in the owner point standings.

With the 2011 NCWTS season behind him, Lofton will now focus on an off-road event in two weeks in the desert, followed by his charity golf tournament in January, which benefits the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Imperial Valley. More information, as well as registration and donation information, can be found on the tournament’s Facebook page found under “Justin Lofton Charity Golf Tournament.”

Last race review: During the last stop for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) at Texas Motor Speedway, Justin Lofton and the No. 6 CollegeComplete.comEddie Sharp Racing (ESR) team overcame early troubles to come home with a solid 10th place finish. After starting the event sixth, crew chief Dan Bormann coached Lofton through the night, as some issues in the pits and pit strategy shook up the complexity of the race. The team worked together and Lofton wheeled his way to 10th at the drop of the checkered flag.

Lofton at Homestead-Miami: Last season Lofton started the season finale at the Homestead-Miami Speedway from the sixth position, battled back from a flat tire, and closed out his rookie season of NASCAR competition in the seventh spot.

One and done: This Friday’s event at Homestead-Miami Speedway marks the season finale for the NCWTS. Sophomore driver Justin Lofton currently sits in the 14th position in the driver point standings after accumulating three top-10s (with a best finish of seventh) throughout the season. Team owner Eddie Sharp shows 16th in the owner point standings with a team total of four top-10s.

Sponsor support: Lofton trekked to Florida early this week in order to spend some time at sponsor College Complete (CollegeComplete.com)’s headquarters in Deerfield Beach before heading to Homestead for Friday night’s race. During his time at College Complete, he met with numerous staff members, watching how they change lives for the better with their education assistance. On Friday, the College Complete headquarters will close early in order for the staff members to shuttle to Homestead to support Lofton and the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet Silverado.

For a good cause: On Friday before heading to Homestead, the staff at College Complete will be visited by a representative from the Community Blood Centers of South Florida in order to take more than 40 cheek swabs for registry in the National Marrow Donor Program. Dan Haim, co-founder of CollegeComplete.com knows all too well the importance of donor testing. His mother Eve was diagnosed with a rare bone marrow disorder, Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), which can transform into Leukemia, in March of 2010. Eve received a transplant via the National Marrow Donor Program that November. Sadly, Eve passed away in June. Since then, Lofton’s No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet Silverado has donned an orange ribbon on the B-post in her honor in recognition of leukemia awareness. For more information on the registration drive at College Complete, please visit http://www.collegecomplete.com/collegecomplete-com-registers-staff-for-national-marrow-donor-program.html.

Lofton on Homestead-Miami: “I’m excited about Homestead because we’ve had a lot of success on intermediate tracks this year. I’m really looking forward to it because it is a fun track, and a lot of folks from CollegeComplete.com will be joining us. It means a lot to have their support.”

Truck information: Lofton will race chassis 004 this weekend in Miami. It will be the first time Lofton has raced the truck since the team acquired it from Kevin Harvick Inc.

Tournament time:

Plans for the Second Annual Justin Lofton Charity Golf Tournament are beginning to take shape, with dates being set for January 6th and 7th, 2012. The tournament, as it was last year, will take place in Lofton’s native California, at the Del Rio Country Club in Brawley, California. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Boys and Girls Club of the Imperial Valley. Registration and donation information is available via BGCImperialValley.org. The two-day event includes autograph sessions, golfing, a dinner, live concert with Curb recording artist Tim Dugger, and a charity auction. Last year Lofton raised $40,000 for the Boys and Girls Clubs.

“The race definitely didn’t play out like we planned, but it ended up working out just fine. The truck got better as we went through the day on Thursday. We weren’t that high on the practice speed charts, but we qualified up there and it ran pretty good,” Lofton said. “It feels good to get another top-10 in Texas. I really like racing here.”

After taking the green flag from the sixth spot on Friday night, Lofton kept his No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet Silverado within the top-10 before dropping down pit road to top off on fuel under a yellow flag on lap 15. As Lofton slowed to pull into his stall, he had trouble seeing his pit sign because of the track lights and slid his tires. Crew chief Dan Bormann then opted to swap out left side tires. One lap later, Lofton returned to pit road for fresh right sides.

At the time of the restart on lap 20, Lofton’s Chevrolet was scored in the 28th position.

Another caution flag waved on lap 34 and by that time, Lofton had already begun his climb back towards the front, as he showed in 17th.

Since he had already taken on new tires, Lofton stayed on track under the yellow while other lead lap trucks pit. The call boosted Lofton to the top of the board. At the restart, Lofton held his own with slightly older tires, pacing the field for six laps. Over the next 20 laps, he held strong in the fourth position.

A caution on lap 57 allowed the California native to make another trip down pit road. The team swapped out all four tires, added fuel, and adjusted the track bar. With other teams taking on just two tires, Lofton lined up from 13th for the restart on lap 63. Four laps later, he was back within the top-10.

With just under 50 laps remaining, Lofton made his final pit stop of the night. Citing a slightly tight condition, Lofton and Bormann decided on track bar and air pressure adjustments on the black, green, and white CollegeComplete.com entry. He took the restart from the 10th spot.

The race stayed green until lap 142, which set the field up for a race-extending green-white-checkered flag finish. Under the yellow, Lofton explained the handling of his truck, and how he had a handful with the drive off the corners lacking as the laps wound down.

Despite the challenge behind the wheel, Lofton muscled his way around the 1.5-mile Texas track for the final laps, holding on to 10th at the finish.

Lofton and the entire No. 6 ColleteComplete.com ESR team will observe a week off from NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competition next week before heading to the Homestead-Miami Speedway for the season finale on November 18th.

Last race review: Last week during the tour’s stop at Martinsville Speedway, Lofton and the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) started out with a strong effort on Saturday after qualifying in the top-10 for the Kroger 200. As the race played out however, Lofton seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, narrowly avoiding multiple on-track incidents. With minor cosmetic damage to hisCollegeComplete.com Chevrolet, the California native pressed on, but as the laps wound down, he was forced to pit road in order to exchange his ailing Goodyear tires for four fresh tires in order to complete the final run. With 22 laps remaining, he maneuvered his machine from 22nd to 17th picking up as many positions as he could before time ran out.

Lofton at Texas: This week’s run in Texas will mark Lofton’s fifth visit to the 1.5-mile track. In his previous starts there, he has a best finish of 10th, notched during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) stop in June. He has one Nationwide Series start there as well, where he was forced to qualify in on time. But contact from another car ended his day early. He also suffered a similar fate during his first two Truck Series events. Last spring he started the race a solid 16th but ended the day 24th after getting caught up in a wreck in the middle of the race and during his return visit last November, he fell victim to a flat tire under green flag conditions, which dropped him outside of the top-20. All of the troubles however were erased in June, when he started the race 25th, drove his way through the field, and ended 10th. Lofton flexed his competitive muscle after a green-white-checkered flag finish allowed him to pick up three positions, moving him from 13th to 10th over the final two laps.

Entertaining Premiere: When he isn’t racing at over 150 miles per hour Lofton spends his time as co-owner of Weekend Warriors Entertainment, a video production company. On Monday, October 31, Weekend Warriors will debut its latest project, a country music video for Jason Michael Carroll, nationally on the Great American Country (GAC) network. The video features Carroll and his single Meet Me In The Barn, with a horror based concept, making it unique to the country music scene. Rather than making a simple video to promote the song, WWE co-owner and director Brett Bortle and Carroll collaborated to create a feature film over 11 minutes in length, coinciding with its Halloween release. The video, which was shot over three days in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, is set to debut on GAC in its entirety at 11PM during Late Shift Videos.

Going the distance: Rather than taking the easy way via airplane, Lofton will drive across the country to Texas. As if the two-day schedule at Texas weren’t enough time behind the wheel, Lofton will add 18 hours and over 1,000 miles from the ESR team shop in Denver, NC to the track outside of Fort Worth.

Lofton on Texas: ”I really like racing at Texas because it is fast and fun. You can run wide open there. I’ve always had speed and good runs going there, but track position and luck bit us a few times. It was nice to leave there with a top-10 in June, and we plan on doing it again this week.”

Truck information: Lofton will race chassis ESR008 this week at Texas. He has previously raced the truck at Kentucky, Nashville, and Pocono, scoring two top-15 finishes.

Tournament time: Plans for the Second Annual Justin Lofton Charity Golf Tournament are beginning to take shape, with dates being set for January 6th and 7th, 2012. The tournament, as it was last year, will take place in Lofton’s native California, at the Del Rio Country Club in Brawley, California. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Boys and Girls Club of the Imperial Valley. The two-day event includes autograph sessions, golfing, a dinner, live concert with Curb recording artist Tim Dugger, and a charity auction. Last year Lofton raised $40,000 for the Boys and Girls Clubs.

“The finish wasn’t what we had hoped because we started out with such a good truck,” Lofton said. “The left rear tire was junk and I was doing all I could out there to hang on to it. After that stop, we picked up a few spots, but not what we had hoped. In the end, it was a good day because we picked up some points.”

After taking the green flag from row four, Lofton maintained a top-10 run through his first pit stop on lap 37. 50 laps later, he would pit again after reporting that the truck needed help turning through the center.

As the race hit the halfway mark, he showed in the 15th position.

Six caution flags fell over the second half of the event, altering pit strategies and track position. Unfortunately, Lofton’s CollegeComplete.com entry seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time on more than one occasion.

On lap 105 the yellow flag waved after the 66 machine spun in front of Lofton. Despite some cosmetic damage after colliding with the turned race truck, he stayed on track. With just over 60 laps remaining, another spinning truck caused Lofton to check up, narrowly avoiding the melee.

At that point, some lead lap trucks opted to pit. Crew chief Dan Bormann and Lofton decided to stay on track in order to take advantage of track position. He took the restart on lap 137 from the fifth spot.

An ill-handling truck was too much following the restart, as Lofton battled not only the competition on fresher tires, but also his sliding truck.

Finally, under a caution flag 26 laps from the finish, Lofton surrendered a 13th place run in order to make a much needed pit stop for tires. After the stop, his ESR team discovered that the left rear tire was completely worn down.

Lofton took the restart with his fresh tires from the 22nd spot with just 22 laps remaining in the race.

Despite one more caution flag in the closing laps, Lofton was able to pick up a handful of positions, ending the day in 17th. The result boosted Lofton back into 14th in the driver point standings and also moved owner Eddie Sharp up two positions to 16th in the owner point standings.

Lofton and the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com ESR team will next head to the Texas Motor Speedway for next Friday’s Win Star World Casino 350k.

The video features country artist Jason Michael Carroll and his single Meet Me In The Barn, with a horror based concept, making it unique to the country music scene. Rather than making a simple video to promote the song, director Bortle and Carroll collaborated to create a feature film over 11 minutes in length, coinciding with its Halloween weekend release.

“I have to say that filming this video was one of the most challenging pieces to work on since we crossed two genres; country music and horror films. But working with an artist like Jason Michael Carroll made the process much easier,” Bortle said.

The video, which was shot over three days in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, is set to debut on GAC in its entirety on Halloween night, Monday, October 31st, during Late Shift Videos. Carroll will be in studio for the hour-long show to discuss the video, its concept, and the shoot itself.

Leading up to the Halloween premiere, GAC will air teasers throughout the weekend, starting on Saturday, October 29th at 9:18 AM, 3:12 PM, and 11:00 PM Eastern time. The video is already available for viewing on the network’s website found at http://www.gactv.com.

Weekend Warriors Entertainment is a full service video production company specializing in creating and developing concept and promotional videos and commercials, music videos, and feature films.

For more information on Weekend Warriors Entertainment, follow them on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/weekendwarriorstvcom and Twitter http://twitter.com/WkndWarriorsTV.

Last race review: Last week at Talladega Superspeedway, Justin Lofton and theCollegeComplete.com Eddie Sharp Racing team tallied a solid finish in their No. 6 Chevrolet Silverado after embracing a sometimes risky strategy at the famed superspeedway. Lofton started the event from the 16th position and despite six caution flags halting the race, avoided the trouble that racing within the draft often brings, and finished a solid 11th.

Lofton at Martinsville: Lofton has raced at the .526-mile paperclip shaped Martinsville Speedway short track three times leading up to this weekend’s race. In 2010, Lofton tallied a best finish of 13th in the fall event. In April, Lofton’s run there was similar to his first, after a lapped truck made contact with his machine, causing him to suffer heavy damage. He was forced behind the wall for 80 laps for repairs before rejoining the race.

Lofton on Martinsville: ”Martinsville has always been a challenge for us because the racing is so tight there. It is hard to avoid the lapped traffic there and it’s bit us a few times. We’re taking a good truck this week and I am really looking forward to it. We have the speed, we just need some luck to play on our side too.”

Truck information: Lofton will race chassis 133 this weekend at Martinsville. He last raced the truck in September in Loudon. He started the event seventh and ended the day 13th. He previously raced this chassis in Bristol and drove from deep in the field from 29th to an impressive seventh place finish, his highest finish to date this season.

Tournament time: Plans for the Second Annual Justin Lofton Charity Golf Tournament are beginning to take shape, with dates being set for January 6th and 7th, 2012. The tournament, as it was last year, will take place in Lofton’s native California, at the Del Rio Country Club in Brawley, California. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Imperial Valley. The two-day event includes autograph sessions, golfing, a dinner, live concert with Curb recording artist Tim Dugger, and a charity auction. Last year Lofton raised $40,000 for the Boys and Girls Clubs.

“I feel like we could have finished even higher but you need to lock up with just one truck to really pick up enough momentum to move through the field. We just didn’t have enough time on that final restart to have it play out right,” Lofton said.

“Overall, it was a good day. We came out of here in one piece and that is always the first hurdle at these superspeedways.”

Lofton took the green flag from the 16th spot for the start of the 94 lap race. Thanks to the draft, he was within the top-10 after the first lap. Lofton, who claimed the ARCA Racing Series victory at Talladega in 2009, played on his past experience by opting to drop out of the lead pack of trucks and fall back in the field. By lap 5 as he wheeled his No. 6 CollegeComplete.com entry around the fast facility, he radioed to his crew that it was already “really dicey.” Later, he would add, “there are a lot of trucks in a little place.”

Throughout the race, Bormann continued to coach Lofton to maintain a safe distance from the lead draft. Six caution flags fell throughout the event with four of them being accidents. Knowing the risk of racing in the draft, Lofton stayed alert racing outside of the top-20.

Following a caution flag, with just over 20 laps to go, Bormann finally made the call for Lofton to pick a partner and begin his climb to the front.

Two more caution flags waved in the closing laps, with the final restart coming on lap 92 of the 94- lap race. Lofton took the final restart from the 13th spot. With just over five miles remaining in the race, Lofton picked up a few positions by maneuvering his way to just outside of the top-10 in 11th.

Next week Lofton and his No. 6 CollegeComplete.com ESR team will head to the paperclip shaped Martinsville Speedway short track.

Lofton at Talladega: Last season, Lofton’s run at Talladega ended early after being involved in a wreck. But in 2009, he walked away with the win within the ARCA Racing Series at the 2.66-mile track while driving for team owner Eddie Sharp. That day, Lofton led the way for 46 of the event’s 97 laps.

Truck information: Lofton will race chassis 007 this weekend in Talladega. The truck was raced earlier this year out of the ESR stable at Daytona, scoring a 16th place finish. The team recently converted the truck into a Chevrolet.

Lofton on Talladega: “I feel that we’ll be very competitive at Talladega in the CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet. Dan and all of the guys on the team have been doing a great job. We just need to get to the finish line, but you never know what to expect on superpspeedways.”

Four more: Following Las Vegas, four races remain on the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) schedule. Lofton enters Talladega this week 14th in the driver point standings, just 76 points out of the top-10. Over the last four events, Lofton has picked up three positions in the points, in addition to securing a season-high qualifying effort of fifth and three top-15 runs. Car owner Eddie Sharp shows 17th in the owner point standings.

“We had such a good truck out there. I had a lot of fun. We just ran out of luck there at the end. It’s a shame because we were on our way to a top-five. The good news is we are running stronger every week and everyone knew that we were here,” Lofton said.

Lofton initially took the green flag from the 14th position for the Sam’s 350. As temperatures inched toward the 100-degree mark, he reported early that the truck needed just a little bit of help staying towards the bottom of the race track. On lap 12, under a caution flag, he made his first pit stop of the day, as crew chief Dan Bormann called for fuel and a wedge adjustment.

Another caution flag waved on lap 23, with Bormann this time opting to keep Lofton on track. The call moved Lofton to third for the restart. Laps later, on lap 31, a multi-truck wreck broke out forcing a red flag period for cleanup. Once the red flag was lifted 10 minutes later, Lofton drove his No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet down pit road yet again, this time taking on four fresh tires and a track bar adjustment.

Following the stop, the California native settled in for an extended run, holding steady just outside of the top-10. By the time his next stop fell on lap 60, he reported that the truck was just a little bit loose in the outside lane. To help remedy the problem, Bormann called for another wedge adjustment.

As the race approached the halfway mark, Lofton’s green and white CollegeComplete.com machine showed in the third position. At the time, only one other truck, that of leader Ron Hornaday, was on the same pit strategy as the No. 6 team.

Once lap 100 clicked off the board, teams began making a green flag exchange of pit stops. Lofton stayed on track until lap 106. The team swapped out all four tires, added fuel, squeezed in another quick chassis adjustment, and sent their truck back on track.
Laps later, a caution flag waved, setting the field up for a late race restart. Lofton lined up from the fifth position on lap 121.

Unfortunately, just a few laps later, Lofton had troubles on the backstretch, with the CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet suffering heavy damage. He ended the event 19th after displaying a strong run for the majority of the event within the top-10.

Lofton and the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet team will next hit the track at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, October 22nd. In 2009, Lofton earned the ARCA Racing Series win at the famed 2.66-mile track.

Last race review: Justin Lofton and the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com (http://www.collegecomplete.com) Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) team started the last race at Kentucky Speedway from the fifth position, Lofton’s highest qualifying effort to date this season. He raced consistently within the top-10 all race long, and ran as high as second before ducking down pit road for a pit stop in the closing laps. While Lofton flexed his muscle on track, crew chief Dan Bormann showcased his savvy skills atop the pit box by making good calls throughout the event. After all 225 miles of racing Lofton showed in the 11th position. The result boosted him to 14th in the driver point standings and moved team owner Eddie Sharp to 17th in the owner point standings.

Success since the switch: Nearly a month ago Lofton and his ESR team made the move to the Chevrolet camp. In the three races since, Lofton has been consistent, quietly making gains. In addition to securing a season high qualifying effort of fifth, he has notched finishes of 15th, 13th, and 11th. Additionally, he has moved from 17th in the point standings to 14th.

Lofton at Las Vegas: Lofton has one previous start from 2010 on the 1.5-mile Las Vegas race track. He started the event 17th and finished solidly within the top-10 in the eighth position.

Truck information: Lofton will race chassis 060 this week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It will be the third time that Lofton has raced this chassis. He last raced it two weeks ago at Kentucky Speedway. He started a season’s best fifth and finished 11th.

Lofton on Las Vegas Motor Speedway: “I always love racing out west because a lot of family and friends can come out to the race track. I grew up in California, so this is one of few rare opportunities that I get to visit home and race. We’re taking a good truck out there and I’m confident we can bring home a top-10. It’s going to be exciting. We have a busy weekend planned, that’s for sure.”

Double duty in the desert:Following Saturday’s Smith’s 350 NCWTS race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Lofton will head three hours south to Parker, Arizona, where on Sunday, he will run the final leg of the Best in the Desert (BITD) Racing Association’s BlueWater Desert Challenge. Lofton will be splitting seat time with his father Bob behind the wheel of the No. 1577 Class 1500 Buggy. The BlueWater Desert Challenge is a two-day event run on a 28-mile course. Bob will qualify and race the first day of competition on Saturday with Justin primed to take over on Sunday.

“I am so excited about next week. We have a lot of momentum after Kentucky on the truck side, and it’s always a lot of fun to go off-road racing,” Lofton said.

Lofton and his No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Eddie Sharp Racing team are fresh off of a season high fifth place qualifying effort last week during the NCWTS stop in Kentucky. He raced as high as second before ending the race in 11th. The event moved Lofton up a position in the driver point standings to 14th.

“We’ve grown so much over the last few weeks. We had a lot of speed in Kentucky and I had a lot of fun out there. I can’t wait to get back at it,” he added.

As for the off-road event, Lofton will be splitting seat time with his father Bob behind the wheel of the No. 1577 Class 1500 Buggy. The BlueWater Desert Challenge is a two-day event run on a 28-mile course. Bob will qualify and race the first day of competition on Saturday with Justin primed to take over on Sunday. The Lofton entry will have support from Mastercraft, BF Goodrich, Fox Racing Shocks, Fortin Racing Inc., Dougan Racing Engines, and Rusty’s Motor Car Inc.

Though these days he’s more recognized for his full-time job in the Truck Series , like his father, Lofton’s early career was spent racing in the dusty, open desert. In 2004, he earned the BITD Rookie of the Year honors in addition to claiming three wins in the Desert Buggy Class, and the Class 1000 championship. Justin learned the tricks to tackling the bumpy desert terrain from Bob, who has over 20 years of off-road racing experience with numerous class wins, including the Baja 1000, on his racing resume.

After a break of nearly a year and a half from off-road racing, Justin participated in the SCORE International Off-Road Racing Series event earlier this year in Laughlin, Nevada. He was well on his way to victory after he led his class on the first day of competition, and was leading on the final lap on day two before a broken spindle spoiled the effort.

Kicking off his weekend full of racing, Lofton will first hit the track in his No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday, October 14th for practice and qualifying. The Smith’s 350 is scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

“Dan and the guys did such a great job on pit road. We mixed it up with different calls, but we really didn’t need to do any major adjustments. The No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet was fast and was a lot of fun to drive,” Lofton said.

Shortly after taking the green flag for the start of the 150-lap race, Lofton radioed to crew chief Bormann that the truck was a bit tight after entry through the turns. When the second caution flag of the race fell on lap 22, Bormann called Lofton down pit road for four fresh tires and fuel.

With some other lead lap teams calling for fuel only or two tires, Lofton took the restart from the 21st position. 20 laps later the yellow flag waved yet again. Lofton had climbed his way into 14th at the time of the yellow, but relinquished the spot for another trip down pit road. This time, his ESR crew opted for fuel only as the other teams now took on four tires. The calls on pit road played into the team’s hands, with Lofton lining up for the restart from the fourth spot.

Pit strategy came again on lap 67 when Bormann opted to top off on fuel again under another caution flag, and by the time the race hit the halfway mark on lap 75, Lofton showed in the seventh position.

Laps later, on lap 80, Lofton dropped down pit road yet again, this time telling Bormann that his No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet was running “a half percent tight in the corners,” adding, “new tires will probably fix it.” After getting four fresh tires, he rejoined the race in 18th.

With the fresher tires, Lofton got up on the wheel and raced his way back into the top 10 with 57 laps remaining.

The race stayed under green for the remainder of the race, giving the field their only round of green flag pit stops. Bormann kept Lofton on track until laps 130, before calling him down for the final pit stop of the night. After relinquishing the second position on track, the ESR crew swapped out right side tires, added fuel, and sent Lofton on his way for the final 20-lap run. One lap later however, NASCAR called Lofton back down pit road in order to serve a drive through penalty for speeding down pit road.

With an extremely fast truck, Lofton didn’t let the penalty get him down. With just 14 laps left in the race, he clocked in his fastest lap of the race. He also picked up three positions in the closing laps, moving him to 11th at the checkered flag.

The strong result boosted Lofton to 14th in the driver point standings and also moved team owner Eddie Sharp up a position in the owner point standings to 17th.

Lofton and the No. 6 ESR CollegeComplete.com team will enjoy a break in competition next weekend before returning to action at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 15th.

Last race review: Justin Lofton and the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com(http://www.collegecomplete.com) Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) team had a strong showing in New Hampshire last Saturday after taking the green flag from the seventh starting position,

Lofton’s highest starting spot of the season to date. However, a severe vibration late in the race challenged Lofton as the laps clicked down. He held on and drove his No. 6 CollegeComplete.comChevrolet to 15^th at the finish. The 15^th place effort was his tenth top-15 this season.

Kentucky Countdown: Entering Kentucky, only six events remain in the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) season. Lofton currently sits 15^th in the driver point standings with two top-10s, a best finish of seventh, and a best qualifying effort of seventh. To date, he has completed 95.2% of the laps run, compared to all of 2010 when he completed 91.4% of the laps. 2011 also provided Lofton with his first laps led after leading the way for seven laps in Kansas in June.

Lofton at Kentucky: During the tour’s first stop to Kentucky in July, Lofton started 17^th and finished 15^th. The race marked his return to ESR and his first with long-time friend Dan Bormann serving as crew chief. At the time, Lofton was 19^th in the point standings. Entering the race this weekend, he sits 15^th. Additionally, team owner Eddie Sharp was 22^nd in the owner points. This week, the team shows 18^th. In previous visits to the Cincinnati-area race track, Lofton has two top-five finishes (second and fifth), scored during his 2009 title run with Sharp within the ARCA Racing Series. Last season he earned an 11^thplace finish in his NCWTS debut at the track.

Truck information: Lofton will race chassis 060 this week at Kentucky Speedway. It will be the second time Lofton has raced this chassis. He last raced it two weeks ago at Chicagoland Speedway, which was ESR’s debut with Chevrolet. Lofton started the event 15^th, and finished the event 15^th. The truck comes from the Kevin Harvick Inc. stable.

Lofton on Kentucky Speedway: “Kentucky is an important track to us since it is where we reunited. It was our first race back at ESR, and we had a good run. Kentucky is a fun track, and I always love racing under the lights.”

Leading into Las Vegas: Next weekend Lofton and the No. 6 CollegeComplete.comESR team will observe an off week from competition, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be slowing down. In fact, as his No. 6 team readies for the remainder of the 2011 season, Lofton will be planning his double-header for the following week. While the NCWTS tour heads to Las Vegas on October 15th, the Best in the Desert Off Road Racing Association will be in Parker, Arizona. As Lofton climbs behind the wheel of his No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet in truck competition, his father Bob will be in Parker, racing the family’s No. 1577 Class 1500 Buggy. Following the Smith’s 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the younger Lofton will head to Parker to revisit his roots by splitting seat-time with his father during the final stretch of the off-road event.

“We’ve gained a lot on this No. 6CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet Silverado over the last two weeks. We had a really good qualifying run here, and we had a good truck, but we fell off early and with it being only a two stop race, we just didn’t have time to dial it in,” Lofton said.

After practicing and qualifying under overcast skies, the weather conditions switched drastically for the start of the race on Saturday afternoon. Lofton took the green flag from the seventh position, which was his highest qualifying effort to date this season, but early on noted that the sunshine altered the track and the truck’s setup quite a bit. The end result left Lofton struggling with a tight condition. Despite the issue, he maintained the eighth position through the first round of pit stops following a caution flag on lap 60.

Under the stop, crew chief Dan Bormann called for four tires and a slight air pressure adjustment. However, under the stop, the team had an issue with the nozzle on the gas can, dropping Lofton to 11th for the restart.

Once back under the green flag, Lofton noted that the changes altered the truck’s entrance to the turns. Even though the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet didn’t feel as though it was handling the best, Lofton laid down his fastest lap of the race, up to that point, on lap 77.

An extended green flag run led up to lap 130 when Bormann called Lofton down pit road for his second and final pit stop of the day. The call was for two tires in order to gain some track position, but as Lofton drove towards his pit stall, Bormann opted to go for four fresh tires for the final 45 lap run.

Less than 10 laps later however, Lofton radioed to Bormann that he felt a vibration. After describing the feel and response of the truck, the two, along with championship driver turned spotter David Green, diagnosed the problem as a warped rotor.

Lofton kept on digging and went on to finish 13th.

The result allowed Lofton to maintain 15th in the driver point standings while boosting team owner Eddie Sharp to 18th in the owner standings.

Lofton and the entire No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Eddie Sharp Racing team will hit the track next Saturday, October 1st, for the Kentucky 225 at Kentucky Speedway.

With the acquisition of the No. 8 and No. 33 KHI trucks, ESR will field three full-time NCWTS teams in 2012. The NCWTS driver line up for ESR will be announced in October. The teams will operate out of Eddie Sharp Racing’s current 40,000 square-foot five-star facility in Denver, N.C.

“The timing couldn’t have been any more perfect,” said team owner Eddie Sharp. “We are ready to take this opportunity head on to utilize what Kevin and DeLana have built. It was a marriage made in heaven, because we were ready to move forward at ESR, and this opportunity worked out perfectly. With KHI, you have a turnkey, successful program at the ready.

“I’m excited about the future of ESR, really excited,” Sharp continued. “We’ll have driver and sponsor lineup announcements coming within the next few weeks. To see everything progress with Kevin and DeLana’s help, and the support from Chevrolet, it’s a dream come true.”

Eddie Sharp Racing’s No. 6 truck is currently 19th in NCWTS owner point standings, only 57 points out of the top 12. The team was created in 2006 as Eddie Sharp envisioned his long-term goals as a team owner. The goal was to contend, not simply compete. That desire drove Sharp to obtain a five-star facility, which is what allowed the team to quickly transition from contender to champion.

Last race review: Justin Lofton and the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com(http://www.collegecomplete.com) Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) team made their debut with Chevrolet last week at Chicagoland Speedway. After practicing an impressive third their first time out, Lofton laid down a 15th place qualifying run. Under the lights and the green flag, Lofton maintained his No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet within the top-15 despite a lingering issue with the handling. After taking the checkered flag with a secured 15th place finish, Lofton climbed from his machine and discovered that the right rear tire was going flat. After noticing the close call, Lofton and crew chief Dan Bormann reviewed their race, declaring their first run with Chevrolet a learning experience and the groundwork for the future. The race result at Chicagoland boosted Lofton two positions in the driver point standings to 15th.

Lofton at New Hampshire: Last season Lofton started the NCWTS race at New Hampshire from the 10th position. He had a solid day despite a handling issue with the right front, ran as high as seventh, and finished the event in the 11th position. He also has a Nationwide Series start to his credit at the 1.058-mile oval. Last June while the Truck Series observed a week off, Lofton opted to enter the NNS event at the New England area track, where he qualified an impressive ninth and finished 17th.

Truck information: Lofton will race chassis 133 this week at Loudon. The truck was recently converted to a Chevrolet at ESR. It was last run by Lofton last month at Bristol. He started the race deep in the field from the 29th position, and muscled his way to seventh, his highest showing to date this season.

Lofton on New Hampshire Motor Speedway: ”I had a lot of fun at Loudon last year in both the Nationwide car and the truck. It’s a shorter track but it is pretty racy. Last week was our first with Chevrolet. The horsepower is different, aero is different, as a team we are learning this truck, how to set it up, so it will be good to go to a shorter track to add that to the notebook.”

Lofton lowdown: Following last Friday’s race, Lofton returned to North Carolina and shifted his focus to his production company, Weekend Warriors Entertainment. WWE spent the weekend and first half of the week shooting a music video on location for country singer John Michael Carroll’s latest single, “Meet Me In the Barn.” Lofton wears many hats for Weekend Warriors Entertainment, spanning that of producer to cameraman. Though his main focus is on his racing career, as a co-owner of a production company, it seems as though Lofton’s work is never done. On Sunday he tweeted from the shoot, “On the set for 19 hours. Makes the race track days seem short.”

“I’m really happy for everyone on the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet Silverado team. I’m really excited about the manufacturer switch,” Lofton said. “We had a tire going down that last run and lost about 40 pounds of air pressure. But it was a learning experience. The switch is all for next year. We are almost pre-testing right now and building for next year.”

Lofton kicked off the day at Chicagoland in an impressive way after putting his No. 6 Chevrolet third on the speed chart following the first practice session. After a second practice session later in the afternoon, followed by qualifying, Lofton claimed the 15th starting spot for the race.

Under a yellow flag just 10 laps into the event, Lofton radioed to crew chief Dan Bormann, “We’ll be good. I’m just learning it,” referring to his new Chevrolet.

By the time Lofton made his first pit stop on lap 42, he had told the crew he was running loose off of the corners. Crew chief Bormann called for a track bar adjustment and four fresh tires.

20 laps later, the yellow flag flew yet again, allowing Lofton and Bormann to talk things over. Lofton said that after the adjustment, the truck felt “overloaded” and had a bit of an awkward feel. Bormann replied, “Keep doing what you’re doing. We’re learning a new truck. We’ll get it figured out.”

On lap 78, Lofton made his second pit stop of the night, with the No. 6 team reversing the earlier track bar adjustment on the CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet, in addition to adding a rubber in the left rear.

After finding a more comfortable way around the track in the outside groove, Lofton maintained a strong run within the top-15. His final pit stop came with just 18 laps remaining. Bormann opted to mix things up, calling for fuel only.

With nine laps remaining, Lofton informed the team that the truck felt like it was plowing on the older tires. He held on to finish 15th.

After climbing from his No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet, Lofton and his team noticed that the right rear was going flat. After checking air pressures, they discovered that the tire was down 40 pounds of air pressure.

“We got lucky there,” Lofton said. “If the race had gone a few laps longer, that tire would have gone completely flat. Overall, it was a good race. We learned a lot about this new Chevrolet. The horsepower is incredible. I’m excited about the rest of the season.”

Lofton will next hit the track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 24th.

Last race review: Justin Lofton and the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com(http://www.collegecomplete.com) Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) team started the 200-mile event at Atlanta Motor Speedway two weeks ago from the 22nd position. After tuning on the truck to fix the handling, Lofton began his climb through the field. Unfortunately, his hopes of contending were dashed on lap 80 after he was bumped from behind and collected in an accordion style wreck. After repairs in the pits, Lofton and the No. 6 ESR team ended the night in the 26th spot.

Lofton at Chicago: Lofton has a successful history at the 1.5-mile Chicago area race track. Last season he made his NCWTS debut there, starting an impressive 10th and ending the night with an even more impressive finish in fifth. His NCWTS stats at Chicagoland back up his ARCA Racing Series results. In 2008, Lofton started third and finished a respectable eighth. In his return visit to the track behind the wheel of an ESR entry, Lofton dominated the 2009 race en route to victory. He started the race from the third position, led three times for 55 of the 100 laps, and took home his fifth of six wins that season.

Truck information: Lofton will race chassis 060 this week at Chicagoland. The race marks Lofton and ESR’s debut in a Chevrolet.

Lofton on Chicagoland Speedway: ”I’m excited about Chicago. I’ve always run well there and so has ESR, no matter what series we seem to be in. We won there together in ’09 and I got a top-five last year in the Trucks. Chicagoland is a lot of fun. It’s not the usual one and a half mile track, it drives a little different and has a lot of speed. I’m also looking forward to driving our new Chevrolet.”

ESR’s new trucks will be powered by Earnhardt Childress Racing Engines, with additional support from Chevrolet, allowing ESR to produce championship caliber entries within the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Owner Sharp says that his prior relationship with Toyota was nothing but positive and that the change to Chevrolet was an opportunity that the team could not pass up.

“The time was right when the opportunity came up to switch to Chevrolet. I cannot thank Toyota enough for their support over the last few years. We’re excited about the opportunity to continue to build and grow with Chevrolet,” Sharp said.

Though this weekend’s event will mark Lofton’s first NASCAR run behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Silverado, he already has a history with the manufacturer. Lofton’s stock car career began in Late Models in a Chevrolet throughout the Southwest. The trend continued as he moved to NASCAR K&N Pro Series West competition, where he raced sporadically from 2005 to 2008, before teaming up with Sharp in ARCA. Lofton’s Class 1500 Buggy, which he continues to run in various off-road events from time to time, is also a Chevrolet.

“I’ve always been a GM guy and I’m really looking forward to putting one back on the track,” said Lofton.

The No. 6 Chevrolet Silverado will hit the track with sponsor CollegeComplete.com.

When the deal was finalized to make the move to Chevrolet, Daniel Haim, the owner of CollgeComplete.com was ecstatic.

“Having graduated from high school in the Chicago area, there were hardly any places around the country I would rather make such a great debut. I am proud to be supporting an American manufacturer and excited for continued growth that I have seen in Chevrolet in the past few years. The continued growth of manufacturing jobs allows for continued success for the students we place in vocational schools and certification programs as well as two and four year online and campus based colleges.”

If you are looking for a way to change your life, contacthttp://www.CollegeComplete.com and take the first step.

Lofton will turn his first laps in the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet on Friday for practice and qualifying at the Chicagoland Speedway, before taking the green flag for the Fast Five 225 at 8 PM Eastern time.

“It’s unfortunate because Dan (Bormann, crew chief) and the guys worked really hard to get the truck where we needed it to be. The changing track conditions played with us a bit today, but we finally got it there and were gunning around the top-15. Unfortunately, we had nowhere to go and got bumped from behind,” Lofton explained.

With high temperatures in the mid 90s, the early practice sessions on the 1.54-mile Atlanta track challenged Lofton and the ESR team, as Lofton reported early that the track lacked grip. In qualifying, Lofton laid down a lap that gave him the 22nd starting spot for the start of the 130-lap race.

Under the green flag, the 25-year-old Lofton continued his plea for help with the handling of his machine, stating that it continued to lack grip. Under the first caution flag, on lap 21, Lofton drove down pit road for multiple adjustments.

His truck however, continued to be a handful as he battled a loose condition as the shining sun gave way to a dark night sky and cooler temperatures. On lap 60, the yellow flag waved again, allowing Lofton to make his third pit stop of the night. The team opted to make multiple adjustments yet again, giving their driver the 24th starting spot for the restart on lap 65. By the time the next caution flag waved nine laps later, the changes proved to be the right call as Lofton had climbed to 17th, just outside of the elusive top-15.

Unfortunately, his climb was cut short. Following the restart, the tight racing quarters took hold of the competition with numerous trucks suffering damage on lap 80, including the CollegeComplete.com entry wheeled by Lofton.

“Looking back it’s nice to see how well we worked together all day. The guys just kept working on it and working on it. Dan made good calls and we got it in the right direction before we got caught up out there,” Lofton added.

Lofton now enters the off week in the 17th position in the driver point standings. Team owner Eddie Sharp sits 20th. The ESR team will take advantage of the break in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competition next week before returning to the track at Chicagoland Speedway on September 16th. Lofton and Sharp claimed the ARCA Racing Series victory at Chicago together in 2009.

“I had a great time out there. We were busy all night; whether it was passing trucks or avoiding the cautions. Dan (Bormann, crew chief) mapped out a game plan since we qualified a little further back than we had hoped, and it worked out perfectly,” Lofton said.

After taking the green flag from the 29th position on a rare Wednesday night of racing at the .533-mile Bristol track, Lofton knew he had to keep a steady pace in order to not fall a lap down early, but at the same time, move through the field as quickly as possible. Early caution flags played into his hands, allowing him to maneuver his No. 6CollegeComplete.com Toyota up the scoring pylon following each restart.

By the time the third caution flag waved on lap 53, Lofton was running in the 17th position. At that point, Bormann called Lofton down pit road for four fresh tires. With Lofton stating that the truck lacked just a little bit of grip through the center, Bormann opted to keep the stop short and simple without any major adjustments.

As the race hit the halfway mark at lap 100, Lofton showed in the 15th position. Since they were deep enough into the event, it became clear that pit strategy would weigh heavily into the final outcome of the race. Some of the leaders opted to pit earlier in the race, leaving their run to the finish questionable. Lofton and Bormann on the other hand, waited until after lap 50, ensuring a longer run. With just one stop in the books for the CollegeComplete.com ESR team, Lofton radioed to his crew under a caution flag 30 laps from the finish that he was in need of fresh tires. With all other leaders staying on track, Bormann overrode his request.

Other teams had no choice but to make a pit stop after running out of fuel prior to the restart. The ESR team’s pit strategy played out as planned, with Lofton able to stay on track. With 17 laps to go, he took the restart from the ninth position.

One more caution flag waved over the event in the closing laps, with Lofton picking up two more positions to seventh.

“I’m really happy to leave Bristol with a top-10. The truck looks really good, no damage, hardly any signs of racing on a short track. We ran a clean race and stuck to our plan and it all paid off,” Lofton added.

The seventh place finish was Lofton’s best finish to date this season. It also resulted in a boost in the point standings for Lofton and team owner Eddie Sharp. Lofton moved from 18th to 15th in the driver standings while Sharp also picked up three spots in the owner standings to 18th.

Lofton and the rest of the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Eddie Sharp Racing team will next head to Atlanta Motor Speedway on September 2.

Lofton at Bristol: Lofton has one start at the .533-mile concrete track that is Bristol Motor Speedway. During his debut season within the NCWTS last season Lofton started the race at BMS from the 15^th position. The race was slowed 13 times for caution flags, including a yellow in the closing laps which forced a green-white-checkered flag finish. Lofton held his own against the “World’s Fastest Half Mile” and drove home to an impressive fifth place finish.

Short story: Team owner Eddie Sharp and Lofton have a storied history together at many short tracks across the country. History shows that the duo have had some of their best runs together at tracks measuring a mile and under. In 2009 Lofton wheeled his Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) Toyota in the ARCA Racing Series to victory lane six times, including wins at the Toledo, Berlin, and Salem short tracks. Lofton’s strong runs have continued into NASCAR, as he earned top-fives at Dover and Bristol last season. To date this year, his highest qualifying effort of eighth fell at the short track in Martinsville.He also notched a ninth place start at Iowa.

Truck information: Lofton will race chassis ESR 133 this Wednesday at Bristol. He last raced the truck last month on the short track in Indianapolis, finishing 20^th.

Lofton on Bristol Motor Speedway: ”Bristol is a lot of fun. I always love racing on a short track. We had a really good run there last year and I can’t wait to go back. It’s different for a short track because the banking is really steep, but you can still carry a lot of speed all of the way around.”

“We’re not sure what was causing the tires to go flat on the left front. We had some issues with the right side, too. We got some contact late there and it felt like something broke, but the guys didn’t find anything right off. We were in a good position, but its racing and these things happen. We’ll take 15^th and head to Bristol,” Lofton said.

The team’s first glimpse at their troubles fell less than a dozen laps into the race. After taking the green flag from the 22^nd position, Lofton’s charge was slowed after just eight laps when the first yellow flag of the race waved. Lofton made his first pit stop of the day, with the team adding a round to the left rear to help the handling of his Toyota. As the field drove to the restart, Lofton noticed the feel of hisCollegeComplete.com entry was off, and dropped down pit road again. The team swapped out tires and sent him on his way. Lofton rejoined the race one lap down.

Three laps later, the caution flew yet again. The timely yellow allowed Lofton to promptly reclaim his one lap deficit, by receiving the free pass.

The middle portion of the race ran caution free, allowing the field to make green flag pit stops. During the exchange, Lofton drove the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com entry to the lead on lap 49. The following lap, he dropped down pit road for his pit stop.

With 25 laps remaining, the field had started the following round of pit stops under green flag conditions, before the yellow flag waved. Lofton pulled to pit road for right side tires and fuel. The call by crew chief Dan Bormann put Lofton in the fifth position for the restart.

The final charge to the checkered flag however caused a few hurdles for the team. A multi-truck wreck broke out on lap 91, and despite valiant efforts to avoid the melee, Lofton suffered some right side damage. Lofton and team assessed the damage and all appeared to be okay until lap 95. While the field charged to the restart, Lofton pulled down pit road after noticing a flat front tire.

One lap later, he made another pit stop in order for the team to service the right side of the truck. Despite Lofton noting that the right front felt as though something was broken, he was determined to finish the event. With a green-white-checkered flag finish the determining factor of the race, Lofton took the final restart from the 16^thspot. Despite a battered truck and a mysterious handling ailment, Lofton picked up a position at the finish, crossing the line in 15^th.

Lofton and the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com team will next hit the track on August 24^that Bristol Motor Speedway.

Last race review:  Justin Lofton and the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com(http://www.collegecomplete.com) team overcame the challenges of the “Tricky Triangle” that is Pocono Raceway during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS)’ last event on August 6. Lofton started the event from the 21^st position, but shortly after beginning his climb through the field he suffered damage to the right front fender after the field bunched up following a restart. Laps later, the field fell under a red flag period after rain moved into the area. The race was delayed until the next morning. Once the racing resumed, the No. 6 team got to work and repaired the damage to the right front. From that point on, Lofton rallied, regained a one lap deficit, and finished a respectable 16^th.

Lofton at Michigan: The two-mile Michigan International Speedway is a special place to 25-year-old Lofton. While driving for Eddie Sharp Racing within the ARCA Racing Series in 2008, he claimed his first career stock car win at Michigan after starting on the outside pole. The win came after just eight series starts and two months of competing within ARCA. Yet another milestone in his career came at MIS in 2009, when Lofton made his NASCAR debut within the Nationwide Series. He qualified 19^th for the race, and finished a solid 16^th. Last season marked Lofton’s first NCWTS start at MIS. He qualified for and finished the event 18^th.

Off week entertaining: With the break in competition last week, Lofton used the time to focus on his production company Weekend Warriors Entertainment. Lofton, along with business partner and director Brett Bortle, flew to Illinois to shoot video for country act Jason Michael Carroll. Weekend Warriors Entertainment shot the video for production of a promotional video for the singer.

Truck information: Lofton will race chassis ESR076. He last raced the truck a month ago in Iowa, where he started ninth and finished 12^th.

Lofton on Michigan Intl Speedway: “I really like Michigan and always enjoy racing there. It’s a special place to me after winning my first stock car race there. It’s a fun track to drive because it’s wide and fast.”

“We had a few challenges that’s for sure,” Lofton said. “But the guys didn’t give up and laid out a solid game plan. We ended up pretty competitive. To leave Pocono where we did is pretty impressive.”

The challenges began for Lofton and his Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) crew on Friday following practice when they noticed a potential problem under the hood. Uncertain if the engine could go the distance due to their find, they opted to swap out engines. With the backup engine now in his Toyota Tundra, Lofton took to the 2.5-mile Pocono track on Saturday for qualifying. The effort gave Lofton the 21^st starting position for the race.

The field took the green flag under threatening skies. Knowing that the halfway mark may be the end of the event due to the impending weather, the competition got dicey early. The first caution flag waved just four laps in for debris. As the green flag flew for the restart, the close quarters caused some problems as trucks stacked up. With trucks in front of him slowing, Lofton was unable to get on the brakes quick enough and he made contact with the Jason White machine, causing right front fender damage.

While under yellow for the melee, Lofton dropped down pit road and the crew began to make repairs. Lofton returned to the track, but laps later, the race was halted due to persistent rain that moved into the area. With the halfway mark eight laps away, the race was delayed until Sunday morning.

Just after 9 AM on Sunday and with the sun poking through the clouds, Lofton climbed back behind the wheel of his CollegeComplete.com Toyota. Despite the early troubles, the team used the rain delay to their advantage, formulating a plan for the second half of the event. When the racing resumed, Lofton quickly drove down pit road in order for the crew to finish repairs to his damaged Tundra. After pulling out sheet metal, adding a new right side nose and a lot of tape, Lofton rejoined the event in the 24^th position, a lap down.

The face of Lofton’s race changed on lap 32 when the yellow flag waved for debris. The yellow allowed Lofton to be the lap beneficiary, enabling him to rejoin the lead lap.

The second half of the race was a solid one for Lofton and the No. 6 team. With 11 laps to go, the 25-year-old found himself knocking on the door of the top-10 in the 13^th position. A caution flag with two laps to go however set the field up for a green-white-checkered flag finish.

At the drop of the green flag, the competition jockeyed for positions, as Lofton, knowing the nose of his Tundra was already battered, eyed a solid finish. After crossing the finish line, he got it, ending the day in 16^th.

“The guys did a great job fixing the truck. Aero is so important at Pocono, there is no way we could have finished the race without those front end repairs. It might not look the best, but it ran pretty good after that,” Lofton said.

Lofton and the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com team will next hit the track on August 20^that Michigan Intl Speedway.

Last race review:  Justin Lofton and the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com(http://www.collegecomplete.com) team had a challenge last week at Lucas Oil Raceway with the handling of their Toyota. After starting the event from the 24^thposition, the team made multiple chassis adjustments in order to give Lofton some relief with the lingering tight condition through the center of the turns. As the race went on, the truck improved and Lofton knocked on the door of the top-10, running as high as 14^th before the final round of pit stops. As the stops cycled through under the green flag, Lofton drifted back as the late stop and varied pit strategy mixed up the end result. Lofton and the No. 6 team ended the night 20^th in the rundown.

Lofton and Sharp at Pocono: Lofton has been waiting for this weekend’s run at Pocono Raceway for quite some time. Even though this is only the second trip to the 2.5-mile Pennsylvania track for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS), Lofton will be making his sixth start at the “Tricky Triangle.” In 2008 Lofton made his debut at the Pennsylvania track within ARCA Racing Series competition. He made two starts that year in ARCA, while driving for ESR, with a best finish of 11^th. The following year in 2009, Lofton wowed the crowd with a second place effort after leading 14 laps, followed by a dominant performance during the tour’s return visit. He started from the pole, led 65 of the possible 82 laps and took home the trophy. Last year, while the NCWTS made their debut there, Lofton used his experience to his benefit by qualifying seventh, contending throughout the race, and finishing a solid fifth. Team owner Sharp’s success within ARCA continued last year at Pocono as well, as Craig Goess visited victory lane, giving Sharp his second straight Pocono win. In addition to Lofton’s run on Saturday, Sharp will also be entered in the ARCA race, with driver Robb Brent behind the wheel. Brent also visited victory lane at Pocono last year.

Truck information: Lofton will race chassis ESR008 this week at Pocono. Lofton last raced the truck two races ago in Nashville, finishing 15^th. Lofton previously ran the truck on July 7^th at Kentucky, also finishing 15^th.

Lofton on Pocono Raceway: ”I am so excited about Pocono this weekend. Eddie (Sharp, team owner) and all of the guys at ESR always prepare competitive rides. We have had a lot of success together at Pocono. It is going to be an exciting weekend. It is a big race for our sponsor CollegeComplete.com too, and it will be nice to have some of them out showing their support. I’m really looking forward to Pocono, that is for sure.”

Sponsor support: Pocono is not only an exciting race for Lofton and his ESR team, but also an important one for sponsor CollegeComplete.com. College Complete, in tandem with associate sponsor Grand Canyon University, will be on hand this weekend in Pocono. Grand Canyon University has become “one of the nation’s top military friendly schools” by catering to their needs of study while also serving their country. Lofton, who is military friendly himself, has visited Army and Air Force bases in order to reach out to military members. Together, Lofton, College Complete and Grand Canyon University are reaching out to military members to help accelerate their careers. Military members interested in programs, scholarships, and military course credit information can visit http://www.gcu.edu/Admissions/Military-Students.php.

Golfing for good: Defending NCWTS champion Todd Bodine will be hosting the Second Annual Todd Bodine Onion Slice Open on Thursday, August 4^th prior to the track activities at Pocono. Lofton, who also hosts a golf tournament himself during the off season, will be on hand showing off his golf game. Proceeds from the event benefit thePediatric Patients with Brain Trauma and Brain Disease at John Heinz Medical Center in Wilkes Barre, PA. Currently, the facility has 800 patients receiving treatment without the benefits of health insurance.

“We made changes on the truck all day and as the race went on, it got better. It was handling okay there towards the end. We just seemed to have a bit of a challenge with getting the CollegeComplete.com Toyota to roll through the center. We’ll take it and move on to Pocono, which is a good track for me and this ESR team,” Lofton said.

With another one-day show on the schedule, Lofton and the Dan Bormann led No. 6 team took to the .686-mile track early for two practice runs. After the final session, Lofton showed 13th on the speed chart. A late qualifying run left Lofton 24th for the start of the race.

Once the green flag waved, he got to work, muscling his Toyota around the short track as he battled a tight condition, holding out for the first pit stop of the day. Due to rain in the area, NASCAR waved the second yellow flag of the event on lap 41. The yellow allowed Lofton to rejoin the lead lap, and visit pit road. The team took on a number of adjustments by the way of spring rubbers and moving the track bar. He rejoined the event 21st for the restart on lap 57.

The race then remained green through lap 81. At the time, Lofton radioed to his team that he liked the previous changes and felt like they could go even further. Bormann agreed and called Lofton to pit road for another adjustment.

The race resumed and despite a few occasional raindrops, hit the halfway mark with Lofton knocking on the door of the top-15.

As the final round of pit stops began to inch closer during the second half of the race, Lofton said that the truck continued to struggle as it drove through the center of the turns.

While running 14th on lap 184, Lofton made his only green flag pit stop of the night. The team added four fresh tires and sent him back on track for the final 15 laps.

The cycle of pit stops and various pit strategy in the closing laps resulted in a 20th place showing for Lofton and the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com team.

Lofton and the ESR team will next hit the track at Pocono Raceway on Saturday, August 6th. Last season, Lofton started seventh and finished fifth at the “Tricky Triangle.”

Last race review:  Justin Lofton and the No.6 CollegeComplete.com (http://www.collegecomplete.com) team had a steady race last Friday at Nashville Superspeedway, earning a solid 15th place finish. Lofton started the 150-lap race from the 20th spot, battled a loose condition early, and fought back from a lap down to score his sixth top-15 finish of the season, and his fourth straight. The end result boosted him a position in the point standings to 17th, and also moved team owner Eddie Sharp to 19th in the owner standings.

Lofton at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis: Last year Lofton put up impressive numbers early at the .686-mile Indianapolis area short track, only to see his competitive run diminish less than 40 laps into the event. After posting the fourth fastest time in final practice, Lofton qualified 13th for the event. But on lap 35 he noticed an overwhelming smell of fuel in the cockpit. The team diagnosed the problem at the connection to the carburetor. He ended the event in the 29th spot.

Short truck stunner: Though last year’s run at LOR didn’t turn out as he had hoped, California native Lofton knows a thing or two about racing his way around short tracks. While racing under the Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) banner in the ARCA Racing Series during his championship run in 2009, Lofton nabbed the trophies on short tracks in Toledo, Berlin, and Salem. Last season in NCWTS competition, Lofton tallied strong runs on the tour’s shorter tracks, including a third place run at the one-mile Dover, and a stellar fifth place run at one of the most challenging tracks, the famed half-mile in Bristol. This season, his highest qualifying effort to date of eighth came at the short track in Martinsville.

Truck information: Lofton will race chassis ESR133 this Friday at Lucas Oil Raceway. The truck was last raced by Craig Goess at Martinsville Speedway in April. He started the event 16th and finished 24th.

Lofton on Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis: ”Short tracks are always a lot of fun. We had a good truck at LOR last year but didn’t get the finish we felt we should have. Dan (Bormann, crew chief) has made some great calls the last few weeks and we are going to Indy with the goal of the top-10. We’ve been picking up points and we’ve been real consistent since coming back to ESR. The top-10 is the next step.”

“We’re building and learning every week. We kept adjusting on the CollegeComplete.comToyota under the stops because we were having a bit of an issue through the center of the turns. Dan (Bormann, crew chief) got it going in the right direction, but we just ran out of laps. We needed one or two more restarts to get up there,” Lofton said.

After running the No. 46 for the first two races since joining ESR, Lofton donned his old, familiar No. 6 in Nashville. Lofton and Sharp earned the ARCA Racing Series championship with the No. 6 in 2009 and decided to revisit their past by reclaiming the number.

With the No. 6 back on the side of his machine, Lofton had a busy day ahead with two practice runs, qualifying, and the 150-lap race on tap for Friday. Following the final practice run, he and the Dan Bormann-led team showed 12th on the speed chart.

After his two laps of qualifying later in the day on the 1.33-mile concrete track, the 25-year-old reported a slight loose condition, but muscled hisCollegeComplete.com Toyota to the 20th starting spot on the grid for the Lucas Deep Clean 200.

Once under green flag conditions, he maintained the same message, stating to Bormann that the truck needed more grip through the center of the corners. Spotter, championship racer David Green, agreed with the loose condition, citing his view from above. He then did his best to give Lofton pointers about trying different lanes around the race track.

Lofton’s first chance for relief fell under an exchange of green flag pit stops on lap 56. Bormann called for four fresh tires with an air pressure adjustment, fuel, and adding spring rubber to help the handling for Lofton. The additional adjustments took a little extra time, leaving Lofton 19th by the time the stops cycled through on lap 65.

Lofton’s second stop came on lap 104 under the second yellow flag of the night. At that time, Lofton said the truck took the previous changes well, but began to fall off as the long run went on. Knowing there were less than 50 laps left in the race, Bormann opted to keep the final stop simple by swapping out the tires, switching up the air pressure, and adding enough fuel to go the distance.

At the time, the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com entry showed 18th on the scoring pylon, one lap down. Within laps however, the yellow flag would wave again, making Lofton the beneficiary of rejoining the lead lap.

Lofton took the final restart from the 17th position with 37 laps remaining. He quickly got to work, picking up as many spots as he could in the closing laps. After an intense three-wide battle with Ron Hornaday and Ricky Carmichael, Lofton prevailed, moving into 15th, where he remained through the closing laps.

“I feel like if we would have had a few more laps and maybe another restart, we could have picked up a lot more spots. The truck really came to us there at the end,” Lofton said.

Following Nashville Lofton moved up a spot to 17th in the driver point standings and team owner Eddie Sharp also gained a position to 19th in the owner standings.

The next race for Lofton and the entire No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Toyota team will be next Friday, July 29th at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.

Last race review: Justin Lofton had a strong run from start to finish the last time out in Iowa. After practicing his CollegeComplete.com Toyota in the second position, he laid down a stellar qualifying lap, giving him the ninth starting spot for the 200-lap race. After battling the intense heat and taking on nothing more than air pressure adjustments throughout the night, Lofton muscled his Toyota to the 12th position at the drop of the checkered flag.

Lucky number 6: This Friday when Lofton hits the track it will be a blast from the past, to some extent. Lofton and team owner Eddie Sharp opted shortly after their reunion to return to the No. 6, which they ran in 2009 en route to the ARCA Racing Series championship. After two weeks donning the No. 46 at ESR, Lofton scored a 15th and 12th place finishes.

Lofton at Nashville: This Friday’s event marks Lofton’s fourth NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) start on the 1.33-mile track under. During the tour’s first stop to Nashville in April Lofton started the event 14th and finished 16th. Last season, he started both truck races within the top-10 and scored a best finish of ninth. His highest finish at Nashville fell in 2008 while driving for ESR within ARCA competition, when he finished fifth.

Truck information: Lofton will race chassis ESR008 this weekend in Nashville. The truck was last raced by Lofton two weeks ago at Kentucky, scoring a 15th place finish. To date, that is the truck’s highest finish this season.

Lofton on Nashville: “Nashville will be a lot of fun. After our first two races back at ESR, we’ve gained on it each time. We’re taking a really good truck with us to Nashville, and we’ve got some added excitement by returning to the No. 6.”

“To be able to return to the No. 6 brings everything full circle. Justin and I had a lot of success in the No. 6 and the team still runs that number from time to time in the ARCA Series. When we got the all clear to switch from the 46, we began the process. It ties everything together and is really neat,” team owner Sharp said of the change.

Two seasons ago, Lofton drove the Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) No. 6 Toyota to victory lane six times spanning short tracks, intermediate tracks, and superspeedways.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of the No. 6. The number is a really important part of my racing career and to be back here with Eddie, to have Dan (Bormann) as my crew chief, and to be back with the 6, it really means a lot,” Lofton said.

Since returning to ESR two races ago, Lofton has finishes of 15th and 12th while behind the wheel of the No. 46 CollegeComplete.com Toyota. Following last week’s 12th place showing in Iowa, Lofton picked up a spot in the driver standings to 18th, and moved Sharp up two spots in the owner standings to 20th.

Lofton’s first run behind the wheel of his familiar No. 6 will come this Friday at Nashville Superspeedway when the NCWTS teams hit the track for the Lucas Deep Clean 200.

“It was brutal in the truck. There wasn’t enough air getting through my helmet, but we know that during this summer stretch that we’ll have a few races like that. The guys got the truck handling really good, so it made things a little easier in there. I can’t thank them enough for all of their hard work on this CollegeComplete.com Toyota. It’s only our second race together, but we are making gains. We had a great weekend,” Lofton said.

After showing in the second position on the speed chart on Friday evening Lofton strapped into the No. 46 machine for qualifying on Saturday afternoon. Two fast laps provided Lofton with the ninth starting position at the 7/8-mile track.

Once the sun began to set and the green flag waved for the start of the 200-lap race, Lofton radioed to crew chief Dan Bormann that his Toyota was running a bit loose. It wasn’t until a caution flag on lap 65 that he was able to drop down pit road for his first pit stop. With a loose condition still lingering, Bormann called for air pressure, four tires and fuel under the stop. With high temperatures and humidity filling the night air, Lofton also asked for an ice pack to help cool him down. After the stop, the team showed 14th for the restart.

The race reached the halfway mark with Lofton maintaining just outside of the top-10. At that point, Bormann asked Lofton to read off the gauges to check on the temperatures under the hood. Lofton replied with acceptable numbers, adding, “Driver is at 300 (degrees).”

Laps later, Lofton and the rest of the competition got a chance to catch their breath after a yellow flag on lap 103, followed by a red flag period that lasted nearly 15 minutes as repairs were made to the retaining wall.

Back under green flag conditions, Lofton showcased the speed in his Toyota while fending off trucks with fresher tires. 50 laps from the finish, he radioed to crew chief Bormann that the battle was intensifying as his No. 46 CollegeComplete.com machine struggled with a tight condition as he raced for position.

Laps later, the yellow flag waved yet again, giving him a chance to make his final pit stop. On lap 155, Lofton drove down pit road for the final time, taking on another air pressure adjustment, four fresh tires, and enough fuel to go the distance.

With 40 laps remaining, Lofton took the final restart from the 13th position. As the laps clicked down, and with the heat unrelenting through the finish, Lofton held his own, moving up to the 12th spot at the drop of the checkered flag.

The 12th place showing resulted in a jump in the driver point standings to 18th. The No. 46 Eddie Sharp Racing team also picked up two positions in the owner standings to 20th.

Lofton, Bormann, and the entire No. 46 CollegeComplete.com Toyota team will next head to Nashville Superspeedway on Friday, July 22nd.

Last race review: Last week at Kentucky Speedway 25-year-old Justin Lofton made his return to Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR), piloting the No. 46 CollegeComplete.com (http://www.collegecomplete.com) Toyota Tundra. Though Lofton and ESR earned the 2009 ARCA Racing Series championship together in 2009, the Kentucky event marked his debut with the team in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) competition. With his new team, new number, and new crew chief with long-time friend and crew member Dan Bormann, Lofton started the event from the 17th position. He quickly worked his way into the top-10 where he contended for a large portion of the night. Late in the running however, Lofton’s No. 46 machine suffered a flat tire which forced him to pit road. The additional pit stop dropped him in the running but still left the team content with an impressive 15th place finish in their first event together.

Lofton at Iowa: This weekend’s race at Iowa Speedway marks Lofton’s fourth visit to the 7/8-mile facility. In previous visits to the track Lofton logged laps in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, ARCA Racing Series, and the NCWTS. Lofton has a best finish of fourth with two top-10s of the combined runs. While piloting ESR’s ARCA entry in 2009 Lofton nabbed a fourth place starting position followed by a tenth place finish. Last season in Truck competition Lofton was running within the top-five before a late caution flag extended the race with a green-white-checkered flag finish. At the restart, the fuel pick up in Lofton’s machine dropped him in the rundown, leaving him 15th at the finish.

Truck information: Lofton will race chassis ESR076 this weekend in Iowa. The truck was last raced by Craig Goess at Nashville Superspeedway in April, earning a finish of ninth. To date, it is ESR’s best finish this season.

Lofton Lowdown: Meet up with ESR’s Lofton and other NCWTS racers on Saturday, July 16th following the qualifying session for the Coca-Cola 200. The autograph session begins behind the Manatt grandstand at 2:45 PM local time and will run for an hour leading up to the start of the ARCA Racing Series event.

Lofton on Iowa: “I am really looking forward to Iowa. We were on our way to a top-five finish there last year before that last restart. We kicked off our first race back with ESR and Dan with a good run last week, and we’re going to roll all of that over to a strong run this week.”

“We had a great return run with ESR. I am happy. Dan (Bormann, crew chief) did a great job in his first race. We ran up front, and laid the ground work to build on,” Lofton said. “I can’t thank Eddie (Sharp, team owner), Dan, and all of the guys on the CollegeComplete.com Toyota enough for all of their hard work. We had a great truck.”

Kentucky’s race marked Lofton’s first with ESR since the ARCA Racing Series season finale in Rockingham in 2009, which left them celebrating the series championship. Despite the amount of time in between their working relationship, it was obvious as early as the first practice session that the chemistry was still there, as the team laid down a 14th place showing in the No. 46 CollegeComplete.com Toyota Tundra on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the team focused on the handling of the machine as Lofton battled the abrasive bumps around the 1.5-mile track. After dialing it in, he hit the track for two laps of qualifying, grabbing the 17th starting spot for the 150-lap race.

Once the green flag fell on Thursday night, Lofton promptly radioed his crew telling them, “We are good guys, we are good.” Happy with the handling of his Toyota, the 25-year-old settled in for a fun night of racing.

After playing the consistency card for the first part of the race, Lofton mixed it up following a pit stop on lap 60. With four fresh tires bolted on to his green and white Toyota, Lofton maneuvered his way into the top-10 following a restart. Within 15 laps, he had worked his way into seventh.

As Lofton picked up positions, Bormann plotted his calls in the pits for the final stretch to the finish. On lap 121 of the 150-lap race, Bormann called Lofton down pit road for his scheduled final pit stop. The team jumped into action, changing out the right side tires and adding fuel.

Unfortunately, eight laps later, Lofton made a hard turn off of turn 4 back on to pit road. Spotter David Green made the call, informing the team that the truck appeared to have a blown tire. The team got up on the wall, and changed out the left sides.

Back on track, Lofton thanked his team over the radio for their hard work through the night and despite the drop on the scoring pylon, he sounded just as exicted as he did on lap one of the event.

Two caution flags slowed the race in the final laps, but Lofton avoided any trouble and ended the night in the 15th position in his debut behind the wheel of the No. 46 CollegeComplete.com Toyota.

“I was having a blast out there. It brought back a lot of old memories having Dan and Eddie on the radio again. We work so well together. The most important thing is that people knew we were here tonight. We ran up front and had a great run. We’re going to keep building, that’s for sure,” Lofton said.

Lofton, Bormann, and the entire No. 46 CollegeComplete.com Toyota team will now head to Iowa Speedway for next Saturday’s Coca-Cola 200.

Reunited, and it feels so good: During the break in NCWTS competition Lofton announced his departure from Germain Racing in order to rejoin Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR). Lofton raced with ESR during the 2008 and 2009 seasons in the ARCA Racing Series. Lofton earned some of his most memorable moments to date with Sharp as his owner. In 2008, Lofton earned his first career stock car win at Michigan with Sharp and in ’09, the duo dominated the series by earning six race wins, 15 top-5s and 19 top-10s en route to the championship. Also joining Lofton during his return to ESR is Dan Bormann. Bormann served as Lofton’s car chief in 2009 at ESR during his ARCA championship run. In 2010 Bormann made the jump with Lofton to Truck competition, as he served as his truck chief on the No. 7 Toyota Tundra. With his return to ESR, Bormann will serve as crew chief for the first time of his 13-year career within motorsports.

CollegeComplete.com on board: CollegeComplete.com will grace the hood of the No. 46 Toyota for the remainder of the season, beginning with this weekend’s event in Kentucky. Anthem College Online (www.anthemcollege.edu), Grand Canyon University (www.gcu.edu), Advance Payment Services (www.joinAPS.com), Howard University’s WHUR 96.3 FM (www.whur.com) and Papillon and Moyer Construction (www.papillon-moyer.com) will also join the No. 46 ESR entry as associate sponsors. “I couldn’t be more excited about this partnership with College Complete. It’s very hard these days for people to pursue higher education while balancing work and other obligations. Our partners at CollegeComplete.com , Anthem College Online, and Grand Canyon University make it easier for them to fit education into their lives. We’re providing the outlet to make race fans aware that there are other options out there,” Lofton explained of his new partners and their services.

Lofton at Kentucky: Last season in NCWTS competition Lofton started seventh and finished 11th at the 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway. During his 2009 title run in ARCA Lofton made two starts at Kentucky with finishes of second and fifth. Lofton’s crew chief Bormann also knows a thing or two about getting around the Cincinnati-area track. Not only was he with Lofton in 2009 when he grabbed two top-five runs, but he also visited victory lane there in 2006 in the Nationwide Series as a crew member with driver David Gilliland.

Truck information: Lofton will race chassis ESR008 this weekend in Kentucky. It was last raced by Craig Goess at Texas. It has also been raced at other intermediate tracks including Kansas and Charlotte, logging a best finish of 18th the last time out in Texas.

Lofton on Kentucky: “Kentucky will be a lot of fun. It’s been a few weeks since we’ve had a race and to add to that my return with Eddie Sharp and my new crew chief Dan, I am really looking forward to it. We’ve had good runs there and I’m hoping to kick things off with this ESR team with another strong run.”

The July 7th event will mark the first event of the season that will see Lofton reunited with Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR).  In 2009, Lofton won the 2009 ARCA Racing Series championship behind the wheel of ESR equipment.  The special bond and chemistry between Lofton and Sharp promises to be a potent combination for the balance of the sixteen races on the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Series schedule.

“Justin has shown his ability to perform at a high level both on and off the track.  It was a natural fit for us to come together and we look forward to working with Justin to achieve his goals both on the track as well as with his education,” commented College Complete’s Dan Haim.

“We have long been big fans of Justin’s.  He is a great talent and will represent College Complete and our other marketing partners in a grand style.  I have no doubt that he and Eddie Sharp will pick up just where they left off and put the College Complete No. 46 at the front of the pack each and every time they are on the track,” commented Joe Mattioli, CMR’s Managing Partner. “This is a great addition to our existing efforts, where CMR has fielded Trucks for Chase Mattioli, Bryan Silas, JR Fitzpatrick and Chad McCumbee, and will continue to do so,” Mattioli concluded.

Lofton currently sits 18th in the driver point standings after the first nine NCWTS races, with a best finish of 10th.  He also led his first laps of NASCAR competition two races ago in Kansas, leading the way for seven laps.  Lofton earned four top-five and eight top-10 finishes last season during his rookie season in the Truck Series.

“I couldn’t be more excited about this partnership with College Complete,” Lofton said. “It’s very hard these days for people to pursue higher education while balancing work and other obligations. Our partners at CollegeComplete.com, Anthem College Online, and Grand Canyon University make it easier for them to fit education into their lives. We’re providing the outlet to make race fans aware that there are other options out there.”

“As a team owner, driver and student, I could not be more pleased than to see CMR expand its activities to support Justin and other rising stars,” Chase Mattioli commented.

The partnership between Chase Mattioli Racing and College Complete is the first of its kind, bringing higher education opportunities directly to the large and loyal NASCAR fan base.

Joining CollegeComplete.com on the No. 46 Toyota will be Anthem College Online and Grand Canyon University.

Anthem College Online (http://anthemcollege.edu) provides associate and bachelor degrees in healthcare, business, accounting, paralegal and criminal justice, as well as a diploma in medical office administration. Online students have 24/7 access to their programs and the flexibility to decide when and from where to log in for classes and complete assignments. They can also access live lectures series and discussion groups, individual tutoring and personalized career services.

Founded in 1949, Grand Canyon (http://www.gcu.edu) is an Arizona-based, private Christian university that offers online and campus-based bachelors, masters and doctoral degree programs in business, education, nursing and health sciences, liberal arts, and fine arts and production. GCU’s flexibility and expertise appeals equally well to both traditional undergraduate students, as well as working professionals, and the benefits they provide for our active and former military students is second to none.

The No. 46 will also feature sponsor support from Advance Payment Services (www.joinAPS.com), Green Tree Environmental Consultants (www.greentreeprofit.com), Howard University’s WHUR 96.3 FM (www.whur.com) and Papillon & Moyer Construction (www.papillon-moyer.com).

“I am really looking forward to working with Justin again. We work well together and we are great friends. I know what he wants in a setup, and we already have the communication down,” Bormann said. “I am really excited about the opportunity and I can’t thank Eddie and Justin enough.”

With the addition of Bormann, Trip Bruce will now serve as ESR’s competition director. He will also take the reigns on pending development programs within the team.

“Dan was very vocal in helping this team be as successful as we were in 2009. To be able to bring him and Justin back together again speaks volumes for what we built. Justin and I both know he will get the job done. He is a genuine leader,” added team owner Sharp. “With Dan joining Trip, this adds even more depth to our company. Trip is a huge asset. ESR can only continue to grow from here with him in a position of overseeing the program.”

Though this marks 33-year-old Bormann’s first go around as crew chief, he has a plethora of racing experience to his credit. A 13 year motorsports veteran, Bormann got his start at local short tracks in his native California. After learning the ropes in the K&N Pro Series West, he decided to move east, and relocated to North Carolina in 2005.

He padded his resume by working with veteran drivers Mike Skinner, Tony Raines, and Jimmy Spencer before moving to Clay Andrews Racing in 2006. Later that year, the team earned the race win in Kentucky with driver David Gilliland. Gilliland promptly made the move to the Sprint Cup Series, and CAR dissolved. Bormann then also made the move to Cup competition with Roush Fenway Racing. After a short stint at RFR, Bormann landed at Chip Ganassi Racing, where he remained for three seasons. During that time he made numerous trips to victory lane in the Nationwide Series while working with drivers Reed Sorenson and Juan Pablo Montoya.

In early 2009 Bormann moved to Eddie Sharp Racing where he spent the season as car chief on Lofton’s ARCA entry. Together, they earned six race wins, 15 top-fives and 19 top-10s en route to the title.

Following the championship season in 2009, Bormann transitioned with Lofton to Camping World Truck Series competition, serving as his truck chief at Red Horse Racing. They earned a season best finish of third with four top-five and eight top-10 finishes through the year.

Bormann started the 2011 season at Turner Motorsports, where he served as truck chief for Ricky Carmichael until the call came that Lofton was returning to ESR.

“It was a no-brainer for me and it really means a lot that Eddie, Justin, and Justin’s Dad Bob believe in me enough to ask me to lead this team. I am really looking forward to Kentucky and racing together again,” Bormann added.

“I trust every decision Dan makes on these trucks. It’s been a long time coming and I know he’s the right man for the job,” Lofton said.

Additional Dan Bormann Information

Birthdate: 5-12-1978
Hometown: Shingle Springs, California
Residence: Cornelius, North Carolina
Hobbies: fishing, boating, water skiing
Wife: Allison
Children: Daughter, Kendall

“I am really excited about it. It feels like we’re going back home. I had so much success with Eddie, and we have a great relationship beyond an owner-driver working relationship,” Lofton said of his return to Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR).

“When you run the Truck Series, it is so competitive. You can’t be off with the setups or communication. One little thing can throw everything off. Working with Eddie eliminates all of that.”

Lofton first teamed up with Sharp in 2008 after three seasons in the K&N Pro Series West. After just eight ARCA Racing Series starts behind the wheel of a Sharp entry, the California racer made his first trip to victory lane at Michigan. Through 20 races, he earned three top-five and five top-10s.

The following season in 2009, the Sharp-Lofton pairing dominated the series by earning 15 top-fives and 19 top-10s spanning the 21 race schedule. They visited victory lane six times, after leading over 1,000 laps of competition.

Lofton moved full-time to NASCAR in 2010, running three Nationwide Series events and the entire Camping World Truck Series schedule. He earned four top-five and eight top-10s, with a best finish of third. At the same time, Sharp narrowly missed his second ARCA championship, falling a mere 20 points shy of the top spot following the season finale in Rockingham. Once the ARCA season concluded, Sharp ventured into the Truck Series.

2011 marks ESR’s first full season in NCWTS competition. After the first nine races, the team has a best finish of ninth and shows 23rd in the owner standings. Lofton has a best finish of 10th and is 18th in the driver point standings.

The competitor in both Sharp and Lofton strives for more, which is what led to the discussion of a possible reunion.

“When the call came in, it felt like all of the pieces fit. I was working on filling the seat and everything just fell together. It speaks volumes for the relationship and trust that was built between us. I know this is what we both need,” Sharp said of Lofton’s return.

“We have a few weeks to get everything in order behind the scenes, but overall, it’s like we never missed a beat. I’m really looking forward to seeing him climb behind the wheel of my trucks.”

Lofton will debut in Sharp’s No. 46 Toyota on July 7 at Kentucky Speedway.

“I have nothing but respect for Mike Hillman, Sr. and everyone at Germain Racing,” Lofton said. “We had a good run during my last race for them and I plan on building on that through the rest of the season. I am really excited about the rest of the year, that is for sure.”

Lofton currently sits 18th in the driver point standings after the first nine NCWTS races, with a best finish of 10th. He also led his first laps of NASCAR competition two races ago in Kansas, leading the way for seven laps.

Lofton earned four top-five and eight top-10 finishes last season during his rookie season in trucks.

“It feels good to come home in the top-10. We had a few close calls out there, but the Lofton Cattle Tundra looks pretty good after the race, and that’s a good thing. I like racing here at Texas, but I haven’t had the best of luck. It’s really cool to get a top-10 here,” Lofton said.

With temperatures lingering in the upper 90s throughout the two-day trip to the 1.5-mile Texas track, the Lofton Cattle team did their best to ready the No. 77 Toyota for night racing.

Throughout the Thursday afternoon practice sessions under the blazing sun and heat of the day, Lofton noted that the truck wasn’t picking up as much speed as he had hoped. But with the field taking the green flag under the night sky and slightly cooler temperatures, Lofton looked forward to the changing track conditions giving him an advantage.

Once underway on Friday night, two early caution flags allowed Lofton to visit pit road for early adjustments. The team’s third stop of the day fell just after the 50-lap mark, with Lofton taking the restart from the 14th position.

As the race hit the halfway point, the 77 team opted to make various calls on pit road. From two tires to an additional stop for fuel, the calls mixed things up for Lofton in the rundown. Various changes to the truck throughout the night worked as well, as Lofton radioed to his crew that the truck was “running pretty good” and struggled only with a minor aero problem while racing other trucks.

Lofton’s final stop of the night fell on lap 121, with the No. 77 Lofton Cattle entry showing in the 23rd position for the restart on lap 123. Consistently clicking off positions, Lofton had cracked the top-15 just 20 laps later.

The final yellow flag of the night waved on lap 162, extending the race by one lap in order to make for a final green-white-checkered three-lap dash to the finish. Lofton took the final restart from the 13th spot.

With just three laps remaining, he dug in and charged his way to 10th, claiming his first top-10 finish after the season’s first nine races. The result also moved him up three positions in both driver and owner point standings.

Lofton and the No. 77 Lofton Cattle team will next hit the track on July 7th at Kentucky Speedway.

Track:

Last Time Out: Last weekend at Kansas Speedway Justin Lofton started 18th, ran a consistent race, and led his first laps of the season before finishing 19th. After making a quiet climb into the top-10 through the first 50 laps of the race, Lofton grabbed the race lead on lap 55, giving the California racer his first laps led not only for the 2011 season, but for his NASCAR career. He led the way for seven laps before making a pit stop. As the laps continued to click down, Lofton remained a contender, showing in or just outside of the top-10. A caution flag with just over 30 laps remaining however through a curve to the No. 77 team, as Lofton was called down pit road for adjustments. Following the stop, the No. 77 Tunda was penalized for speeding, dropping him to the tail end of the line for the restart. With only 30 laps left to run, Lofton did all he could to reclaim positions, and did a stellar job, moving from 26th to 19th at the drop of the checkered flag.

Date With The Devil: Last week in Kansas, Lofton made his second straight visit to Fort Riley prior to the race, meeting soldiers and partaking in some of their various training sessions. As a thank you for their hospitality and their service, Lofton invited soldiers to the track with him on Saturday. In honor of his friends within the Devil Brigade; the 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division of Fort Riley,Lofton ran a special hood on his No. 77 Toyota Tundra. The special paint scheme, the soldiers, as well as Lofton’s entire trip to Fort Riley were all documented by the SPEED camera crew. The weekend’s activities will be featured this Friday on the NCWTS Setup show airing prior to the WinStar World Casino 400K on Friday night.

Lofton at Texas: Lofton has raced at Texas three times within NASCAR competition, with a best finish of 22nd. The results however, do not reflect his runs on the Fort Worth intermediate track. Last April Lofton made his NASCAR debut at Texas in the Nationwide Series. After qualifying into the event on speed, he started the race from the 31st position and raced his way into the top-15. While racing for position, contact from behind sent him spinning, with his day ending with a hard hit to the inside retaining wall. He ended the race in the 31st position. Lofton has two starts with Camping World Truck Series competition, with his first falling last June. He started the race 16th but finished 24th after getting caught up in a wreck near the halfway mark of the race. During the tour’s return visit in November, contact on the first lap of competition, followed by a flat tire under green flag conditions dropped him from his 17th starting position to a hard fought 22nd place finish.

Truck Information: Lofton will race chassis GR010, TRD122 this week in Texas. It is the same truck that the team raced during the last event at Kansas, qualifying 18th, leading six laps, and finishing 19th. Lofton also raced the truck earlier this season at Darlington and Charlotte, finishing 13th both times.

Lofton on Texas: “I’m looking forward to Texas because we had a really good run in Kansas last week with this truck. We ran in the top-10 for a large portion of the race. The same can be said for my starts at Texas – we’ve had good trucks and run decent, we just haven’t gotten the finishes. Hopefully this week everything comes together and we put up a strong run from start to finish.”

“I had so much fun at Fort Riley on Thursday. I went last year and it was nice seeing some old faces as well as meeting some new ones. They came out in full force today and it was really a lot of fun to have them out here. After they let me go through some of their training sessions, it was neat to show them what I do,” Lofton said of the soldiers within the Devil Brigade.

“We put on a show for them with the No. 77 Devil Brigade Tundra leading some laps. It was really hot out there and the track was slick, but the truck was a lot of fun to drive. We got caught up there on that last stop, but overall, it was a good day.”

Prior to taking the green flag, Lofton met with members of the Devil Brigade, signing autographs, taking photos, and thanking them for their service. After a few photos by the truck, Lofton climbed in, rolling off of the grid from the 18th spot.

After an early caution flag just 18 laps in, and while some leaders opted to stay on track, Lofton dropped down pit road for four tires and fuel. Four laps after the restart, he had climbed from 21st to 17th.

As the laps clicked down, Lofton continued his climb through the field, moving into the top-10 by lap 50. By that point, some trucks elected to make green flag pit stops. Having pit under the first yellow, the No. 77 Devil Brigade Toyota was able to stay on track, inheriting the lead on lap 55.

After holding the position for just over six laps, Lofton prepared to drop down pit road for his stop. Simultaneously, a caution flag waved, allowing Lofton to make his stop under yellow. The pit crew sprang into action, swapped out the tires, added fuel, and sent Lofton back on track. For the restart, the No. 77 machine lined up from the fourth position.

As the race hit the 100-lap mark Lofton showed in the 12th spot as he informed his crew that the truck was handling a bit tight. Two more pit stops allowed the crew to tune on the truck, with the final stop falling under the seventh and final caution flag of the race on lap 133. The team made spring rubber and track bar adjustments in addition to adding four fresh tires and fuel. Unfortunately, NASCAR clocked the No. 77 Devil Brigade Tundra running slightly over pit road speed on the exit. The penalty dropped Lofton to the back of the pack for the restart.

With the final 30 laps staying green, Lofton reclaimed as many positions as possible, crossing the finish line in 19th at the drop of the checkered flag.

“It was a tough race out there, battling the heat all day, but the truck was good. I feel like we could have gained some of those spots back if we had a few more laps. The most important thing is that we’ve got a good truck and a lot to grow with next week in Texas,” Lofton said.

Lofton and the No. 77 team will next hit the track on Friday, June 10th at the Texas Motor Speedway.

Track:

Last Time Out: During the tour’s last event at Charlotte Motor Speedway two weeks ago, Lofton and the No. 77 Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra team equaled their best finish of the season after crossing the finish line in the 13th position. Lofton started the race from the 28th spot but climbed his way through the field to finish just outside of the top-10.

Lofton at Kansas: Last season Lofton took the green flag from the 14th position on the 1.5-mile Kansas track, and picked up a solid 13th place finish. Prior to the Camping World Truck Series, Lofton raced at Kansas while in ARCA Racing Series competition in 2009. He started the event from the pole, led a dozen laps and ended the day with an impressive second place finish.

Truck Information: Lofton will race chassis GR010, TRD122 this week at Kansas. It is the same truck that the team raced during the last event at Charlotte, and earlier this season at Darlington, finishing 13th both times.

Lofton on Kansas: “I am really excited about Kansas this week. It’s going to be a lot of fun visiting Fort Riley again. We had a lot of fun there last year with the soldiers, and it means a lot to have them come to the track with us. To be able to run the Brigade crest on the hood of my truck – it’s really special. I like Kansas. I’ve run well there in the past in Trucks and in ARCA, so it will be fun to get back out there.”

Lofton To Make Return Visit To Fort Riley

For the second year in a row, Justin Lofton, driver of the No. 77 Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra in the Camping World Truck Series, will be heading to Kansas early in order to visit soldiers at nearby Fort Riley. Located roughly two hours from the Kansas Speedway, Lofton will spend Thursday at Fort Riley meeting soldiers, family members of deployed soldiers, signing autographs, and participating in various activities. Lofton’s No. 77 Toyota Tundra will also be on display at Fort Riley throughout the day.

“Last season’s visit was a lot of fun. We got to do a lot of cool things around the base. But to be able to personally thank the troops, that meant a lot,” Lofton said.

Many of the soldiers Lofton met last season are now deployed. Fort Riley currently has close to 1,000 soldiers in Iraq and nearly 1900 in Afghanistan, with more set to deploy on Thursday, June 2, the day of Lofton’s visit.

“Some of the soldiers we met last year are now deployed. It will be nice to be able to see their families, and hopefully put a smile on their face while they are missing their loved ones,” Lofton added.

This year, Lofton’s trip will be even bigger. He will be joined by Germain Racing teammates Todd Bodine and Brendan Gaughan, as well as a SPEED camera crew. The visit will be featured on the pre-race NCWTS Set Up show next week in Texas.

The cameras will have a lot of action to cover throughout the Kansas trip, and not just at Fort Riley. Lofton’s No. 77 Toyota Tundra will have a different look this week in honor of his friends within the 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team (1HBCT), 1st Infantry Division (1ID) of Fort Riley. The hood of Lofton’s Tundra will feature the “Devil Brigade” Crest, as well as the Brigade name across the quarter panels.

Over two dozen soldiers will join Lofton and the Germain Racing team at Kansas Speedway on Saturday to see the No. 77 Devil’s Brigade Tundra battle it out in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250.

The 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division is the Army’s oldest Brigade. The Brigade was reactivated in July 1958 at Fort Benning, Georgia as the 1st Infantry Brigade. In 1964, it rejoined the 1st Infantry Division, this time at Fort Riley, Kansas, and was re-designated as the 1st Brigade (“Devil Brigade”) of the Big Red One. Throughout its history, 1st Brigade has always lead with pride as a member of “The Big Red One”. 1st Brigade stands ready to defend our Nation, forever dedicated to the motto: “NO MISSION TOO DIFFICULT, NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT – DUTY FIRST!”

“We had a good night and that is exactly what we needed. We’ve had some rough luck to the start of the season, but now we can build off of this and carry this momentum forward,” Lofton said. “The guys on this team don’t give up, and it feels good to put the bad luck behind us and get this finish.”

The finish equaled Lofton’s season best of 13th from Darlington. He also picked up three spots in the owner point standings to 23rd, as well as two positions in the driver point standings to 20th.

Lofton started the 200-mile race from the 28th position after qualifying in the heat of the day. As the sun set and temperatures dropped, Lofton’s Toyota came to life. By lap 30, Lofton had gained 10 positions.

In addition to Lofton’s skills behind the wheel, the Lofton Cattle pit crew did their part, laying down stellar stops all race long. The crew also put in overtime through the race, as crew chief Ryan “Rudy” Fugle opted to top Lofton’s Tundra off on fuel prior to numerous restarts. Though the plan was to watch the fuel gauge as the race reached the distance, the strategy was thrown out of the window after 47 caution laps interrupted the 134-lap race.

Under a caution flag on lap 97 Lofton pulled his Toyota down pit road for four fresh tires and fuel as the team took on their final pit stop of the night. After logging a few laps with the fresher tires on his machine, Lofton radioed to Fugle that the truck was “very drivable” and only a little loose at the exit of turn 4. At that point, Lofton showed in the 15th position.

Only one more caution flag waved over the race in the closing laps, leaving Lofton time to pick up two more positions, as he crossed the finish line in the 13th spot.

After the race, the crew looked over Lofton’s machine and discovered that there was a gaping hole on the right side of the windshield. After further inspection, they found that a brake rotor from another truck had caused the damage.

“I knew something hit, but I wasn’t sure what it was at the time. It knocked the air hose off of my helmet. I wondered what it was, but kept on going,” Lofton said. “There was a lot of debris around the track all night. You definitely had to stay on your toes out there, or you were going to get caught up in something.”

The next race for Lofton and the No. 77 Lofton Cattle team is on June 4 at Kansas Speedway.

Track:

Last Time Out: Last Friday in Dover Justin Lofton and the No. 77 team had a solid run going in the Lucas Oil 200. After starting the event from the 12th position, Lofton held the position through most of the event despite the intense competition around the one-mile concrete track. With just over 20 laps remaining in the race however, Lofton’s truck snapped loose off of turn 4, suffering heavy damage. The team ended the event in the 25th spot.

Lofton at Charlotte: Last season’s NCWTS event marked Lofton’s debut on the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway. Despite having experience on other tracks measuring the same distance while competing in the ARCA Racing Series, the event was the first for Lofton at Charlotte. When it was all said and done, the race was a solid one for the California native. He started the event 22nd and climbed his way to an impressive 15th place finish.

Out and About: Lofton will be busy around town over the next two weeks while NASCAR competition stays within the Charlotte, N.C. area. Before taking to the track on Friday for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200, Lofton will appear at the Wal-Mart in Concord from 6 to 7 PM. On Friday during a break in the NCWTS track schedule, Lofton will appear at the Toyota Pit Pass display from 1:30 to 2 PM. On Sunday, he will play in a charity softball game at Fieldcrest Stadium, home of the Kannapolis Intimidators. Next week, Lofton will continue making the rounds around Charlotte, appearing at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Speed Street.

Truck Information: Lofton will race chassis GR010, TRD122 this week at Charlotte. It is the same truck that the team raced earlier this season at Darlington, scoring a season’s best 13th place finish. They last raced the truck in Nashville, finishing 16th.

Lofton on Charlotte: “Charlotte is a lot of fun to race. It is challenging and fast. We race on a lot of intermediate tracks but not many can compare to Charlotte. The atmosphere makes the race a little more special since most of the teams are based in the area. I’m looking forward to it.”

Crew Chief Ryan “Rudy” Fugle on Charlotte: “Racing at Charlotte is always a lot of fun because we’re close to home and all of the shop guys can come out and be a part of what they usually miss once we pack up the truck. We have a good group of guys and Justin has a lot of talent. We’re looking forward to the race this week.”

“I hate to leave Dover like that because we had a decent run going. The track just kind of pushes you down and things like that can happen. It’s just real unfortunate for everyone on the No. 77 Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra team,” Lofton said.

After two practice sessions on Thursday afternoon, Lofton climbed behind the wheel of his No. 77 Tundra on Friday morning for two laps of qualifying. After his run, Lofton secured the 12th starting spot for the afternoon race.

Known for its steep banking and short track characteristics, the one-mile concrete track proved to be a challenge early for the competition once racing got underway. Lofton was no exception, as he radioed to crew chief Ryan Fugle early on that the truck was running just a bit tight. With no major handling issues on the 77 machine, the team kept it simple with air pressure adjustments throughout the day. Under their first pit stop of the race on lap 47, the team swapped out tires and added fuel.

Lofton’s second stop fell on lap 75, with Fugle calling for two tires and fuel. After the strategic call, Lofton showed 12th for the restart. While some teams opted for four or two tires like Lofton, others stayed on track, shuffling the rundown.

As the field hit the halfway mark on lap 100, Lofton showed in the 11th position. He settled in behind the wheel, consistently clicking off competitive laps around the Monster Mile. As Fugle read off the lap times and coached his driver to keep battling, things heated up for Lofton.

On lap 120 the 25-year-old found himself in a three-wide battle while knocking on the door of the top-10. Shortly thereafter, green flag stops began. Lofton stayed on track until lap 142 before bringing his No. 77 Lofton Cattle Tundra down pit road for another four-tire change.

Once back on track, the battle over position continued, with Lofton seeing more intense three-wide racing. Unfortunately, Lofton’s challenges would end on lap 178 while running in the 13th spot after the No. 77 Lofton Cattle Toyota broke loose out of turn 4. The damage ended Lofton’s day. He was credited with the 25th position.

Lofton and the No. 77 Lofton Cattle team will regroup next Friday, May 20th, at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Track:

Last Time Out: Justin Lofton and the No. 77 Lofton Cattle team had their work cut out for them during the last event at Nashville Superspeedway. Shortly after Lofton climbed behind the wheel of his Toyota Tundra for the start of the race, the team discovered that they could not hear Lofton on the radio. Despite the challenge of adjusting on the truck without their driver’s input, the Ryan “Rudy” Fugle led team showed well with a solid 16th place finish. After the tour’s first five events Lofton sits 19th in the driver point standings.

Lofton at Dover: One year ago, Lofton tallied his best finish to date within Camping World Truck Series competition by scoring a third place finish at the Monster Mile. Lofton started the 200-mile race from the 19th position, ran within the top-10 for most of the event, and ran as high as second before ending the day in the third spot.

Dover Rounds: Lofton and the No. 77 Lofton Cattle team will be busy throughout their two-day stay in Dover. With two practice sessions set for Thursday afternoon, Friday will be a little more hectic both on and off of the track for the team. Following qualifying on Friday morning, Lofton will participate in an autograph session in the Camping World Store in the Fan Zone from 12:30 to 1:30 PM local time. Additionally, the No. 77 team will host two servicemen from the nearby Dover Air Force Base on Friday. Sgt. Gregory L. Hanner and Sgt. Louis Orville Hess will be joining the team, serving as Honorary Pit Crew Members for the Lucas Oil 200, which will begin just after 4:30 PM.

Truck Information: Lofton will race chassis GR102, TRD006. It is the same truck that the team raced earlier this season at Martinsville. The truck showed speed by posting the fourth fastest time in practice, followed by an eighth place qualifying effort. Early contact with a lapped truck however, forced the team to the garage for prolonged repairs. They rallied to finish 32nd.

Lofton on Dover: “I am so excited about getting back to Dover. I had never even raced on a track that was even comparable to it before the race last year. It is challenging and unique, that is for sure. I’m looking forward to going back and running up front again.”

Crew Chief Ryan “Rudy” Fugle on Dover: “Dover is a good track for Justin. We’ve had some bumps along the road but now that we are about to hit a string of racing, we want to start it off with a strong run at Dover, continue building our team, and improve his finish from last season.”

“It was definitely a challenge, that’s for sure. For me, it was frustrating at times to not be able to simply tell the guys what I was feeling at what parts of the track,” Lofton said. “But Rudy (crew chief Ryan Fugle) laid out a plan and it worked out pretty good.”

Just after the command to start the engines, the Fugle-led team quickly learned that they couldn’t hear Lofton over the radio, only the sound of clicking when he keyed his microphone. Luckily, Lofton could hear his crew chief, as well as spotter Mark Green. At that point, Fugle laid out a game plan, asking Lofton questions and advising him to answer by cueing his mic.

Lofton took the green flag from the 14th position. By lap 23 Lofton had had enough time to get a handle on his Tundra, answering with a click when asked if his machine was tight.

His first pit stop of the day fell on lap 53. The team swapped out tires, added fuel, and sent Lofton back on track. The first caution of the night waved on lap 59, allowing Lofton to make another trip down pit road. This time, the team made a track bar adjustment, sending him back on track in the 12th position.

He held that spot through the next round of stops on lap 75, which saw the team add sticker tires, tweak on air pressure, and add fuel.

Lofton’s fourth and final visit to pit road came on lap 103 of the 150-lap race. This time, Fugle mixed things up by calling for right side tires and fuel. The call served up track position, with Lofton showing fifth for the restart with just 44 laps remaining.

Despite the lack of communication, the team put themselves in contention with Lofton maintaining a strong top-10 run up through a caution flag just 12 laps from the finish. Another caution flag flew in the closing laps, leaving only three laps to decide the race. With a quiet Lofton focusing on the finish and a truck in need of just one more minor tweak, he wheeled his way to a steady 16th place finish.

“I cued the mic under that last yellow and was talking to myself hoping they could finally hear me. The truck was running a bit loose on that final run but I couldn’t tell them, and we couldn’t do anything that late in the game. I am so proud of these guys. We’ve had a few strange things happen to us already over these first few races, but we keep bouncing back,” Lofton said.

Lofton and the No. 77 team will next hit the track in Dover, Delaware on May 13th. Last season, Lofton finished third on the one-mile track.

Nashville Superspeedway

Last Time Out: Justin Lofton and the No. 77 Lofton Cattle team had all of the ingredients for a competitive run at the short track in Martinsville, Virginia during the tour’s last race on April 2nd. After two practice sessions, the team posted the fourth fastest time on the speed chart, followed by a strong eighth place qualifying position. Unfortunately, once under green flag conditions, it didn’t take long for trouble to find Lofton. With traffic falling a lap down early around the half-mile short track it took less than 20 laps for the racing to get congested. A lapped truck made contact with Lofton’s Toyota Tundra, sending him hard into the outside wall. The damage forced Lofton into the garage for prolonged repairs. He eventually rejoined the race, ending the day in the 32nd position.

Off Week, Off Road: Lofton spent last weekend in Nevada preparing for his run next weekend in the Best in the Desert Off-Road Racing Series. With an off week in NASCAR Truck competition, he will take advantage of the down time by returning to his racing roots by wheeling a class 1500 entry. In 2004, Lofton earned the Best in the Desert Class 1000 championship and Rookie of the Year honors.

Lofton at Nashville: Lofton will make his third Camping World Truck Series start on the 1.33-mile concrete race track under the lights on Friday. Last season he started both events within the top-10, with a best finish of ninth. To date, his best finish at Nashville is a fifth place effort, which he collected in 2008 while competing in the ARCA Racing Series.

Truck Information: Lofton will race chassis GR010, TRD122. It is the same truck that the team raced earlier this season at Darlington, scoring a 13th place finish.

Lofton on Nashville: “I am ready to get back to racing. It’s always tough to start the season and then have some off weeks peppered in between our races. I’d love to race every week. We’re really looking forward to Nashville because we had such a strong truck in Martinsville, and we’re heading to the track this week with another strong truck. I’m ready to get back at it.”

Crew Chief Ryan “Rudy” Fugle on Nashville: “We have moved on from our bad luck over the last two weeks. We are going to restart our season in Nashville. We have been fast, that is the most important thing, and we are looking to continue that and get a complete weekend with a win at Nashville.”

“It is disappointing for me and all of the guys on this No. 77 Germain Racing team. They built a strong truck. We knew after testing we were going to be a contender this weekend, and we proved that every time we got on track. I can only control how I race people, and it’s unfortunate that some lapped trucks don’t show a little more respect with the guys that are racing for the top-10,” Lofton said.

There were two practice sessions at Martinsville on Friday and at the conclusion of each run, crew chief Ryan “Rudy” Fugle and Lofton proved their pairing was a fast one, with the No. 77 showing in the fourth position both times. The trend continued with qualifying on Saturday after Lofton wheeled his Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra into the eighth starting spot.

Once under the green flag for the 250-lap race, Lofton maintained the fast pace, racing near the front of the field. On lap 18 however, contact from a lapped truck sent Lofton hard into the turn 3 wall, causing heavy damage to his race truck. The team was forced to make prolonged repairs to the rear end of the No. 77 in the garage area, before sending Lofton back on track on lap 103, over 80 laps down.

Seven laps later, the yellow flag waved with Lofton reporting that the speed was still in the truck, and it was handling okay, despite the damage. At that time, Fugle informed the team that when it was time, they would have to take the truck to the garage area in order to change tires and add fuel, because of the damage to the fuel cell area on the truck.

On lap 137, the yellow, followed by a red flag, waved after a multi-truck wreck. Once the red was lifted, Lofton pulled into the garage for the inevitable fresh tires and fuel.

The second half of the race was uneventful for Lofton. Through the final stretch of the race, his only complaint was that a slight vibration had developed in the front end due to the rubber build-up from the tires. The checkered flag waved on lap 250 with the 25-year-old crossing the stripe in the 32nd position.

“The last half of that race was tough because we still had an extremely fast and competitive truck. I wanted to race with the leaders but the most important thing was to show them respect and finish out the race,” Lofton added.

Lofton and the No. 77 team will next hit the track on April 22nd at the Nashville Superspeedway.

Last Time Out: Justin Lofton qualified 17th for the Too Tough to Tame 200 in Darlington during the tour’s last race three weeks ago. The outing started out with a big obstacle after a multi-truck wreck broke out on the very first lap of the event. Lofton unfortunately got caught up in the melee, suffering front end damage, but the Ryan Fugle led No. 77 Lofton Cattle team worked on Lofton’s battered Toyota Tundra, repairing the damage and handling issues. Lofton held up his end of the bargain too, picking off positions through the very last lap of competition. The checkered flag waved with Lofton driving home in the 13th position.

Two Wheel Time: Lofton got his start racing when he was just 12 years old. But rather than four wheels, Lofton flexed his competitive muscle on two wheels, racing mountain bikes. Though full bodied, four-wheeled, horse-powered machines are now his thing, Lofton still enjoys hitting the trails on two wheels. During the break in NCWTS competition, Lofton took advantage of the time away from the track by relaxing at home and hitting the trails with his truck chief Doug Powers.

Lofton at Martinsville: Lofton will make his third start at Martinsville this Saturday during the Kroger 250. His first trip to the paperclip-shaped track ended early after contact from a lapped truck forced him to the garage area for repairs. His return visit to the .0526-mile oval last fall was a competitive one after he qualified just outside of the top-10 in 11th, and finished a solid 13th.

Lofton Loves Short Tracks: Lofton, the 2009 ARCA Racing Series champion earned the honor after claiming six race wins. Three of them were on tracks measuring a half-mile or less. In 2010 during his rookie season in trucks, Lofton tallied six runs within the top 15 on tracks measuring a mile or less, including a solid fifth place run at the challenging, high banked, half-mile in Bristol.

Truck Information: Lofton will race chassis GR102. It is a brand new truck that has not yet seen race action. However, the team tested the truck at the Motor Mile before heading to Martinsville.

Lofton on Martinsville: “I’m so excited about heading to Martinsville this week. It’s a fun short track and you really have to be on your game there because things happen so fast. If you can stay out of trouble, you can come home with a solid finish. I feel like we have some momentum rolling after Darlington. The guys were relentless working on the truck there and it paid off with a good finish. We hope to keep adding to it.”

Crew Chief Ryan “Rudy” Fugle on Martinsville: “Martinsville is a historic track that I am excited to go to. It is one of those races on the Truck schedule that all of the teams want to win. I am real excited to get back to racing after having the last few weeks off.”

“The guys on this team worked nonstop all day. We had a rough start in practice but they thrashed on it and we got it turned around for qualifying. We had a good starting spot, but there’s not much you can do when trucks scatter on the start. There was nowhere to go there and we suffered a bit of damage, but the guys fixed it up as best as they could and we kept digging,” Lofton said.

Knowing that he had no points to rely on in order to make the event, Lofton and the No. 77 Lofton Cattle team showed no signs of concern early on after suffering through a spin and a “Darlington stripe” in both morning practice sessions. Instead, they simply worked harder, getting the truck ready for the afternoon qualifying run.

The hard work paid off, as Lofton laid down the 17th fastest speed, securing a solid starting spot for the race. Once the green flag waved however, more trouble found Lofton.

As the field got up to speed on the first lap, contact near the front of the field ignited a melee, collecting at least seven damaged race trucks, including Lofton’s No. 77 Toyota.

Lofton radioed to crew chief Ryan Fugle that the wheel was off in addition to the cosmetic damage. He made multiple stops down pit road under the caution flag, with the crew repairing as much as they could before being forced to send him back on track for the restart.

Despite battling an ill-handling machine, Lofton maintained a spot on the lead lap through the third caution flag on lap 26. The yellow allowed him to make another trip to pit road. The crew swapped out right side tires and fixed the alignment. Lofton took the restart from the 30th position.

With a repaired truck, Lofton settled in behind the wheel, and consistently clicked off positions lap after lap.
By the time the yellow waved on lap 90, Lofton showed in the 13th position. At that time, Fugle called him to pit road. The crew worked their magic, laying down a solid four-tire change, gaining a position. Some leaders however, opted for two tires, leaving Lofton 12th for the restart.

Three more caution flags waved through the final 50 laps of the race, with spotter Mark Green calling Lofton through multiple near misses.

Lofton took advantage of one of those yellows, making his final pit stop of the night on lap 120. After taking on an air pressure adjustment, two tires, and fuel, Lofton rejoined the race in 17th.

With only three laps remaining following the final restart on lap 144, Lofton flexed his muscle, wheeling his battered, yet strong No. 77 Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra to a solid 13th place finish.

“I can’t thank my guys enough. Rudy (crew chief Ryan Fugle) is such a great motivator. He stayed positive, laid out a plan to get the truck fixed, and kept me focused. It feels great to leave Darlington with a 13th place finish after the challenges we faced all day,” Lofton added.

After Darlington, Lofton picked up eight spots to 15th in the driver point standings. The No. 77 team will next hit the track on April 2 at Martinsville Speedway.

Last Time Out: Justin Lofton qualified 24th for the 150-mile race at Phoenix two weeks ago, but despite a strong truck with a storied background within the Germain Racing stable, the Ryan Fugle led team suffered a setback when the throttle stop backed out, sending the No. 77 Toyota to pit road for prolonged repairs early in the running. Lofton made the best of the remainder of the race, running lap times consistent with top-10 trucks. Lofton and team ended the night in the 30th position.

Lofton at Darlington: Lofton logged his highest qualifying effort to date, qualifying in the third position, last August in Darlington. Though the track is dubbed “Too Tough to Tame” the California native had no problems early on learning the ropes around the abrasive 1.366-mile track. After laying down the top-five starting spot, Lofton ran a stellar race, maintaining a spot within the top-five most of the night before a late race run-in dropped him to 20th at the finish.

Down Time Details: Lofton spent the off weekend in between Phoenix and Darlington in his hometown of Brawley, California, shooting a music video with his production company Weekend Warriors TV. Lofton, along with co-owners, sister Brittany Lofton and business partner Brett Bortle, spent Saturday and Sunday filming with rock band Paperback Hero for their single Breath of Time. Following Darlington, Lofton and the WWTV crew will head to the Field Filler Fairgrounds for some go-kart racing. During his break in competition next weekend, Lofton plans on heading to Colorado to partake in snowmobiling with friend Rusty Szymanski. Szymanski serves as Lofton’s navigator when he’s behind the wheel of an off-road machine.

Truck Information: Lofton will race chassis GR010 this week in Darlington. Lofton and the No. 77 team ran this truck two weeks ago on the one-mile Phoenix International Raceway. The truck has a solid history within the Germain Racing stable. Teammate Todd Bodine raced the truck numerous times last season en route to multiple top-five runs.

Lofton on Darlington: “I am really excited for Darlington. As a rookie, I had a really good run there last year. I really liked the track. It’s unique and challenging but a lot of fun to race. My teammate Todd Bodine won there last year, so that just gives the team an added boost heading into the weekend.”

Crew Chief Ryan “Rudy” Fugle on Darlington: “The team had a chance with the week off to focus on all of the small details and because of that, we are heading to the track this weekend rejuvenated. We’re going to start fresh and put the first two races and the bad luck behind us. This is a good truck and Justin ran really well in Darlington last year. We plan on running up front and mixing it up for the win.”

“It’s disappointing because I had some family come from California and I always look forward to racing here. I knew something wasn’t right pretty early, but it is something that gradually gets worse and you can’t tell right off what it is,” Lofton said. “Once we figured it out, the truck ran pretty good. We’ll shake it off this week and be back at it in Darlington.”

At the start of the race, Lofton dropped his No. 77 Toyota to the rear of the field after the crew made adjustments to the truck following qualifying. Initially, Lofton grabbed the 24th starting spot. With just under 20 laps on the board however, the 25-year-old radioed to crew chief Ryan Fugle that the truck seemed sluggish on the front stretch.

Shortly after the race hit the lap 40 mark, the first yellow flag of the night waved, allowing Lofton to make a trip down pit road. The crew raised the hood, investigating the problem. The field returned to green flag conditions, but the Lofton Cattle machine remained on pit road. While looking their machine over, the crew found that the throttle stop backed out, fixed the problem, and sent Lofton back on track.

Despite rejoining the race with a 10 lap deficit, Lofton did his job, running a clean race and clicking off lap times that equaled other trucks within the top-10.
On lap 104 Fugle and Lofton agreed to drop to the rear of the field following a restart, since “cautions breed cautions.” And they were right. Five more caution flags waved during the course of the final 40 laps. Spotter Mark Green called Lofton through the action, allowing the California native to drive his Toyota home to a 30th place finish.

After a week off the No. 77 Lofton Cattle crew will next head to Darlington Raceway on March 12th.

Last Time Out: Justin Lofton had an eventful run at Daytona last week. First, he had to qualify on time in order to make the 250-mile Friday night event. On Thursday, Lofton did just that and nabbed the 17th starting position. The race however, was a bit of a challenge, with Lofton and the No. 77 Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra team falling victim to the tight racing on the 2.-5 mile superspeedway, suffering damage to their Tundra due to a lap 76 multi-truck wreck. Despite a few lingering issues, the team banded together and drove home to an 18th place finish.

Lofton at Phoenix: Born and raised in southern California, Lofton climbed the racing ladder throughout the Southwest. From late models to lower-tiered NASCAR touring series, including the K&N Pro Series West, Lofton has visited PIR many times. To date, he has logged nearly 600 miles on the 1-mile track. In 2010 in Camping World Truck Series competition, Lofton had a stellar run in front of many family members and friends that made the trip from California. He started the event last November from the seventh position and finished and impressive ninth.

Off Week Plans: The Camping World Truck Series schedule sees a break in competition next weekend, allowing Lofton time to shift his focus to the production company, Weekend Warriors TV, that he co-owns. The three-person organization will head to Lofton’s home town in Brawley, California and shoot a music video for the Los Angeles-based rock band Paperback Hero.

Truck Information: Lofton will race chassis GR010 this week in Phoenix. Lofton and the No. 77 team recently tested the truck at the Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, Florida. Last year, teammate, champion Todd Bodine raced the machine numerous times, notching several top-fives and a visit to victory lane.

Lofton on Phoenix: “I am excited about Phoenix this week. I love racing there. I consider it my home track. It is always a lot of fun to go there because family and friends from back home can make the trip. For some of them, it is the only trip they make all year. I had a good finish for them last year and I’m really excited about our chances this week. We tested this truck during the off season and it was really fast.”

Crew Chief Ryan “Rudy” Fugle on Phoenix: “Justin has a lot of experience at Phoenix and he keeps saying that it is one of his favorite race tracks. He’s logged a lot of laps there and that will be important since we only have one practice session. We tested this truck in Orlando and it ran well. It’s a proven truck. We’re all looking forward to this weekend.”

“Friday was a lot of fun. It’s always cool to celebrate my birthday the week of Daytona, but it was really special this year to have the race fall on my birthday,” Lofton said.

After months of anticipation, the event marked the debut for the 2009 ARCA Racing Series champion with his new team Germain Racing. Lofton and crew chief Ryan Fugle showed instant chemistry, as the duo had no problem securing a starting spot for the 100-lap Friday night race after Lofton grabbed the 17th starting position in his No. 77 Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra.

Once the green flag fell Lofton needed only six laps to move into the top-10. By lap 20 however, Lofton radioed Fugle that his Tundra was running a bit hot, causing him to have to move around in the draft in order to get more air into the nose of his machine in order to cool down the rising temperatures.

Under green on lap 28, Lofton drove the No. 77 Toyota down pit road for his first pit stop of the night. The crew got to work, changing right side tires and adding fuel.

10 laps later, the first caution flag of the event waved, allowing Lofton to make another stop. This time the crew swapped out all four tires, added fuel, and made an adjustment under the rear end of the No. 77. The additional work cost Lofton a lap, but by the next caution on lap 55, Lofton was given the free pass, putting him back on the lead lap.

Fugle then made the call on lap 56 and again on lap 67 to bring Lofton down pit road in order to top off on fuel. With 33 laps remaining, he informed his driver, “Use long gears. We’re good to lap 101, but save all you can for a green-white-checkered.”

Just 10 laps later however, a multi-truck wreck broke out in turn 1. Over a dozen trucks were involved, including Lofton. With damage to the Lofton Cattle machine, the newly 25-year-old drove to pit road for repairs.

Lofton returned to the track, but a bent truck arm left Lofton with a challenge behind the wheel. On lap 85, the truck broke loose, sending Lofton spinning through the tri-oval. After additional repairs, Lofton rejoined the race.
With just two laps remaining, the caution fell following a 10-truck accident across the front stretch. Luckily, Lofton missed the melee.

After waiting out a 10-minute red flag for clean-up, Lofton took the restart from the 24th position for a race-extendig green-white-checkered finish.

With the help of spotter Mark Green, Lofton maneuvered his way through the draft on the 2.5-mile superspeedway, wheeling his way to a solid 18th place finish.

“We had a tough race but the guys did a great job working on the truck and we pulled out a solid result. We have a great group of guys here and it feels good to get our first race together under our belts. I’m real excited about heading to Phoenix next. It is one of my favorite tracks,” Lofton added.

Lofton and the No. 77 Toyota Tundra team will next hit the track on Friday, February 25th at the Phoenix International Raceway for the Lucas Oil 150.

New Year, New Team: Lofton joins Germain Racing for his sophomore effort in 2011 behind the wheel of the No. 77 Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra. Lofton is now part of a four-truck stable including teammates Max Papis, Brendan Gaughan, and two-time series champion Todd Bodine. To date, Germain Racing has 22 wins, nine pole awards and two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championships. During Lofton’s debut season in trucks in 2010, he accumulated a solid stat sheet including four top-five and eight top-10 finishes, with a best finish of third, and a season-ending 12th place showing in the driver point standings.

No “Off” Season for Lofton: Despite the break in competition, Lofton had anything but downtime. He kept busy during the two month absence from the track by hosting a charity golf tournament in his native California. All proceeds from the event benefited the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Imperial Valley. Following the golf outing, Lofton trekked to Nevada and participated in the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge. He led day one in Class 1 Unlimited and was well on his way to the win on the second and final day before breaking a spindle on the last lap of the event. From there, Lofton returned to North Carolina and participated in two separate test sessions with his new team before heading to Daytona.

Lofton at Daytona: Friday’s event at Daytona may be his first with his new Germain Racing team, but it will not be Lofton’s first on the 2.5-mile superspeedway. In 2010 in truck competition, Lofton started 19th and finished 18th. In 2009, en route to the ARCA Racing Series championship, Lofton earned the pole for ARCA’s season-opener and finished an impressive third.

Birthday Boy: In addition to kicking off the new season on Friday, February 18th, Lofton will celebrate his 25th birthday at the World Center of Racing.

Truck Information: Lofton will race chassis GR015 this week at Daytona. It is a brand new truck that has yet to hit the racetrack.

Lofton on Daytona: “I am so excited about this season with Germain Racing. I’ve spent a lot of time with my new crew chief and we get along great. We’ve got a great group of guys on the No. 77 team and I can’t wait to start the season. It is really going to be a lot of fun this year, and there is no better way to start than racing under the lights at Daytona. I really enjoy superspeedway racing. It’s fun and historic.”

Crew Chief Ryan “Rudy” Fugle on Daytona: “I am excited to be part of the Germain Racing truck program and to work with Justin. Germain is always strong at superspeedways. I feel like we have a good shot at the win. With Friday being Justin’s birthday, it would be extra special.”

“I am so excited to run this race this weekend. It is always a blast to race in the desert. It is something I will never stop doing. I have too much fun with it,” Lofton said.

Lofton last raced off-road in the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge a few weeks ago, having led day one in Class 1, and was well on his way to the win during the second day’s run before a broken spindle on the last lap dashed his hopes.

This weekend the 24-year-old will split seat-time with his father Bob, who has over 20 years of off-road racing experience and numerous class wins of his own, including the Baja 1000. The duo will take turns behind the wheel of the Buggy, with Bob wheeling the first two laps and Justin completing the final 150 miles.

The Best in the Desert Racing Association’s Bluewater Resort and Casino Parker 425 runs from Saturday through Monday.

In 2004, Lofton earned the Best in the Desert Class 1000 championship and Rookie of the Year honors.

Following his desert run, Lofton will head back to Florida for Speed Weeks, followed by his debut behind the wheel of the No. 77 Lofton Cattle Toyota in the NextEra Energy Resources 250 on Friday, February 18th.

“I cannot wait until this weekend. This has been in the works for months. It’s really been exciting to see it all come together,” Lofton said.

Following the golf tournament, the event will move to the Stockmen’s Club where an awards ceremony, check presentation, dinner, and auction will take place. Over 300 people are expected at the Stockmen’s Club, including fellow Truck Series competitors Matt Crafton and new teammate at Germain Racing, Champion Todd Bodine, who will join Lofton in the day’s activities.

Following the dinner and auction, country singer Tim Dugger will provide live entertainment.

“The day is going to be a lot of fun – from the tournament to the auction, to the concert. We wanted to put on a good show in order to draw in as many people as possible. The more people we can get to attend, the more we will be able to donate to the Boys and Girls Clubs. That is what this is all about, helping these kids,” Lofton added.

A full event schedule, ticket information, and registration forms are available on LoftonRacing.com. Additional information can also be found on the “Justin Lofton’s Charity Golf Tournament” Facebook page.

24-year-old Lofton, who is now a full-time racer in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, led the way on Saturday in Class 1, and was well on his way to the win on Sunday before suffering a broken left spindle on the last lap of the event.

“I’m not disappointed at all. We had a good showing and I had a lot of fun. We won day one, and we were right there on Sunday before we broke a spindle. We noticed both were broke on Sunday morning when we were working on it, they just weren’t broke off,” Lofton explained.

Lofton hadn’t raced competitively in an off-road event since racing a Trophy Truck in Laughlin in 2009. That same year he earned his first stock car championship in the ARCA Racing Series, and in 2010 he made the move to full-time Camping World Truck Series competition.

Lofton however, won’t let as much time pass before his next desert event. With the Camping World Truck Series season set to begin on February 18th, the savvy racer will head to Arizona on February 4th for the Best in the Desert Racing Association’s Bluewater Resort Parker 425.

In 2004, Lofton earned the Best in the Desert Class 1000 championship and Rookie of the Year honors.

For the Parker 425, Lofton will split seat-time with his father Bob, who has over 20 years of off-road racing experience and numerous class wins, including the Baja 1000, to his credit. The duo will take turns behind the No. 1577 Class 1500 Buggy, with Bob wheeling the first two laps and Justin completing the final 150 miles.

“It will be a lot of fun racing with my Dad. He taught me so much about racing, and he’s always supporting me in whatever I race. He’s one of the best out there. It’ll be a lot of fun,” the younger Lofton added.

Lofton has taken full advantage of the NASCAR off season and remained busy readying for the desert events, in addition to planning his inaugural charity golf tournament, which he will host this Saturday, January 22nd, in Brawley, California. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Imperial Valley.

“Since the NASCAR season ended in Homestead, I’ve been working on getting everything ready for this race and for my charity golf tournament. I’m so excited to get back out in the desert. The race will be a lot of fun,” Lofton said.

Before making the move to asphalt ovals, Lofton followed in his father Bob’s footsteps, racing in the open, sandy desert. The talent proved hereditary, with the younger Lofton also becoming one to reckon with in off-road racing. In 2004, he earned the Best in the Desert Rookie of the Year honors in addition to three wins in the Desert Buggy Class, as well as the Class 1000 championship.

This weekend’s SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge is a three-day event, which kicks off on Friday with practice, followed by the Laughlin Leap. The race itself will take place on Saturday and Sunday. The starting positions for the event are electronically drawn, with Lofton drawing seventh in Class 1 Unlimited. Sunday’s starting position will be based on the finishing position from Saturday.

Over 100 racers and 20 classes will participate in the event, racing over a 6.25-mile course. The final positions are determined based on the number of laps and overall time each entry has logged spanning the two-day run. Rusty Szymanski will be along for the ride, serving as Lofton’s navigator.

“It’s been a few years since I’ve raced in the desert. I’m real excited about getting back out there. We’ll see what we can do,” Lofton added.

Lofton’s partners for the event include Lofton Cattle, BF Goodrich Tires, MasterCraft Safety, JIMCO Racing, and Rusty’s Motor Car Inc.

Following this weekend’s SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge, 24-year-old Lofton will prepare for his inaugural charity golf tournament on January 22nd. The event will be held in Brawley, California with all proceeds benefiting the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Imperial Valley. The event includes a golf tournament, awards dinner, auction, and a concert.

“I am very excited to be teaming up with Germain Racing. Fresh off of their 2010 championship, it was clear to me that Germain was the best place for me,” Lofton said.

“Todd (Bodine) served as a mentor to me through my rookie season and really helped me learn the ropes of the Camping World Truck Series. To have him, Max (Papis) and Brendan (Gaughan) as teammates, I am really excited about the upcoming season.”

Lofton, who hails from Southern California, earned the 2009 ARCA Racing Series championship after winning six of the 21 races. He moved full time to NASCAR last year, notching four top-five and eight top-10 finishes with a best finish of third, giving him a solid 12th place finish in the driver point standings.  

“I’m really excited about having Justin as a teammate at Germain Racing as we’ve become friends over the last season. He’s a real good kid and I think he’s got real potential as a race car driver,” said Bodine, who thinks Lofton will play a key role in the expansion of Germain Racing’s Tundra fleet. “I’m looking forward to Justin’s input and seeing him grow as a driver.”

Germain Racing entered truck competition in 2004 and has since accumulated 22 race victories, nine pole awards and two division championships. Germain Racing earned Toyota’s first Truck Series title in 2006, repeated the feat in 2010, earning the No. 30 Tundra team the nod as the most dominant Tundra team in active competition.

“Germain Racing takes a lot of pride in the championships we’ve won for Toyota and our record of having the leading Tundra team. We’ve gotten to where we are having a team that’s been a blend of youthful ambition and veteran skills. Adding Justin Lofton to our Tundra lineup gives our Truck Series program a fresh, young driver who can bring Germain Racing more wins and more championships for many years to come,” said general manager Mike Hillman Sr.

At 24, Lofton will be the youngest driver in the Germain Racing stable.

“I wish the season started sooner because I am very excited to go racing with the Germain team. They have established themselves as the team to beat in the Truck Series,” Lofton added.

Lofton’s crew chief will be announced at a later date.

NASCAR driver Justin Lofton will host the Justin Lofton Inaugural Charity Golf Tournament on January 22, 2011 at the Del Rio Country Club in Brawley, California. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Boys and Girls Club of the Imperial Valley.

“I have been kicking around the idea of hosting a charity golf tournament for some time and it feels good to be able to nail down a time and place,” Lofton said. “It means a lot to me to host this event in my hometown and to be able to donate the proceeds to kids in that area. I can’t wait until January 22nd.”

Lofton, who is the 2009 ARCA Racing Series champion, recently completed his first full season of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competition. Through the 25 race schedule, Lofton tallied four top-five and eight top-10 finishes, with a best finish of third. He ended the season 12th in the driver point standings.

Though a racer at heart, Lofton is also an avid golfer, and wanted to take advantage of the off season while also giving back to those in and around his hometown. In addition to Lofton, many of his NASCAR competitors will also be on hand.

The tournament is open to the public with participating golfers donating $150.00 to play. There is a 108 golfer limit for the tournament, so space is limited. For those interested in attending the event but not participating in the golf portion, additional ticket options are available.

Entrance for the tournament is tax deductible, as proceeds will benefit a 501 corporation.

Following the tournament, the event will move to the Stockmen’s Club where an awards ceremony, check presentation, dinner, and auction will take place. The auction includes numerous autographed items spanning the sports spectrum. Following the dinner and auction, country singer Tim Dugger will provide live entertainment at Stockmen’s.

More information, an event schedule, ticket information, and registration forms are available on LoftonRacing.com and the “Justin Lofton’s Charity Golf Tournament” Facebook page.

“I can’t say enough how proud I am of Mark Rette and all of the guys on the No. 7 visitpit.com team. We grew together as a team all year and it feels real good to close out the season with another top-10,” Lofton said.

After taking the green flag, Lofton remained within the top-10 through the first 30 laps before dropping his No. 7 Toyota Tundra down pit road for his first pit stop of the evening. Shortly after taking the restart, Lofton drifted back in the field, maintaining within the top-15 through the next round of pit stops on lap 75.

Before pulling down pit road for another stop, Lofton reported that through the last run, the truck was “uneasy in the corner.” Due to the handling, crew chief Mark Rette called for a wedge adjustment, four tires, and fuel. After the stop however, the team noticed that Lofton had a right rear tire going down. Since the team was unaware of the deflating tire at the time of the pit stop and the chassis adjustment, the handling of the truck remained a bit off.

Luckily, another caution flag waved just 10 laps later, allowing Lofton to pit again on lap 88. The team again swapped out tires, added fuel, and redid the wedge adjustment.

With a repaired race truck, Lofton took the restart from the 19th position for the restart on lap 93.

As the next yellow waved on lap 105, Lofton stayed out as other lead lap cars opted to pit. With only 10-lap old tires, Rette made the call to keep his driver on track. The call moved the rookie racer to third on the board with just 24 laps left to run.

The field then saw a red flag period following a single truck incident, which brought the restart with just 20 laps remaining.

The trucks with fresher tires however, were able to maneuver by Lofton as he slipped from third to eighth. Despite a call over the radio that the rear end of the No. 7 Toyota was lacking the right feel, Lofton dug in and reclaimed a position in the final laps to close out the season in the seventh spot.

The finish boosted him one position in the final driver standings, leaving the California native 12th in the final rundown. He ended the season with four top-five and eight top-10 finishes, with a best showing of third in Dover.

Last Time Out… Lofton started a strong seventh in last weekend’s race at Phoenix International Raceway. He and the No. 7 team had a consistent night, racing within the top-10 for the majority of the 150-mile race. Despite a lingering tight condition on his Toyota Tundra, Lofton wheeled his way to a ninth place finish.

Curtain Call… 24-year-old Lofton will close out his rookie season within the Camping World Truck Series once the checkered flag falls on Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Entering the season finale Lofton has four top-five and seven top-10 finishes, and a highest qualifying position of third to his credit. He has also earned the Raybestos Rookie of The Race honors seven times. He is currently 13th in the driver point standings.  

One of the Best… Lofton and crew chief Mark Rette will roll out one of their strongest trucks out of the RHR shop this weekend for the season-ending Ford 200. It is the same truck that Lofton raced to a fifth place finish in Pocono, a career-best qualifying position of third at Darlington, and most recently, an eighth place finish in Las Vegas.

Approaching Off Season Means Busy Schedule For Lofton… With the off season closing in, Lofton is making plans to keep busy during the nearly two-month break in racing action by planning a charity golf tournament. The Justin Lofton Inaugural Charity Golf Tournament will be held on January 22, 2011 at the Del Rio Country Club in Brawley, California. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Boys and Girls Club of the Imperial Valley. As the event comes together sign-up and event information can be found via LoftonRacing.com.

Justin Lofton on racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway “It is hard to believe this is the last race of the season, but we’re going to hit the track in Miami the same way we have all year – with the goal to go out there and grab another strong finish. The guys have worked hard all year long and I would really like to give them another solid run.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on Homestead-Miami Speedway “We’re heading to Homestead hoping for a strong finish to the year. Justin has learned a lot through the season and we’ve grown as a team. We’re taking another truck that Justin has run well in, so we’ll look to keep the momentum rolling from the top-10 at Phoenix to close out the year.”

Equipment Information Lofton will race chassis RHR123 this week at Homestead. It is the same truck the team raced at Las Vegas.

“I’m real proud of all the guys on the No. 7 visitpit.com Toyota Tundra. Phoenix is pretty close to home for me so it was special to run good. The truck was strong from practice on and it feels good to bring home another top-10 for the guys and my friends that came out,” Lofton said.

Lofton took the green flag from the seventh position on Friday night after qualifying three-tenths of a second faster than his fastest run in final practice.

The first caution flag of the race fell just 15 laps into the event, with Lofton radioing to crew chief Mark Rette that his No. 7 Tundra was lacking a bit of handling through the center of the turns. Lofton stayed on track, holding out for his first pit stop until lap 53. He took that restart from the 14th position.

By the time the race hit the halfway mark on lap 75, Lofton was running 13th, adding that the truck was a little tight through the center. 15 laps later, he made his second and final pit stop of the night under a caution flag, which allowed his crew to add fuel, tires, and a rubber in the right rear in order to dial in on the handling.  

As the race hit lap 100, Lofton was running 12th, just outside of the top-10. He radioed to his crew that the changes were the right call, but that passing was a challenge, since most of his competition were running the same line as him.

“I know it’s tough to pass, but you need to attack when you get there,” Rette coached his driver.

And Lofton did just that. A caution flag waved with 30 laps remaining, giving the 24-year-old an opportunity to take advantage of the restart. As the field picked up the pace, Lofton jockeyed for position, moving from 11th to eighth within a lap and a half.

With 20 laps remaining, Lofton relayed to Rette that he was again fighting a tight condition, but despite the challenge, he muscled his way to a strong ninth place finish at the drop of the checkered flag.

Lofton and the No. 7 team will head to Homestead Miami Speedway on November 19th for the 25th and final race of the Camping World Truck Series season. To date, Lofton has scored four top-five and seven top-10 finishes. He is currently 13th in the driver point standings.

Last Time Out… Lofton started 17th for last week’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, but contact with the wall on lap 1 hindered the night’s efforts, leaving the team 22nd at the finish. The early contact forced the team to make numerous pit stops under a caution flag for repairs, but a flat tire under green flag conditions forced the team to make another unplanned pit stop. Lofton gained as many positions as he could, climbing three positions in the final 20 laps.

West Coast Racer… Hailing from California, Lofton honed his stock car skills running in various divisions around the Southwest. Beginning with late models as he made his climb through the ranks, the 24-year-old raced on many tracks that the top three NASCAR divisions now visit, including the one-mile Phoenix International Raceway. During his three visits to PIR during his days in K&N Pro Series West competition, he logged over 405 miles.  

Trusty Truck… Lofton will race one of the team’s most productive chassis to date this weekend in Phoenix. It is the same truck Lofton raced on the concrete high banks of Dover and Bristol, producing top-fives at both tracks. The truck also has a best qualifying effort of fourth at Gateway.

Approaching Off Season Means Busy Schedule For Lofton… With the off season closing in, Lofton is making plans to keep busy during the nearly two-month break in racing action by planning a charity golf tournament. The Justin Lofton Inaugural Charity Golf Tournament will be held on January 22, 2011 at the Del Rio Country Club in Brawley, California. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Boys and Girls Club of the Imperial Valley. As the event comes together, sign-up and event information can be found via LoftonRacing.com.

Justin Lofton on racing at Phoenix Intl Raceway “I am really excited about going to Phoenix this week. Since the trucks don’t race in California, Phoenix is my home track. I’ve raced at PIR a few times and it really is a fun race track. It has short track characteristics, so you have to stay up on the wheel.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on Phoenix Intl Raceway “We’re taking a solid truck to Phoenix this weekend. We have some solid starts and finishes with it. Justin knows Phoenix from his previous experience in other series. If we can put it all together we should have a good finish.”

Equipment Information Lofton will race chassis RHR 110 at Phoenix. It has raced previously at Dover, Iowa, and Gateway, with a best finish of third.

“I’m so proud of all of the guys on this team. They work hard on these trucks every week, from the time at the shop to pit stops. I got into the wall early and they just kept at it, fixing the truck, and tracking the tire wear. We had a vibration on and off all night with the tires. I wish we could have had a better finish,” Lofton said.

Lofton took the green flag from the 17th position but hit with the wall on lap one, damaging the right side of his Toyota Tundra. The crew got to work, repairing the damage under a caution flag. Lofton took the restart from the 34th position.

A fender rub 10 laps later however, forced Lofton to the pits one more time for more work and a fresh set of right side tires.  

By the time the race hit the 50-lap mark, the crew had noticed not only damage to their old tires from the fender rub, but also indication marks of wear. Officials from Goodyear made numerous passes on pitroad monitoring tire wear, but did not notice a cause for concern among the majority of the competition.

With Lofton noting only a slight vibration and tight condition throughout the race, he stayed on track, cracking the top-25 on lap 100.

Through the final 47 laps, the team continued to persevere with Lofton gaining a few more positions, climbing into 22nd at the drop of the checkered flag.

The next race for Lofton and the No. 7 team will be on Friday, November 12th at Phoenix International Raceway.

Last Time Out… In last Saturday’s race at Talladega Superspeedway, Justin Lofton was quietly logging laps, playing it safe in the draft early in the running of the Mountain Dew 250. But after another competitor spun in the middle of the pack, Lofton had nowhere to go, getting caught up in the wreck just 22 laps into the event. The accident caused heavy damage to Lofton’s Toyota, ending the team’s effort.

Texas Take 3… This Friday’s stop at the Texas Motor Speedway will mark Lofton’s third visit to the 1.5-mile track this season (once in Nationwide competition, and once in trucks). Track position and timing got the best of the rookie racer both times, with Lofton getting caught up in run-ins not of his doing. With confidence that the third time is the charm, Lofton and crew chief Mark Rette will turn to a reliable race truck this time around, by running the same truck that has logged multiple top-10 qualifying positions, with a best finish of fifth on a similar 1.5-mile track in Chicago.  

Approaching Off Season Means Busy Schedule For Lofton… With the off season closing in, Lofton is making plans to keep busy during the nearly two-month break in racing action by planning a charity golf tournament. The Justin Lofton Inaugural Charity Golf Tournament will be held on January 22, 2011 at the Del Rio Country Club in Brawley, California. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Boys and Girls Club of the Imperial Valley. As the event comes together, sign-up and event information can be found via LoftonRacing.com.

Justin Lofton on racing at Texas Speedway “I’m ready to get back to Texas and get the finish that we deserve. We’ve had some really good runs with the truck that we’ll have there this weekend, and I like racing on intermediate tracks. The guys have been working really hard all season, and we’re looking to end the season on a high note over these last three races.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on Texas Speedway “Justin knows how to race at Texas and tracks like Texas, we just need some luck to go along with it. If we can qualify up front, log some laps, and have solid pitstops, we’ll put together a good race.”

Equipment Information Lofton will race chassis RHR65. It is the same truck Lofton raced in Kentucky and Chicagoland, qualifying within the top 10 both times, with a best finish of fifth.

“It’s real unfortunate for everyone on the visitPIT.com Toyota Tundra team. We had a really good truck. I was just sitting there playing around. I would jump up out of the pack and fall back, and then move back up. I am real proud of all the guys and all the hard work that they put into it. It is real unfortunate that it had to end this way,” Lofton said.

After taking the green flag from the 17th position, Lofton consistently picked up a position a lap while running the outside lane. At times, the draft and close racing forced the field to go three-wide, with the savvy rookie racer holding his own.

As the race hit the 15-lap mark, Lofton rode in the draft in the 13th position. By that time, he also noticed a spike in the oil temperature, radioing to crew chief Mark Rette that the gauge read near 280 degrees. Rette cautioned Lofton not to worry, unless the truck began to overheat.  

With his focus on maneuvering through the field, Lofton continued to make moves through the draft, using the outside lane as his preferred position around the 2.66-mile track.

Just after crossing the start/finish line to mark lap 22 however, a truck spun, drifting up and into the outside wall. Lofton had nowhere to go, and got collected in the wreck. The No. 7 suffered heavy front end damage, ending Lofton’s race early. At the end of the day, Lofton was scored in the 33rd position.

The next race for Lofton and the No. 7 team will be Friday, November 5th at Texas Motor Speedway.

Last Time Out… Lofton put his patience and ability on display on the Martinsville Speedway short track last weekend. The 24-year-old racer started the 200-lap race from the 11th position and despite damage to the front end of his Toyota, muscled on to finish an impressive 13th on the historic track.

Off-Road Setup… Lofton will be featured on the NCWTS Setup show at 3 PM Eastern on Saturday prior to SPEED’s event coverage of the Mountain Dew 250. During the tour’s stop in Las Vegas last month, the SPEED cameras went along for a ride – literally – as Lofton took a stroll down memory lane, reliving his days of off-road racing. Lofton gave not only the SPEED cameras and crew a ride in his old Trophy Truck, but also his crew chief Mark Rette and truck chief Dan Bormann. The segment will feature the fun-filled day, as well as take a look back at some of Lofton’s accomplishments while racing off-road machines.  

Talladega Memories… Though this will be Lofton’s first race at Talladega Superspeedway in a truck, it is not his first time racing at the 2.66-mile track. He has raced there twice in ARCA competition, including a run in April of 2009, which resulted in the race win after leading 46 of the event’s 97 laps.

In Line for Lofton… Lofton will be signing autographs on Friday from 2 to 3 PM local time in front of the OV Hill South Grandstand, Sections D&E. Following the meet and greet with fans, he’ll climb back behind the wheel of his Toyota Tundra for qualifying. Once he’s locked in his starting spot for Saturday’s race, he’ll head to the SPEED Channel Dome, International Motorsports Hall of Fame, adjacent to the speedway, and attend the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind (AIDB) annual fundraising event. Lofton will participate in a Q&A in addition to signing autographs from 5:30 to 6:15 PM.

Justin Lofton on racing at Talladega Superspeedway “I’m really looking forward to Talladega this weekend. I won there in the ARCA car last year. This is only our second superspeedway race this season in the truck – I’m really looking forward to it. We got caught up in the wreck on the first lap at Daytona, so I’m anxious to see what we can do this weekend.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on Talladega Superspeedway “Justin is a proven superspeedway racer and he knows Talladega pretty well. He’s been there twice in an ARCA car. We’re taking the same truck that we had in Daytona. It’s a pretty good truck; we just need to log some laps and hope for a clean race. Superspeedway races are always a toss-up and you never know how they will unfold until the checkered flag drops.”

“Everybody on the No. 7 VisitPIT.com Toyota did a great job all day. Mark (Rette, crew chief) and everyone on the crew put an awesome set-up in the truck. It was typical Martinsville racing, we got into some scuffles. We probably should have came out of here about eighth or ninth, but its short track tracing. It was fun,” Lofton said.

Lofton started the 200-lap race from the 11th spot, climbing into the top-10 within 20 laps. Though fighting a slight handling issue with his Toyota, he charged on, climbing up to seventh by the time the third caution flag waved on lap 40.

Lofton and crew chief Rette decided to take advantage of the yellow and make their first pit stop of the day, taking on four tires and a slight adjustment to remedy the rotation issues with their Toyota Tundra.

With some teams opting for different pit strategies, Lofton took the restart just shy of the 50-lap mark from the 22nd position. In typical Lofton fashion, the California racer got busy, maneuvering his way into contention. By the time the race hit the halfway mark on lap 100, Lofton had moved into the top five.

Yet another caution flag waved on lap 147, opening the door for Lofton to make his second and final stop of the day. Entering the pits from the 10th position, the crew jumped into action and sent Lofton back on track in the 18th spot with fresh tires.  

“These tires only have two laps on them. They will go, so you go,” Rette coached his driver for the restart.

Lofton did just that, meticulously maneuvering his way through traffic, picking up positions. Less than 20 laps later, another yellow waved, forcing a red flag for track clean-up. At the time, Lofton showed in the 14th spot.

Once racing resumed, he got back to work, but the tight quarters around the half-mile, paperclip shaped racetrack caught up to him.

With less than 10 laps remaining, the truck in front of Lofton slowed in order to drop down pit road. With no warning of the move, Lofton ran into the rear of the other truck. Despite front end damage and a possible fender rub, Lofton stayed on track.

As the field charged to the finish, another caution waved, extending the race with a green-white-checkered flag finish.

Lofton took the final restart from 14th, picking up one more position during the final two laps.

“I love short track racing and Martinsville is probably the most notorious short track race for beating and banging,” he said. “We had a few issues and I would have liked a better finish, but I’m okay with what we got.”

Lofton and the rest of the No. 7 team will head to Talladega, Alabama for the Mountain Dew 250 fueled by Fred’s on Saturday, October 30th.

Last time out… Lofton notched his sixth top-10 finish of the season following the last race in Las Vegas nearly one month ago. Lofton started the 146-lap event from the 17th position, but finessed his way to eighth at the drop of the checkered flag. The finish boosted the 24-year-old back into the top-10 in points.

Off track, but on duty… Though the Camping World Truck Series has not been in action since September 25th, Lofton has kept busy with racing related duties. From participating on national radio shows, to filming episodes of his Weekend Warriors TV project, the California native has maintained a non-stop schedule. Before heading to Martinsville later this week, he’ll continue the trend, by making an appearance at the National FFA (Future Farmers of America) convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. Lofton will be signing autographs in the Toyota booth at the convention. Lofton, who hails from Calfornia, was a member of the FFA from 2002 to 2004.  

Martinsville, take 2… Lofton will make his second series start on the paperclip-shaped Martinsville Speedway short track this Saturday in the Kroger 200. During his first run in March, Lofton started the race 16th but finished 31st after early contact from a lapped truck sent him behind the wall for repairs. The team ended the event in 31st. Though the two are characteristically different, the last time Lofton raced on a short track (Bristol Motor Speedway), he scored a strong fifth place finish.

Testing the Motor… Last week, Lofton, crew chief Mark Rette, and the rest of the No. 7 team headed to Virginia to test at the Motor Mile Speedway in preparation for this weekend’s run at Martinsville. Rette said of the test, “It went well. It backed up what we saw there last time. We played around with some different adjustments. We’ll see what we have this weekend.”

Justin Lofton on racing at Martinsville Speedway “I can’t wait to get back in the truck. It was tough not racing the last month but it was good to get back in the seat during our test last week. I felt like we learned a few things with the truck, and I know I’ve learned a lot since our first race there in the spring. I’m anxious to get back there and get the finish we deserve.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on Martinsville Speedway “I look forward to going back to Martinsville since we didn’t get to complete too many laps in the spring. We had a really good truck. We had a top three truck and only got to run 15 laps before we got caught up in someone else’s misfortune. I felt like it would have been a good race for us. Heading back there, I think we can go back and compete within the top three.”

Equipment Information Lofton will race chassis RHR93 this weekend at Martinsville. It is the same truck Lofton raced during the tour’s first Martinsville stop. It has also been raced at Indianapolis and New Hampshire, with a best finish of 11th.

“It turned into a really good night. During practice, the No. 7 VisitPIT.com Toyota Tundra was just a little off. We were really fighting the bumps around the track real bad. Mark Rette and the guys did a great job. We picked up spots on pit road all night long and got the adjustments exactly where they needed to be,” Lofton said.

Shortly after taking the green flag, Lofton radioed crew chief Mark Rette that the No. 7 Toyota was a bit tight and needed some help with its rotation. Under yellow on lap 25, Lofton made his first pit stop of the night, with the team dropping two rounds in the right rear.

As he began his climb through the field, Lofton relayed that the truck was running well and that the adjustment helped considerably.  

On lap 60, the caution flag waved yet again, with Rette calling the 24-year-old rookie down pit road for another stop. This time, he called for fuel only. As Lofton began his exit down pit road, Rette informed him to pit again, after one of the crew members noticed a hole in the headlight. The following lap, Lofton pit, taking on repairs to the damaged nose and four fresh tires.

Lofton took the restart from the 19th position. By the time the caution waved on lap 96, he had moved his way up to the 13th position. The yellow opened the door for the team to make their final stop, swapping out tires, adding fuel, and making a minor adjustment.

The restart fell on lap 100. Over the final 46 laps, Lofton dug in and finessed his way to the front, consistently picking up positions. With 25 laps remaining, he cracked the top-10. In the closing laps, he continued his charge, moving into the eighth spot at the drop of the checkered flag.

“Towards the end, we got really good, really fast and got caught up on some restarts. We probably could have finished three or four spots better, but we’re definitely happy with the way it ended up considering how we started the day,” Lofton said.

The finish gave Lofton his sixth top-10 of the season, boosting him to the 10th position in the driver point standings.

Lofton and the No. 7 team will spend the next few weeks away from the race track courtesy of a break in Camping World Truck Series competition. The next event will be October 23rd at Martinsville Speedway.

Last time out… Lofton and the No. 7 Red Horse Racing team added another 11th place finish to their 2010 stats last Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Lofton started the 175-lap race from the 10th position and battled within the top-10 throughout, before crossing the finish line in the 11th position.

Off-road roots… Lofton is taking advantage of the stop out West this week by embarking on a little nostalgia. Lofton, who honed his skills racing off-road machines before transitioning to stock cars, will head to the desert on Thursday and climb behind the wheel of a MasterCraft Safety/Rockstar Energy Trophy Truck. The NCWTS rookie won’t have all of the fun, since crew chief Mark Rette, as well as SPEED cameras will be along for the ride. Lofton’s off-road excursion will be taped for an upcoming pre-race segment on NCWTS Setup.

Around town… Lofton will join other Red Horse Racing team members on Friday at the Nellis Air Force Base, visiting the Red Horse Squadron of the United States Air Force. The No. 7 team will also run the Squadron’s decal on the B post of the truck on Saturday. Following the morning visit, Lofton will head to the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino for an open autograph session. The session will begin at 7PM and run through 8:30 PM.

Intermediate tracks, advanced finishes… Lofton will make his first start in the 1.5-mile Las Vegas race track this Saturday, but he has a strong record on other intermediate tracks to his credit. Over the last month, Lofton scored a fifth place run at Chicagoland, followed by an 11th at Kentucky.

Justin Lofton on racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway “I’m excited about going to Las Vegas this week. We have a lot going on leading up to the race and it will be fun to take Mark out to the desert in the off-road truck. The visit to the Air Force base will also be exciting. It is always humbling to meet members of the military. As far as the actual race, Las Vegas Motor Speedway is another track I haven’t raced on before, but I can always rely on my crew to prepare fast trucks, and we’ve been solid on other mile and a half tracks, so it should be a good weekend.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on Las Vegas Motor Speedway “I’m looking forward to going to Las Vegas. It’s another track Justin hasn’t been to. We’ll use the first part of the first practice to get him acclimated to the track. We’ll approach it with a conservative setup until he gets comfortable and go from there. We have a lot of fun things going on this week before the race. I have been dying to get into an off-road truck with Justin. The first time I heard about him being from off-road, it was something I always wanted to do, and we’ve been trying to get out there for a while.”

Equipment Information Lofton will race chassis RHR123 at Las Vegas this weekend. It is the same truck that he qualified third with at Darlington, and finished fifth in at Pocono.

“I’m really proud of all of my guys on this No. 7 team. We worked hard all weekend to get it dialed in. We fell a little bit short but Mark Rette did a great job, as always, making changes to help. We were scratching our heads trying to figure out what to do on the truck, so to come out of here with 11th, that isn’t so bad,” Lofton said.

Lofton, running the 1.058-mile New Hampshire track for the second time this season within NASCAR competition, noted throughout both practice sessions on Friday afternoon that the truck needed help with its rotation. Shot-caller Mark Rette read up on his notes and tweaked on the machine a bit before qualifying, making the right calls as Lofton laid down a speed good enough for a top-10 start.

Once racing began, an early caution flag at the start allowed Lofton to radio to his crew that he had noticed that the front tires were chattering a bit through turn 1, adding that the truck was overall pretty good.

On lap 10 and again on lap 28, the California native relayed that he felt like he was really using up the right front tire. Rette coached him to hit his marks on track, but to be as easy as he could on the entry into the corners.    

After an extended green flag run, the next caution flag opened the door for the No. 7 crew to make their first pit stop of the day. Lofton, looking mainly for help with the rotation of the truck, guided his Tundra down pit road as his pit crew sprang into action, giving him four fresh tires and an adjustment by way of a track bar adjustment and air pressure.

Rette promptly climbed off of the pit box and looked over the old tires, informing Lofton that the tire wear on the right sides looked good, despite the feel of the truck. Lofton continued on, showing in the ninth spot for the restart on lap 66.

As the race hit halfway, Lofton continued to challenge within the top-10, running as high as seventh. Multiple yellow flags slowed the pace of the race, with another waving on lap 130, allowing the team to make another pit stop. Again, they swapped out all four tires, and made another slight chassis adjustment. This time, Lofton took the restart from the 11th position.

Shortly after the restart, he radioed to his crew that the truck running ahead of him leaked fluid all over his windshield, hindering his view. Unable to forfeit track position, Lofton stayed on track, relying heavily on spotter Jeremy Brickhouse.

Thanks to the guidance of his eyes in the sky and his stellar ability behind the wheel, Lofton was able to maintain his position. Fortunately, he was able to pit again on lap 160 when another yellow waved. This time, the crew swapped out only the right side tires, with yet another chassis adjustment, as they looked for a boost over the final 15 laps.

One more caution flag slowed the race, leaving a three-lap dash to the checkered flag. Lofton took the final restart from the 14th spot, dug in, and despite the ongoing handling woes, wheeled his way just outside of the top-10 in 11th.

Lofton and the No. 7 team will next hit the track on Saturday, September 25th in Las Vegas, NV.

Last time out… Lofton and the No. 7 Red Horse Racing team continued the trend of consistency during the last event at Kentucky Speedway after starting seventh and finishing 11th. Lofton ran as high as second before fuel mileage shook things up over the last 15 laps. The race ended a nine race stretch for the Camping World Truck Series, which left the team with three top-five and four top-10 finishes.

Etched in history… Lofton has one NASCAR start under his belt on the 1.058-mile, Granite State track. During a break in truck competition earlier this season, Lofton ran the Nationwide Series event at Loudon, ran the second fastest time during final practice, qualified ninth, and finished 17th.

Back at it… The break in truck competition last week allowed Lofton to head west to his native California where he took some quality time away with his family. The recent stretch in races proved successful on track for Lofton but also kept him very busy. In between races, the 24-year-old shifted his focus to his production company, acting as cameraman and appearing as a guest on-screen reporter alongside the show’s regular host, sister Brittany, during a recent episode of their Weekend Warriors TV project. This week both Loftons, in addition to business partner Brett Bortle, will head north prior to the truck race, and film a future episode of WWTV at Thompson Speedway in Connecticut on Thursday. For more information and to catch past episodes, check out www.WeekendWarriorsTV.com.  

Home turf… Crew chief Mark Rette will call his first race at NHMS this weekend, but it certainly will not be his first time at the New England track. Rette, who hails from Freehold, New Jersey, has had the Loudon race date circled on his calendar throughout the season. He said, “I’ve been to Loudon quite a few times. Growing up in the Northeast, that was one of our premier tracks. It is one of those places I want to win at. It would be huge for me personally.”

Justin Lofton on racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway “I had a lot of fun at New Hampshire earlier this season in the Nationwide race. I wanted to run that race in order to put it down as a test session towards our return in the trucks. Knowing it was one of the tracks during the second half of the season that I had not seen before, it was important to get that seat-time. I feel like we should be strong off of the truck this weekend with how well we’ve been running combined with my experience there. It’ll be fun to get back to racing after the off week.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on New Hampshire Motor Speedway “We are racing a good truck that we’ve had out a few times this year. It showed promise in both races, but different instances kept us from the finishes that we could have had. It would mean a lot to win at New Hampshire, and getting a win is a huge goal for us this year. I feel like we are there as a team. We’ve been building all year and we’ve established some strong runs over the last few months.”

Equipment Information Lofton will race chassis RHR93 this weekend in New Hampshire. It is the same truck that Lofton raced earlier this year on the short tracks in Martinsville, Va. and Indianapolis, Ind.

“We’ve put together a string of strong runs and it feels good to close out this stretch with some good finishes under our belt. The guys all worked really hard these last few weeks,” Lofton said. “We ran stronger than where we finished on Friday, but caution flags and strategy shook things up a bit.”

Shortly after taking the green flag from the seventh position, Lofton radioed to crew chief Mark Rette that the truck needed help through the center. The first caution flag of the race waved on lap 21, allowing Lofton to drop down pit road for the first stop of the night. Rette called for fuel only and a chassis adjustment to help the handling. Lofton took the restart from the ninth spot.

Lofton then got to work, racing his way to the front. While running the low lane on lap 36, Lofton made an impressive double pass, picking up two spots as he moved into the sixth position. 10 laps later, the caution flag waved for the second time, allowing Lofton to make yet another pit stop. This time, Rette called for four fresh tires in addition to another adjustment.

Under the stop, some teams, who were pitting under different strategies, stayed on track. The shake-up up front lined Lofton up in the seventh spot for the restart.

Three more caution flags waved through the race, with teams continuing to play out different pit calls. Rette stuck to his original game plan, keeping Lofton on track through their pit window. Despite the multiple caution flags early in the running, the field stayed under green for the final 55 laps. The long run forced the race leaders, including Lofton, to pit under green flag conditions.

As the race ran its course, Lofton continued to contend, and by lap 80, he was solidly running within the top five. With 50 laps remaining Lofton radioed to the crew that he was running the track wide open, and holding the throttle more than he had in qualifying. His efforts paid off as he showed fourth on the scoring pylon.

On lap 136 of the 150-lap race, Lofton relinquished the second position in order to take on five seconds of fuel in order to go the distance.

Back on track, Lofton clicked off the remaining laps, crossing the finish line in the 11th position.

“I wish there would have been a caution flag there at the end because it is always tough to give up track position, but those are the cards that we were dealt with the fuel mileage. All in all, we’ve had a good stretch and the guys have worked really hard. It’s nice to enter the off week with some solid results behind us,” Lofton said.

The No. 7 team will enjoy the open week in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competition before heading to New Hampshire on September 18th.

Last time out… Lofton and crew chief Mark Rette continued to ride their momentum into Chicago last weekend, running top-10 speeds throughout practice, qualifying tenth, and finishing fifth. Lofton ran up front for most of the race, with Rette also utilitizing a two-tire stop late in the running to cushion their position near the front. The call paid off, with Lofton claiming his second consecutive top-five run. The team has collected three top-fives in the last five races, and four top-10s.

Moving on up… Lofton’s fifth place effort moved him two positions in the point standings, from 12th to 10th. It is the first time this season that Lofton has been within the top-10 in the point standings. The No. 7 RHR team sit 13th overall in the owner point standings.

Consistency in Kentucky… Lofton has a solid history on the 1.5-mile track at Kentucky. He visited the Cincinnati area track twice in 2009 during ARCA Racing Series competition, with solid results to his credit. In the spring event, he started second and finished second. For the tour’s return run last July he started fifth and finished third.  

Two in the Bluegrass State… This week’s activities at the Kentucky Speedway begin on Thursday with two practice sessions. Qualifying is set for Friday afternoon, followed by the 150-lap race under the lights. Lofton will be busy in between runs, with two separate ESPN affiliate interviews, followed by his usual spot on Sirius Satellite Radio at 1:30 PM eastern time.

Justin Lofton on racing at Kentucky Speedway “We have a lot of momentum going and I hope to carry that right into Kentucky. We have a string of top-fives on our side and Mark and I ran well last year in both ARCA races at Kentucky. I like the track; it’s similar to other intermediate tracks we’ve raced on already this season. I hope to keep the streak of top-fives rolling this week and build even more on it.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on Kentucky Speedway “I look forward to Kentucky. Justin has been there numerous times before. We led a lot of laps, and finished second and third. We look forward to keeping the momentum going. It’s good for him to be in the top-10 in the driver points after last week’s race. Now we are going to keep building on the finishes, gain maximum points, and work on gaining even more.”

Equipment Information Lofton will race chassis RHR65 this week at Kentucky. It is the same truck that he raced last weekend in Chicagoland, qualifying 10th and finishing fifth.

“I’m really proud of all of the guys on the VisitPIT.com No. 7 Toyota Tundra. They did a great job all weekend. This is really what we needed to keep going into Kentucky and the rest of the year,” Lofton said.

The finish was Lofton’s third top-five run, and fourth top-10 spanning the last five races.

Entering the race weekend, the Mark Rette led No. 7 team had momentum courtesy of their recent streak, in addition to Lofton’s successful history on the 1.5-mile Chicago-area track. In 2009, Lofton earned the ARCA Racing Series win at Chicagoland Speedway. The confidence carried the team through two practice runs, which left them solidly within the top-10 on the speed chart both times.

Qualifying was much of the same for Lofton, as he laid down a solid lap, giving him the 10th starting position for the 150-lap race.  

Once under green, Lofton held the position, relaying to Rette early in the run that the truck was consistent, running just a little loose on entry through the turns, and tight on exit.

A caution flag 30 laps into the event opened the door for Lofton to make his first trip down pit road. Rette called for a four-tire change. The crew did their job by performing a fast stop, gaining a few positions. Lofton took the restart on lap 35 from the seventh spot.

The race was a quiet one, with just five caution flags waving over the field. Lofton maintained his position within the top-10 through the majority of the race, noting late in the running that the truck continued to be just a bit tight through the center of the turns. Rette kept him on track, guiding him to try different lanes in the No. 7 Toyota for an advantage.

The caution flag dropped with 25 laps left to run, giving the No. 7 crew another opportunity to service their Toyota. Lofton pulled down pit road, taking on fuel and two right side tires. He pulled back on track for the restart on lap 130 from the fifth spot.

With two laps remaining, the caution waved yet again, forcing a green-white-checkered flag finish. Lofton took the restart in the high lane, mixing it up with the leaders in the closing laps. He challenged in the closing laps, crossing the stripe to claim his second straight top-five finish.

“Mark told me early that we had good tire wear, and the truck ran great all night long. We were in the top-10 most of the night. After that long run, I knew it was going to play right into our hands and it really did,” Lofton said. “It feels really good to have these finishes coming together. I’m excited for the next one.”

Lofton and the No. 7 team will next head to Kentucky Speedway for the Built Ford Tough 225 on Friday, September 3rd.

Last time out… Lofton added another successful run to his resume last Wednesday on the high banks at Bristol Motor Speedway. He started the event from the 15th position, avoided trouble on the half-mile bullring, made the right calls on pit road, and finessed his way through the field to notch a stellar fifth place finish. The result gave Lofton and the Mark Rette led No. 7 team their third top-five and fourth top-10 of the season.

On the verge… Lofton’s fifth place finish in Bristol allowed him to make up substantial ground in the point standings. He remains in the 12th spot entering this week’s race at Chicagoland, but he isn’t far from the elusive top-10. Courtesy of his top-five last week in Bristol, Lofton is now only 21 points shy of the 11th position, and a mere 41 out of 10th.  

He knows Chicago… Though Lofton has showed his ability on other intermediate tracks this season throughout the Camping World Truck Series schedule, his history at Chicagoland Speedway is impressive on its own. En route to the 2009 ARCA Racing Series championship, Lofton scored the win last August. Under the guidance of crew chief Mark Rette, he led 55 laps of the 100-lap race.

Catch him on-air and in line… Fans interested in catching up with Lofton can do so this Friday. Lofton will call in to NASCAR Radio, Sirius/XM channel 128 at 1:05 ET for his regular spot on the Tradin’ Paint show. For fans attending activities at the track on Friday, they can meet Lofton, along with other NCWTS competitors, as he signs autographs behind the front stretch grandstand from 1 to 2 PM Central time.

Justin Lofton on racing at Chicagoland Speedway “I’m excited about heading back to Chicagoland this weekend. I have been there a few times and I know the track well. Mark and I visited victory lane there last August in ARCA, and I’m anxious to see what we can put together this weekend. The guys have been working really hard, and it’s been a lot of fun the last month. We’ve had some really strong runs and we have a lot of momentum on our side.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on Chicagoland Speedway “We’ve had success at Chicagoland in the past. I’ve been to victory lane a few times; once in the Nationwide Series with Casey Mears, and last year with Justin – that was a lot of fun in the ARCA car. I’m looking forward to returning this week. We’re taking the same truck we had earlier this year at Michigan.”

Equipment Information Lofton will race chassis RHR65 this week at Chicago. It is the same truck that the No. 7 team ran in June at Michigan, finishing 18th.

“The race ended up a lot better than I thought. We were just outside of the top-20 in practice, and qualified 15th so I was a little worried. But once the sun went down and the race started, it really hooked up and the truck was a whole lot better than I thought. Everyone on the No. 7 visitpit.com Toyota Tundra did a great job,” Lofton said.

Set for a rare mid-week race, Lofton took the green flag for the O’Reilly 200 on the famed Bristol short track from the 15th position. From the start, the challenges of the Bristol high banks proved daunting, with the first of 13 caution flags falling just a dozen laps into the event.  

The early yellows not only slowed the pace of the race, but also left Lofton with a close encounter. On lap 20, he narrowly missed a multi-truck wreck by diving to the apron of the race track. By the time the restart waved on lap 26, the 24-year-old had maneuvered his way into tenth.

Two caution flags and 11 laps later, Lofton dropped his No. 7 Toyota down pit road for the team’s first pit stop of the race.  Following the stop, Lofton showed in the 25th position.

Another yellow on lap 53 opened the door for crew chief Mark Rette to make a pivotal call, ordering Lofton down pit road in order for the crew to top off on fuel. By all calculations, the added fuel would be enough for Lofton to go the distance in the race.

Patience became the key through the remainder of the race, and Lofton had finessed his way back into the top-10 just as the race hit the halfway mark on lap 100.

With action never lacking around the “World’s Fastest Half Mile,” Rette coached his driver to stay “cautiously aggressive” in order to stay in the hunt. Lofton did just that, and put on a stellar show while battling some of the circuit’s veteran racers as he made his climb.

Three caution flags in the closing laps allowed Lofton to take advantage of the restarts, picking up positions and putting himself in contention. A caution flag on lap 200 forced a red flag in order for the track to be cleaned up. Once lifted, engines re-fired and opened the door for a green-white-checkered flag finish.

On lap 204, Lofton took the restart from the sixth position. Restarting on the inside lane, Lofton quickly got to work, battling points leader Todd Bodine for the fifth position. Just as the leaders crossed the start/finish line under the white flag, signaling the final lap, the caution came out yet again after another truck spun in turn 4. Since the race leader did take the white flag, the race would finish under caution. Lofton had the advantage, edging Bodine for fifth through turn 1 as the yellow waved, giving him the position.

“We had a really solid day. We stayed out of trouble. I’ve worked really hard to get respect from a lot of the older guys and I’ve tried to race them clean all year long. I was shown a lot out there and I really appreciate those guys for that,” Lofton said.

“I wish the race wouldn’t have been so slow paced. I would’ve liked to have seen where our truck was going to go.”

Lofton’s fifth place run in Bristol was his third top-five of the season, and his fourth top-10. He remains 12th in the driver point standings, just 41 points out of 10th. The next race for Lofton and the No. 7 team is next Friday at Chicagoland Speedway.

Last time out… Lofton and the No. 7 team put together another impressive run on Saturday at Darlington Raceway but circumstance in the closing laps hindered the result. 24-year-old Lofton showed speed early, notching the fifth fastest speed in the final practice session. He followed that up with a career-best third place qualifying effort. With 200 miles of racing on tap, he settled in behind the wheel and drove a strong race within the top three for the majority of the event. On lap 107 of the 147-lap race however, Lofton’s Tundra suffered damage after being involved in a multi-truck wreck. The damage sent Lofton to the garage for repairs. He ended the event in 20th.  

Knocking on the door… Lofton picked up ground in the point standings following the last race at Darlington. Though he remains 12th in the driver point standings, he narrowed the gap, trailing the 11th position by just 90 points. He also closed the gap between his position and tenth place. 121 points now separate him from the elusive top-10.

Concrete confidence… Though he has yet to turn a competitive lap on the high banks of Bristol, Lofton has showed well this season on other concrete tracks. His best finish of third came at the Dover International Speedway. Two races ago, he added another top-10 to his resume, tallied at Nashville, another concrete track. Bristol however, is a challenge of its own, measuring .533-miles with steep banking and tight turns.

Bristol history… Lofton’s crew chief Mark Rette has a storied history at “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile.” Rette has visited victory lane on three separate occasions at Bristol, including in the Sprint Cup Series with Kurt Busch and in the Nationwide Series with Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

Justin Lofton on racing at Bristol Motor Speedway “I’m looking forward to Bristol. It’s always been an exciting race to watch and I am glad I get to be a part of it this time around. We’re bringing one of our stronger trucks this weekend and we’ve put up good numbers with it this year. I’m ready to go to Bristol and add to it with another strong run.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on Bristol Motor Speedway “I’ve been fortunate to work with really good teams. I have won a lot at Bristol. I’ve won in Cup and Nationwide, and I’m looking forward to the possibility of winning in a truck with the Red Horse Racing team this weekend. I was a little nervous at Dover, since it was Justin’s first time, but both tracks are very tricky. I think he’ll adapt to Bristol fairly quickly, like he did at Dover. There are a lot of similarities, but Bristol is unique on its own. I look forward to going. I think we’ll run very well.”

Equipment Information Lofton will race chassis RHR110 on Wednesday at Bristol. It is the same truck that he drove earlier this season at Dover, Iowa, Gateway, and Nashville. Lofton nabbed his highest finish (third) of the season thus far at Dover. Of his three top-10 runs this year, two have been scored in chassis RHR110.

Late in the race on Saturday night however, contact with another truck while running within the top-five ended the charge, damaging Lofton’s No. 7 Toyota Tundra. The team was forced to make repairs in the garage for multiple laps. Lofton returned to the race, and finished 20th after regrouping following the incident.

“I felt bad for the guys because we had such a great run going. They’ve worked so hard the last few weeks on finding speed and preparing these trucks. We got sideways there and another truck got into me. It’s unfortunate, but it was fun racing up front. We held our own in the top-five all night before that happened,” Lofton said.  

Though Darlington has numerous intimidating monikers, Lofton hit the 1.366-mile track with no fear for his debut run. He ran the 10th fastest time in the first practice session, followed by a fifth place speed in the final run. Lofton found even more speed behind the wheel of the No. 7 Tundra in qualifying after laying down the third quickest lap of time trials.

Once the green flag waved, Lofton promptly moved into the second position. He held his own up front, remaining within the top-four while under racing conditions. After an early round of pit stops under a caution flag less than 50 laps into the event, some teams opted for two tires, dropping Lofton to sixth. With a fast truck and no major handling concerns, crew chief Mark Rette called for four tires, fuel, and a minor air pressure adjustment.

Lofton found a rhythm, racing his way back into the top-five as the race hit the halfway mark. Another caution flag opened the door for the second round of pit stops as the race neared the 80-lap mark. Lofton restarted the race in the eighth position, as some teams again opted for track position by way of two tires. Knowing Darlington’s abrasive surface, Rette kept with the four-tire trend, calling for another air pressure adjustment and fuel.

With the green back out, Lofton remained a contender, climbing to fourth by the time another yellow dropped just 10 laps later. Under the caution laps, Rette asked his driver how the truck was handling after the previous pit stop. Lofton replied with a simple answer, stating that the truck was, “Perfect.”

The restart dropped with Lofton moving back into his starting position of third.

Laps later however, the racing intensified and on lap 107, contact sent Lofton sideways, and the target of oncoming traffic. His Toyota took a few hits, with damage forcing him to the garage for repairs. He rejoined the competition, finished out the race, and ended the night in the 20th spot.

He remains 12th in the driver point standings entering the next event on Wednesday, August 18th at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Another strong run, on to a new one… Justin Lofton and the No. 7 team put together another solid run last weekend in Nashville. The team practiced within the top-10 in both practice sessions, and followed up the speed by qualifying ninth for the 150-lap race. Under the guidance of crew chief Mark Rette, Lofton drove his Toyota to a solid ninth place finish. The result gave Lofton his third top-10 of the season. This week, Lofton will visit another track he has yet to race on, that of Darlington Raceway. Though crew chief Mark Rette has been to the egg-shaped South Carolina track multiple times serving in various roles, it will be Lofton’s first time behind the wheel on the abrasive 1.366-mile track.  

Inching closer… Lofton’s run in Nashville allowed him to maintain the 12th position in the driver point standings. He was able to gain some ground in the standings thanks to the strong run, as he now trails 11th by just 102 markers. He is also on the cusp of the top-10, falling just 142 points behind. Lofton has moved from 14th to 12th over the last two races courtesy of fifth and ninth place runs.

Old reliable… Lofton will climb behind the wheel of his No. 7 Toyota this Saturday at Darlington, in a proven race truck. Though Darlington will be just the second race for this specific chassis, it is the same truck Lofton ran just a few weeks ago at the “Tricky Triangle,” Pocono Raceway. The team was fast throughout the weekend, running within the top-five in the final practice, and qualifying seventh before crossing the stripe in the fifth spot.

Rette remembers… In 2003 Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch had one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history during the Sprint Cup Series stop at Darlington, also known as “The Track Too Tough to Tame.” No. 7 crew chief Mark Rette remembers the day fondly, or bitterly, since Busch got the short end of the stick that day, as Craven edged him at the finish line by just 0.002 second. Rette was on Busch’s team at the time, serving as a tire changer.

Justin Lofton on racing at Darlington Raceway “We have had a great month of August so far and I feel great heading into Darlington. It is another track where not too many drivers have much experience and it will really even out the field. I think that will benefit all of us on the No. 7 team and lead us to another great run.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on Darlington Raceway “I’m excited to go to Darlington. It’s going to be a real hot, slick racetrack. Justin seems to perform well on tracks where there isn’t any concern of aero, and you approach it as race the racetrack and then your competition. You have to drive every lap cautiously, and on edge, or that place can bite you.”

Equipment Information Lofton will race chassis RHR123 at Darlington. It is the same truck that Lofton drove to a fifth place finish in Pocono.

The result gave Lofton his third top-10 of the season.

“It feels good to give the guys another top-10 run. Mark Rette and all of my guys on the 7 team have been working overtime lately to make sure we have a fast truck. We’ve been running great from practice, to qualifying, through the race nearly every week the last month,” Lofton boasted.

Throughout the 150-lap race, Lofton noted that his truck was battling an aero condition. As early as lap 12, the California native keyed over the radio that he felt the condition, but his solid ninth place starting position made the run easier, since he was already near the front of the field.  

Only four caution flags waved during the race, allowing for extended green flags runs. Under caution, the team made two separate pitstops with the pit crew doing their job, maintaining – and even gaining – spots for Lofton on pitroad.

The team’s final stop of the day fell 50 laps from the finish under a yellow flag. The crew swapped out tires, added fuel, and sent him back on track two positions higher than where he had entered. The restart waved on lap 111, with Lofton scored in the ninth position.

The race remained green through the finish, with Lofton digging in as he battled the track and traffic. With 10 laps to go, he moved into the eighth position, and in the closing laps, moved into seventh. Tight racing ensued in the closing laps, with Lofton crossing the finish line securely within the top-10, in ninth place.

“It was tough to pass out there. I tried different lines and moving the truck around to break up the air, but not much helped. I just didn’t have much off of the corners. All of the guys on the No. 7 visitipit.com Toyota did a fantastic job. They had good stops all night and helped keep me in the mix,” Lofton explained.

“We were running the highest we were all night there at the end, I got pinched down racing in traffic and ended up ninth. But I’m happy to get another top-10. The guys deserved it. It’s nice to get a rhythm going.”

Lofton maintained the 12th position in the driver point standings. He will hit the track next on Saturday, August 14th at Darlington Raceway.

Strong from start to finish… Justin Lofton and the No. 7 RHR team put together a strong run at Pocono Raceway last weekend. Lofton ran within the top-10 throughout both practice sessions, ending the final run within the top-five. Following qualifying on Saturday, he notched a solid seventh place starting position for the 125-mile race. Once under green flag conditions, Lofton held his own, showing within the top-10 for the majority of the event. Two green-white-checkered flag restarts at the end of the race added not only a few laps to the race, but drama for the Mark Rette led No. 7 team, as Lofton took the final restart on lap 53 from the second position. He held his own through the final two laps around the 2.5-mile track, crossing the stripe in the fifth position. The result moved him two spots in the point standings, from 14th to 12th.

Return run… Lofton will be making his second start of the season on the 1.33-mile concrete at Nashville Superspeedway this Saturday. During the circuit’s first visit to Nashville in April, he started 10th and finished 20th. He also has prior experience at the Lebanon race track, having raced there in 2008 in ARCA competition. He started that race from the sixth position and finished fifth.

Band together… Lofton, along with fellow Camping World Truck Series competitors, will take part in an autograph session following the final practice session on Saturday. From 2 to 3 PM, drivers will sign autographs in the main fan zone area outside of the racetrack, for fans with armbands. In order to receive an armband, fans are asked to donate canned goods benefiting the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. Donations are part of the ongoing effort to raise awareness of the floods across Tennessee earlier this year.

Justin Lofton on racing at Nashville Superspeedway “We have been running really well the last couple of weekends and we want to keep it going. I really enjoy racing at Nashville Superspeedway, and I want to put on an impressive showing for our team.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on Nashville Superspeedway “I’m ready to go to Nashville and excited to ride the momentum that we have built the last couple of weeks. Last weekend, we showed that we got the mechanical troubles, which were out of our hands, out of the way. Justin has learned a lot about these trucks, and how these races unfold since our first run at Nashville, and I am ready to see what we can do this week. ”

Equipment Information Lofton will race chassis RHR110 at Nashville. It is the same truck that Lofton drove to a career-best qualifying effort of fourth in Gateway, and a career-best finish of third in Dover.

“I just had a blast. I’ve been here four times in the ARCA car and honestly racing the truck here is a whole lot more fun. I wish we would have done about 50 more laps and had another pit stop in there to play some strategy out,” Lofton said.

“I had an absolute great time out there. It was an awesome day and I am really proud of all of the guys over at Red Horse Racing for putting this truck together and that gremlin not getting us that’s been touching us the last three weeks.”

Lofton entered the race at Pocono with a string of strong runs under his belt, but lacking the finishes to prove it after mechanical woes bit the No. 7 Toyota in each of the last three outings. The team was confident that their luck would turn around in Pocono, since Lofton and crew chief Mark Rette scored a runner-up finish and a race win together on the 2.5-mile triangular shaped race track last season within ARCA competition. With morale high and the truck tuned in with extra care, Lofton hit the track for two practice runs on Friday. He showed consistently high on the speed chart, clocking in at fifth quick in the final run.

Qualifying on Saturday played out differently at Pocono, with multiple trucks hitting the track at the same time. Based on practice speeds, Lofton, who was among the quickest, hit the track later in the running. He laid down a fast lap giving him the seventh starting spot for the race.

Once strapped in for the 50-lap event, the team worried about their radio communication after realizing they were unable to hear Lofton. Under the pre-race pace laps, Lofton took the time to re-adjust the antennas, and switch stations, fixing the problem.

An early caution flag slowed the race at the start, but once the racing finally got underway, Lofton consistently held his position within the top-10. He noted a tight and loose condition, depending on which part of the track the No. 7 Toyota turned in. But by the time the race hit the halfway mark on lap 25, he relayed to his crew that the handling had balanced out and that the truck was running well.

With a spot-on set-up, Lofton dropped his Toyota down pit road for the one and only pitstop of the day under a caution on lap 28. The team swapped out four tires, added fuel, and sent Lofton back on track. A slight hang-up under the stop however, dropped him out of the top-10 for the first time, lining him up in the 12th spot for the restart on lap 30.

10 laps later, Lofton had finessed his way back into the top-10. Four caution flags through the remainder of the race caused high intensity, and Lofton added to it by mixing things up with the race leaders. At times, the field fanned out racing three and four wide. Lofton used track position and his past experience on the Tricky Triangle to pick up spots with the help of spotter Jeremy Brickhouse, whose usual gig is spotting for veteran racer Mark Martin in the Cup Series.

The additional caution flags in the closing laps forced two green-white-checkered restarts. Lofton took the final restart on lap 53 from the second position, on the inside of race leader Elliott Sadler. At the drop of the flag, the draft charged forward, jockeying him back in the pack as they gunned for the white flag. Lofton dug in, reclaimed two positions, and nabbed his second top-five run of the season at the drop of the checkered flag.

“Towards the end, I had Elliott Sadler in front of me, Kasey Kahne behind me. I had all of these really good drivers I was racing – not just racing, but passing. It was a really cool feeling. I had a great time out there,” Lofton said.
The finish moved Lofton from 14th to 12th in the driver point standings. He’ll hit the track next at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday, August 7th.

The time will come… Justin Lofton and the No. 7 RHR team have built competitive trucks, established fast speeds, and flexed their muscle as a force to be reckoned with over the last three weeks, but racing circumstance out of their hands has played a part in the end result. In Indianapolis last week, Lofton practiced within the top five and qualified 13th, as he looked to nab an elusive top-10 finish. His effort however, ended with less than 50 laps on the board, while running in the 11th position, when a part under the hood gave way, forcing the team behind the wall for repairs. The Mark Rette led crew turned the remainder of the race into a test session, logging laps and learning all they could for future reference. Both driver and crew chief noted that the truck was competitive, laying down laps within the top five on the speed chart.  

New track for the series, but not for Lofton… The Camping World Truck Series will make its debut run on the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway this weekend, but 24-year-old Lofton has enough experience, and success, on the Pennsylvania track to put his competitors on edge. The 2009 ARCA Racing Series Champion, Lofton, raced at Pocono twice last season within ARCA competition, adding a runner-up finish and an impressive race win to his racing resume. During the tour’s first visit to Pocono last June, Lofton inherited the pole after rain knocked out qualifying, led the field for 14 laps, and finished second. Last July, Lofton and shot-caller Rette started from the pole and dominated 65 of the possible 82 laps en route to the race win.

All for charity… Lofton will participate in fellow racer Todd Bodine’s charity golf event prior to hitting the track in Pocono. Bodine’s event, dubbed the Onion Slice Open, will take place on Thursday, July 29th at the Blue Ridge Trail Golf Course in Mountaintop, Pa., will benefit pediatric patients – primarily patients suffering from brain trauma and diseases – at the John Heinz Medical Center. The golf outing is open to the public. More information can be found at ToddBodine.com.

Justin Lofton on racing at Pocono Raceway “I can’t wait until Saturday’s race. My last trip to Pocono was a great one – we came home with the win. It is such a unique and challenging track, to win there felt really good. Having my past experience, I feel, puts me in line if not maybe a slight advantage, over some of the other drivers and teams. I know everyone on the 7 team feels like we have a great chance there, and we would really like to bring home a strong finish.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on Pocono Raceway “I am look forward to Pocono. Justin runs well there. We had some great runs there last season, we ran first and second in both races we ran in ARCA last year. I think it is safe to say that Justin has an upper hand on the field with as much track time that he has entering the weekend compared to everyone else.”

Equipment Information Lofton will race chassis RHR123 at Pocono. It is a truck that has not yet been raced in 2010, but is considered a sister truck to RHR110, the truck Lofton drove to a career-best qualifying effort of fourth in Gateway, and a career-best finish of third in Dover.

“It was another issue under the hood,” Lofton said. “It’s pretty frustrating when we are doing everything we can putting these trucks together, finding speed, and running well, only to have these mechanical issues.”

Lofton entered the AAA Insurance 200 with high hopes after competitively running within the top-10 in the two previous events. A fourth place showing on the speed chart in the final practice boosted his confidence, followed by a 13th place starting position.

Once under green flag conditions, Lofton began his climb toward the top-10, moving from 13th to 11th by the time the first yellow flag waved a dozen laps into the event. Under yellow, Lofton radioed to his crew that the blower in his helmet was not working. With temperatures looming around the 90-degree mark as the sun began to set, Lofton was in for a hot night behind the wheel of the No. 7 Toyota.  

Moments later, the trouble continued, as issues brewed under the hood. On lap 35 Lofton radioed to his Mark Rette led crew that the gauges on the dash showed no pressure, and that the smell of fuel overwhelmed the cockpit. He pulled his truck off of the race track and behind pit wall.

The crew quickly diagnosed the issue as being connected to the carburetor where the fuel is regulated, made repairs, and sent Lofton back on track. Though disappointed after running the remainder of the event 28 laps down, Lofton learned following the race that he was fortunate to finish the event at all. After opening the hood, the team quickly realized that they narrowly avoided a fire after they observed fuel steaming and billowing due to the part failure.

Lofton ran the remainder of the race without incident after getting back on track. As the laps clicked down, Rette kept his driver focused, reminding the 24-year-old to learn all he could behind the wheel for future reference. Rette read off lap times to Lofton through the second half of the race, as he ran speeds which would have put him solidly within the top four.

“We had a fast truck, but there was nothing we could do after the earlier issue,” Lofton said. “It was frustrating finishing that race because I knew the truck was fast – we were being held up in every corner of the track. We’ll try to get it figured out for next week.”

Added Rette, “We have had everything put together the last few weeks, but we’ve had mechanical problems out of our hands. If we can get them out of the way, we will get the finishes we deserve.”

Lofton will next head to Pocono Raceway, a track he won on in ARCA Racing Series competition last season. He’ll enter the event from the 14th position in Camping World Truck Series points.

Another solid run … Last weekend’s race in St. Louis provided yet another strong performance by the No. 7 Red Horse Racing team. On Friday, Lofton laid down his highest qualifying effort to date in fourth place. After taking the green flag a little over 16 hours late following a power outage at the track, Lofton maintained a strong run within the top-10 for the majority of the event. Help from his pit crew boosted him along the way, but in the end, the team couldn’t do anything about mechanical trouble that crept up under the hood. Despite their efforts, the team was unable to finish the event, being scored in 27th at the end of the day. The finish dropped Lofton one position in the point standings. He enters this week’s race at O’Reilly Raceway Park in 13th.

Wednesday Warrior… Wednesday marks a big day for Lofton and his production company, Weekend Warriors Productions. Specializing in concept and promotional videos, in addition to their bi-weekly web show, WWP also dabbles in music video development and production. Recently, the WWP crew filmed a country music video for rising star Tim Dugger. The video, Sunday Drive, is set to premier Wednesday night at Whiskey River in uptown Charlotte.

Short track stats… Lofton has an impressive short track record under his belt. Though he has yet to turn a competitive lap on the .686-mile Indianapolis short track, he has won on similar tracks in the past. In 2009, Lofton notched victories at Toledo, Berlin, and Salem while competing in the ARCA Racing Series. This season, he has had some of his best runs to date on shorter tracks.

Media matters… Lofton will have a busy week leading up to his run on Friday at the ORP short track. On Wednesday, he and teammate Timothy Peters will sit down with SPEED’s Ray Dunlap for a one-on-one interview at the Red Horse Racing team shop. On Friday, he will participate in his weekly spot on Sirius Satellite Radio at 2:30 following final practice. And, time allowing, Lofton will be the rookie spotlight leading up to the AAA Insurance 200 on SPEED’s pre-race coverage.

Justin Lofton on racing at O’Reilly Raceway Park “I’m excited about running on a short track this weekend. I really enjoy racing on tracks like ORP. Though I haven’t raced there before, I have had success on similar tracks. Mark has raced there many times before and I am excited about what we’ve put together for this weekend.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on O’Reilly Raceway Park “We had a good truck the last two weeks. Justin is doing a really good job. We’ve had competitive runs, we just need to put them together. I’m excited to go to ORP. Justin is a good short track racer. That is where we won most of our races last year in ARCA. We are going to take the truck that we took to Martinsville. It hasn’t been on the track since. Justin hasn’t been to ORP yet, but I know he will adapt to it well.”

Equipment Information Lofton will race chassis RHR93 at ORP. It is the same truck that Lofton raced earlier this season on the short track at Martinsville. The team practiced within the top five, but their race ended early after contact with another truck halted their charge.

“We got an oil leak with smoke, and we knew it wasn’t good,” Lofton said. “We had a good run going last week and we were going to have another good run this week. I feel bad for all of the guys. They work so hard. It’s unfortunate when it’s mechanical failure like this.”

Action started on Friday on the 1.25-mile Gateway oval. After running two practice sessions, and after Lofton scored a career-best qualifying effort in fourth, a one-day show turned into two after a power outage at the track on Friday night pushed the race to Saturday. With the heat index soaring over the 100-degree mark, Lofton finally climbed behind the wheel for the start of the 200-miler.  

Early into the run, Lofton radioed to crew chief Mark Rette that the truck was battling a tight condition, challenging the way the machine turned through the corners of the racetrack. Additionally, Lofton noted that he was unable to adjust the brake bias.

A caution flag waved on lap 51, allowing Lofton to drive his Toyota down pit road for his first stop of the day. The crew swapped out tires on the No. 7 Tundra, and also handed their driver a tool for him to tighten the adjustment for the brakes. On the restart, Lofton showed in the eighth position.

Lofton’s next pitstop fell under another yellow on lap 76. This time, the No. 7 crew added fuel only and a wedge adjustment to their race truck. The stop lined Lofton up in fourth for the restart on lap 78 of the 160-lap event.

As the laps clicked down and the race ran past the halfway mark, Lofton radioed that the tight condition lingered. As he muscled the tight truck around the St. Louis track, he added, “Just to let u guys know, it is really hot in here,” as he battled the high temperatures.

On lap 123 however, Lofton radioed to his crew that there was smoke inside the cockpit. Simultaneously, with smoke visibly trailing the No. 7, the crew was aware of a problem. The yellow waved, and on lap 127, Lofton pulled into the garage area with a leak in the oil pan. The team ended the event in the 27th position.

“It’s just one of those things. Through the course of the year, you will have one or two failures like that,” crew chief Rette said.
“We’ll go on to next week. We’re going to rebuild, keep digging, and go get us a good finish,” Lofton added.

Lofton enters the next event at O’Reilly Raceway Park in the 13th spot in the driver point standings.

Morale high after Iowa … Justin Lofton and the No. 7 team have had a few days to reflect on the last race at Iowa Speedway, and despite running out of fuel and being relegated to a 15th place finish, the morale is high after running so well throughout the event. Lofton was en route to equal, or better, his career-best finish of third, before a late caution flag altered the outcome. The yellow dropped just three laps from the finish and extended the scheduled 200-lap race to 205 laps. Driving to the green-white-checkered restart, the fuel cell in Lofton’s Toyota ran dry, dropping him from third to 15th at the finish.

Dependable ride… Lofton will hit the track this Friday in St. Louis behind the wheel of the same truck that he drove last weekend at Iowa. He ran within the top-five for the majority of the event, and seemed poised for a solid finish before a late caution flag threw the team a curve. The truck is also the same truck Lofton wheeled to his third place effort in Dover, which is to date, his best NASCAR career finish.  

Lofton’s the rookie, not Rette… Though Lofton has not yet raced on the 1.25-mile oval that is Gateway International Raceway, his crew chief Mark Rette has, and to much success. In fact, Rette has been to victory lane twice (in 2005 and 2007) at the St. Louis area racetrack while serving as car chief at Ganassi Racing in the Nationwide Series.

Racing state of mind… Lofton has spent some downtime in his home state of California as of late, spending time with his family, working out, and working on his diet, to ensure that he is in top shape behind the wheel of his race truck. Following Gateway, Lofton will return to North Carolina with his team as they prepare for the remainder of the nine-race summer stretch.

Justin Lofton on racing at Gateway Intl Raceway “My guys have been working really hard and they did a great job last week. We kept up with adjustments and the truck just got better as we went along. The truck was so fast, and we ran really well there until the end. We’re taking the same truck to Gateway, and I expect to run just as strong there.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on Gateway Intl Raceway “I am looking forward to getting to Gateway this week. We are taking the same truck that we took to Iowa. It’s a proven truck. We finished third with it in Dover and we ran in the top-five most of the day in Iowa. We had some issues with the green-white-checkered restart, but we had a great day. It was probably the best we have been all year. We made great adjustments, Justin drove a great race. We have some good momentum going, even though we didn’t get the finish. I look for big things at Gateway. Even though Justin has never been there, I’ve had success at the track at the past, and it’s exciting.”

Equipment Information Lofton will race chassis RHR110 at Gateway. It is the same truck that Lofton raced to a third place finish earlier this season at Dover, and ran in the top-five for the majority of the race last weekend in Iowa.

“It’s unfortunate because we had such a strong truck. We had everything going our way; great pitstops, track position, we avoided trouble all day. We just didn’t have enough there at the end,” Lofton said.

Lofton started the Lucas Oil 200 from the 11th position. Within laps, he had climbed his way into the top 10. Early on, Lofton’s only notation on the truck was that it was running a tick tight. A caution flag waved on lap 40, allowing Lofton to drop down pit road for four fresh tires and an adjustment.  

The restart waved on lap 45 and three-wide racing quickly broke out as Lofton charged from the 13th position. Close racing on lap 50 forced Lofton sideways, but he saved it and continued on. From that point forward, Lofton was on a mission as he cleanly picked off positions.

Two more caution flags waved as the race approached halfway. Lofton spent a lengthy portion of the run in the eighth position leading up to a second pitstop just after the 100-lap mark. Lofton took on four tires, no fuel, and said that the truck was a bit free, but overall, pretty good.

Following the restart, the lead pack of cars got racy with a multi-car wreck breaking out on lap 113. Lofton, who was ninth at the time, wheeled his way through the melee, lining up fifth behind the pace car under yellow.

Back under green,Lofton held steady in the fifth position, keeping his eyes on the final portion of the race. With 30 laps to go, he began to make his move, making the pass for the fourth spot. With eight laps to go, he made the pass for third.

Lofton dug in and readied for the closing laps on the 7/8-mile track but a yellow just three laps from the finish slowed his pace. The yellow extended the race, running Lofton’s truck out of gas. As the field lined up for the green-white-checkered flag finish, Lofton pulled his Toyota out of line from the third position and down pit road.

“We made some great changes under the stops. Mark Rette and all of the guys did great job in the pits for me. We stayed ahead of the change in the cloud cover to the sun with the changes. That was huge for how the truck handled. All in all, it was a great day. I had a lot of fun out there before that last caution came out,” Lofton added after the race.

Lofton will next climb behind the wheel of the No. 7 Toyota Tundra in St. Louis for Friday’s Camping World Truck Series event.

Lofton, who won the ARCA Racing Series event last season at Chicagoland Speedway en route to the 2009 championship, will run his second Nationwide Series race of the season under the Baker Curb Racing banner, behind the wheel of the No. 27 Ford.

“I am excited about all of the racing I am going to get to do this weekend. Running the No. 27 car in Chicagoland, and then driving down to Newton for the truck race will be a great time, and I will surely benefit from the seat time. Both Baker Curb Racing and Red Horse Racing are competitive teams and I really want to give them the results that they deserve,” Lofton explained.  

Lofton claimed the 2009 ARCA championship with six race wins and 15 top-five finishes. He is in his first full season of NASCAR competition. Though he is running the Camping World Truck Series full-time for Red Horse Racing, he also dabbles in Nationwide competition. To date, Lofton has made nine starts in the Truck Series with a best finish of third. He also has three career Nationwide Series starts, with a career-best qualifying effort of ninth, scored two weeks ago at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and a best finish of 16th in 2009.

“I am really excited to be driving the 27 car again this weekend at Chicagoland. All of the guys on the team did a great job all weekend in New Hampshire. I felt that we were competitive, we just didn’t get the finish that we were hoping for,” Lofton said.

Friday’s schedule at Chicagoland is a busy one with a full day for Lofton behind the wheel with two practice sessions, qualifying, and the race all on tap. Following his 300-mile run at Chicagoland on Friday night, Lofton will log more miles and make the nearly 300-mile trip to Iowa, where he will transition from a car to a truck and a 1.5-mile intermediate track, to a 7/8-mile short track. Saturday’s schedule will be a bit lighter, with practice and qualifying on the agenda. The 200-mile Camping World Truck Series race is set for Sunday.

The Nationwide Series race can be seen live on ESPN on Friday at 8 PM Eastern. The Camping World Truck Series race can be seen live on SPEED on Sunday at 2 PM Eastern.

Break in schedule, no break in racing … Lofton kept busy during the three-week break in Camping World Truck Series competition by racing in the Nationwide Series, and testing with his Red Horse Racing team. Two weeks ago, Lofton ran the Nationwide event at Loudon, New Hampshire, qualified an impressive ninth, and finished 17th. The laps Lofton logged on the New England track will be put towards good use later in the season when he returns with his RHR team this fall. After Loudon, Lofton trekked to the Gresham Motorsports Park short track in Georgia and shook down his No. 7 Toyota Tundra, with crew chief Mark Rette and the rest of his RHR crew, in preparation for this weekend’s race at Iowa.  

Back at it… Lofton has raced on the 7/8-mile Iowa track three times before within the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and the ARCA Racing Series. Of the combined three races, he has two top-10s with a best finish of fourth in 2007. His most recent run in 2009 while behind the wheel in ARCA competition produced a fourth place starting position, and a tenth place finish.

Closing in… Iowa marks the 10th race of the 2010 NCWTS season and as the halfway mark inches closer, so does Lofton in terms of the top 10 in the point standings. The Raybestos Rookie of The Year candidate has put up solid numbers for a newcomer, posting three top-15 finishes and a best finish of third. He enters Iowa 12th in points, with a marginal 103-point separation between him and the elusive tenth place position.

Eyes in the sky… Former NCWTS racer Terry Cook joins the RHR team this weekend at Iowa in a new role. Rather than wheeling a truck around the racy Iowa short track, the veteran racer will take to the spotter stand, helping 24-year-old Lofton maneuver his way around the speedway. Cook, who started the season racing in the Sprint Cup Series, debuted in trucks in 1996 and over the next 13 seasons, collected 112 top-10s and six race wins.

Justin Lofton on racing at Iowa Speedway “I can’t wait to get to Iowa. We recently tested and we worked on a couple of new things. I think we found something to make me feel a little more comfortable. Like always, Mark and all of the guys on the No. 7 team do a great job and I am really thankful for them. It’s time to get them some finishes that they deserve.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on Iowa Speedway “We are taking the Dover truck to Iowa. And it is the same truck that we tested with last week at Gresham Motorsports Park. We had a really good test session. Out of the group of trucks that were there, we were the fastest and most consistent. I’m looking forward to Iowa. It’s a place that Justin has raced numerous times and he knows the track well.”

Equipment Information Lofton will race chassis RHR110 at Iowa. It is the same truck that Lofton raced to a third place finish earlier this season at Dover.

“It was a good weekend all of the way around. The Baker Curb guys did a great job. The WeekendWarriorsTV.com / National FFA Organization Ford was fast right off of the truck,” Lofton said.

Lofton, a full-time competitor in the Camping World Truck Series, had two previous Nationwide Series starts prior to Saturday’s 200-mile event. The appearance marked his first not only with the Baker Curb Racing team, but also the first time he’d ever raced on the 1.058-mile Loudon track.

After the first practice run on Friday, Lofton and crew chief John Reese proved to be a good pairing, with the No. 27 showing solidly within the top 10. The second practice continued the trend as the team flexed their muscle, laying down the second fastest speed overall.

Confident of a fast racecar, the 24-year-old Lofton qualified an impressive ninth on Saturday, notching a career best qualifying effort to date within NASCAR competition.

Once underway for the New England 200, Lofton noted early of a tight condition in the No. 27 Ford. Crew chief Reese, along with Sprint Cup Series driver and former Nationwide Series champion Greg Biffle, who tallied two runner-up showings this season behind the wheel of the 27, coached Lofton over the radio as he maneuvered around the one-mile facility.

“It was great to have Greg on the radio, reading off my lap times and giving me words of encouragement. It settled me in,” Lofton said after the race of Biffle.

After racing within the top 10 for a lofty portion of the race, Lofton found himself running 12th with less than 100 laps remaining. As the tight condition continued to plague the No. 27, Lofton dropped down pitroad for a final adjustment 20 laps from the finish.

He restarted the race in the 18th position and despite battling with lapped traffic, maneuvered his way into 17th at the drop of the checkered flag.

“I felt real comfortable in the car. The spotter did a great job. We had a great weekend overall with the No. 27 WeekendWarriorsTV.com / National FFA Organization car. The Baker Curb guys worked hard. We had a lot of speed. We made a call there at the end and we just didn’t have enough time to make up more ground,” Lofton said.

Lofton will next hit the track on July 11th in the Lucas Oil 200 Camping World Truck Series event.

Lofton, a full-time competitor in the Camping World Truck Series, ran his two previous Nationwide Series events on intermediate tracks. This weekend will mark his first run in either series at the 1.058-mile Loudon, New Hampshire track. Despite running with a new team for the first time at a new track, Lofton enters the race weekend confident. Earlier this season within truck competition, he notched a solid third place finish at a similar one-mile track, Dover International Speedway.

“I am excited this opportunity came along with the Baker Curb Racing team. I was wondering what I was going to do during our time off in the Truck Series. I am looking forward to going out and having a great run this weekend and gaining more experience behind the wheel of a Nationwide Series car. It will also help when I return to New Hampshire in the Truck Series,” Lofton said.

“I spent some time at the shop early this week to get to know the guys and get fitted for my seat. I am really excited about Loudon with the Baker Curb guys,” he added.

Lofton will turn his first laps behind the wheel of the No. 27 WeekendWarriorsTV.com Ford on Friday at 10:30 AM EST. The New England 200 is set to begin at 3:30 PM EST on Saturday, June 26th. The race can be seen live on ESPN.

“We had a great truck. We were out to lunch at the beginning of the race but the guys worked on it each pitstop and it came in a little more every time. These guys on the No. 7 visitpit.com Tundra work so hard every week,” Lofton said.

After taking the green flag, it took only two laps for Lofton to radio crew chief Mark Rette that his truck was running loose. With two caution flags falling within the first dozen laps, the team took advantage, calling Lofton down pit road for a chassis adjustment.  

Back under green flag conditions, the 24-year old racer settled in behind the wheel, climbing to the 12^th position by lap 25.

10 laps later, the team tackled their second pitstop, making another small adjustment to the No. 7. Within laps, rain began to fall, halting the racing action for nearly an hour. Once the weather cleared, sunshine and heavy humidity blanketed the two-mile track, changing track conditions.

As the race played out past the halfway mark, Lofton noted that his truck was, “a little tight in and a little loose off,” Adding, “I like it where it is.”

The third and final pitstop of the day fell on lap 77 of the 100 lap race. As the stops cycled through the field under green flag conditions, Lofton was scored in the 13^th position.

Two caution flags waved spanning the final 15 laps, including a close call involving Lofton ‘s No. 7 truck.

After maneuvering his way into the top 10, Lofton made possibly the best save of the day after another truck broke loose to the inside of Lofton. The truck began to spin, clipping Lofton, sending his truck sideways off of turn four. The rear of Lofton’s truck kissed the wall but the 2009 ARCA Racing Series champion straightened it out and continued on.

The caution flag waved, setting the field up for the final restart with eight laps remaining. Lofton took the green for the final time from the ninth position.

As Lofton jockeyed for position from the inside lane to the preferred high lane, racing quickly intensified as the field ran three-wide in the closing laps. The close racing pushed Lofton’s No. 7 machine into the outside retaining wall, causing a slow leak in the right front tire. After bouncing off of the wall, Lofton held on despite the damage, finishing 18^th.

“After the sun came out, the handling kept coming to us and we got racing. We were loose all day in turns one and two , and racing hard with less than 10 to go, we backed it in a little bit – just enough to give it a severe tire rub on the right front. It ate up the tire and we had nothing left,” Lofton said.

Following Michigan, Lofton remains 12^th in the driver point standings.

The next race for Lofton and the No. 7 Red Horse Racing team is July 11^th at Iowa Speedway.

Feelin’ good … NCWTS rookie Justin Lofton will hit the track this weekend at Michigan International Speedway with renewed confidence. Despite getting caught up in an accident in Texas, Lofton muscled his way from a 16th starting spot to a solid sixth place run before the misfortune took over. Lofton said that his Mark Rette led crew has worked feverishly to find the right feel for him as he makes the transition from cars to trucks. Texas, he says, was the best he’s felt in a truck and his expectations are high now that he knows what he needs behind the wheel. Lofton enters the weekend with a season’s best finish of third under his belt and a 12th place position in the point standings.

Past meets the present… 24-year-old Lofton has a solid history on the two-mile oval that is Michigan International Speedway. The California native scored his first career stock car win in 2008 at MIS behind the wheel of an Eddie Sharp Racing entry in the ARCA Racing Series. Last season, Lofton started from the pole and led 39 laps before mechanical woes bit the tenacious racer. Not only does the track hold memories as Lofton’s first stock car win, but it is also the site of his NASCAR debut. In August last season, Lofton made his NASCAR debut in the Nationwide Series after qualifying for the event on speed. He started the event in 19th and ended the day in 16th.  

Inside look… Fans attending activities at Michigan International Speedway on Friday will get an inside look into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series garage and a chance to meet Lofton, along with other NCWTS competitors. MIS and SPEED are hosting an “open garage” from 3 to 5 PM. Lofton will be participating in the open autograph session, signing autographs behind his No. 7 team hauler from 3:30 to 4:30 PM.

Justin Lofton on racing at Michigan International Speedway “Last week was another week of bad luck for all of us on the No. 7 team. We had the best truck that we’ve had all year so far. I was the most comfortable I have ever been in a truck. I’m really looking forward to Michigan where I’ve had really strong runs before and I am looking forward to capitalizing on what we have learned over the last couple of weeks.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on Michigan International Speedway “I’m very excited about Michigan. Justin won there in 2008 in ARCA and we were leading last year in the ARCA Series race before we had electrical issues. Justin knows his way around Michigan and the track seems to suit his driving style.”

Equipment Information Lofton will race chassis RHR65 in Michigan. It is considered a sister chassis to RHR129, the truck Lofton raced in Charlotte and Texas. Michigan marks the first run for RHR65 this season after being rebuilt following T.J. Bell’s Michigan run last season.

“Everything was jumbled up from the previous restart.  It’s unfortunate because we had such a good truck. Mark (Rette, crew chief) and all of the guys on this visitpit.comToyota Tundra worked hard to find speed and get the setup right for me. We were moving up and on our way to another top-10,” Lofton said.

With high temperatures and hopes prior to the event, Lofton plotted out his race in the 90-degree Texas heat . Once the green flag waved, the 24-year-old jumped from 16^th to 13^th on the first of 167 laps. By lap 15, he radioed to the crew that his ride was “pretty good and just a tick free on exit.”  

The first caution flag of the race waved on lap 20, allowing Lofton to hit pit road for four fresh tires. After stops, Lofton took the green flag from the 14^th position.

Lofton ran the next 30 laps silent on the radio, with all of his focus on passing trucks. On lap 52 he cracked the top-10, informing the crew “the truck is turning good. It is a little tight in traffic, but I am figuring it out.”

The long run allowed Lofton to gain more ground, moving into sixth by the time the next round of pitstops began. Lofton made his way down pitroad under green for his second stop on lap 73. Within laps, the caution flag waved. When the restart waved on lap 81, Lofton was scored in the sixth position.

The field took the restart with many trucks spaced apart and out of line. The chaos quickly shook out but the intense racing continued. Lofton took the restart from ninth, but quickly finessed his way back into the sixth spot.

On lap 85 however, another competitor crowded Lofton as he drove in the high lane. In order to avoid the spinning truck, Lofton dropped low, narrowly missing the melee. Oncoming traffic behind Lofton failed to check up and despite his attempts to miss the wreck, Lofton got turned, slamming the wall against the driver’s side. He climbed from his battered machine unhurt.

“Coming on the restart, everything was jumbled up at the beginning. I was up onthe high groove in (the) draft going down the backstretch, pulling a little bit faster.  It’s just real unfortunate for everyone on the No. 7 visitpit.com Toyota Tundra,” Lofton explained.

“We were a victim of circumstance. There was really good racing going on out there. We had a great truck. We were making it better all night. It’s real unfortunate that it happened. Look for us in Michigan. We’ve got this figured out and we’ll be up front.”

Lofton remains 12^th in the driver point standings.

Next Saturday Lofton and the No. 7 team will hit the two-mile Michigan International Speedway for the VFW 200.

More time behind the wheel… Despite the break in competition last week, Lofton and RHR teammate Timothy Peters were on track, participating in a two-day test session on the Gresham Motorsports Park short track in Georgia. Crew chief Mark Rette said that the test was helpful in giving the duo more insight into the feel of the trucks, with Lofton running various shock setups. “Tuesday and Wednesday after Charlotte, we were able to spend two days at Gresham testing and continuing to gain knowledge about the trucks. It was great for Mark and I to keep moving forward with the setups and how to make our trucks that much faster,” Lofton said of the test.

New leader… Lofton’s 15th place finish the last time out at the Charlotte Motor Speedway boosted him over Austin Dillon in the Raybestos Rookie of The Year point standings. Lofton has been the highest finishing rookie in the last two races (third in Dover, 15th in Charlotte), giving him a two-point advantage over Dillon.  

Been here before… Lofton has raced at Texas once before, in April, behind the wheel of a Nationwide Series car. Looking for additional seat-time during a two-week break in Camping World Truck Series competition, Lofton and his No. 7 Red Horse Racing crew trekked to Texas, fielding the No. 71 Camry. Lofton qualified on speed for the event and ran his way through the field, from 31st to 15th, before contact from another racer ended his charge. This Friday’s start will be his first at Texas in Camping World Truck Series competition.

Going the distance… Lofton has a stellar record on 1.5-mile tracks that are similar to Texas Motor Speedway. In 2009 he earned the race win in the ARCA Racing Series at Chicagoland Speedway, and this season in NCWTS competition, he’s notched two top-15 runs at the already visited intermediate tracks with a best finish of 13th.

Justin Lofton on racing at Texas Motor Speedway “We have had three good runs going into Texas. I am really looking forward to capitalizing on that and coming home with a top-five. I really had a good time there in the Nationwide Series car, and I hope it is the same in the truck.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on Texas Motor Speedway “I’m excited to go to Texas after how well we ran there in the Nationwide car. Justin adapted to Texas really quick. He’s had a lot of laps there and he knows the feel that he wants and needs. It’s always hot in Texas this time of year. The biggest thing, Texas is a track like Charlotte that gets hot and slick. With our race at night, the heat shouldn’t be much of a problem.”

Equipment Information Lofton will race chassis RHR129 this weekend at Texas. It is the same truck that he drove during the last race at Charlotte, finishing 15th

“Tuesday and Wednesday after Charlotte, we were able to spend two days at Gresham testing and continuing to gain knowledge about the trucks. It was great for Mark (Rette, crew chief) and I to keep moving forward with the setups and how to make our trucks that much faster,” Lofton said of the test.

The additional seat-time means trouble for Lofton’s competitors because despite the season being just seven races deep, the California bred rookie has improved and impressed after each outing to date.

Over the last four races, Lofton has climbed from 19th in the point standings to 12th, just 83 points out of the prestigious top 10. He also took the lead in the Raybestos Rookie of The Year point standings after last week’s race at Charlotte courtesy of yet another top-15 finish. Additionally, he scored a career-best finish of third two races ago at Dover, historically one of the toughest tracks on the circuit.

Next weekend it will be back to business as usual as Lofton climbs behind the wheel of his Tundra for competition on the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway. Lofton has yet to run a truck race on the Dallas-area track but has a considerable amount of seat-time at the facility after practicing, qualifying on speed, and racing there earlier this season in Nationwide Series competition.

“I’m really looking forward to going to Texas. I’m going to go out there and keep improving our results every weekend,” Lofton said.

“The first part of the season was rough and ever since our 13th place finish at Kansas, and into a third place finish at Dover, a 15th place finish at Charlotte, we’re definitely building momentum and really looking forward to the summer streak. I’m going to go to some tracks that I’ve seen before and have some fun at those.”

“On the first caution, I think I ran over something. As we were going green I had to pull down pit road and change a tire. We got back out there but obviously fell a lap down and we just kept fighting,” Lofton said.

“We got our lap back and were still quite a ways back in there and still adjusting on the truck. Under the next stop, we made a really good adjustment in the pits. I went back out there and it took about 10 laps for us to get going. After that we were a solid top-five, top-six truck. Unfortunately, there at the end we didn’t get the run that we really needed to get up and get around the guys and get a little better finish. For what we unloaded and what we qualified I’m really happy with everyone on the team. ”

The day was a long one for the Truck Series teams, with the activities of two practice sessions, qualifying, and the 200-mile race all scheduled for one day. The garage opened at 7:30 AM and unfortunately, the start of the race was pushed back three hours due to a rain delay. By the time the field took the green flag, the crews had already put in well over 15 hours at the racetrack.

Once Lofton finally took the green flag, he impressively picked up four positions within the first seven laps. Under caution on lap 12 however, Lofton ran over debris, cutting his left rear tire down, forcing him to pit as the field took the restart. The stop cost Lofton a lap, dropping him to 30th once he was back on track.

By the time the next yellow waved on lap 26, Lofton was scored back on the lead lap as he radioed to crew chief Mark Rette, “The truck is a little free in. I’m just being patient, not doing anything stupid.”

The yellow opened the door for Lofton to make another pitstop for fresh tires and an adjustment. From then on, Lofton continued his climb through the field. As the race played out, he had hoped for a longer run, which better suited the handling on his Tundra, but five more caution flags waved, slowing the pace.

“We definitely needed it to be green. The No. 7 visitpit.com Toyota Tundra was a rocket ship 25 laps into a run and that’s really where we needed to be. That’s what you’re going to get here in Charlotte. It’s tight racing and it’s fast and it’s a lot of fun. This place is nothing like I’ve raced before on a big mile-and-a-half so I’m really looking forward to going to Texas, going to a track very similar to this. I’m going to go out there and keep improving our results every weekend.”

The finish moved Lofton into the lead in the Raybestos Rookie of The Year point standings. He now leads the way by two markers over Austin Dillon. He remains 12th in the overall driver standings.

Lofton will next head to Texas Motor Speedway for the WinStar World Casino 400 on June 4th.

Race rewind … Justin Lofton scored his best finish to date in the Camping World Truck Series last Friday on the one-mile concrete Dover International Speedway. Lofton started 19th but drove an impressive race, climbing through the field to the top-10 for the majority of the 200-mile event. In the closing laps, Lofton raced as high as second, finishing third at the drop of the checkered flag. The third place effort gave Lofton his first top-five of the season.

Closing the gap… Lofton’s third place finish in Dover allowed him to make up serious ground in the point standings. Lofton jumped from 16th to 12th in the driver standings, leaving him just 59 points out of the top-10. The finish also moved the No. 7 team from 20th to 16th in the owner standings. Lofton also moved within two points of Austin Dillon in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year battle.  

A lot going on… Lofton will be busy at the speedway this Friday, with the on-track schedule packed into one day. In addition to two practice sessions, qualifying, and the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 on tap, the rookie racer will also make his weekly appearance on Sirius Satellite Radio’s Tradin’ Paint show at 12:30 before heading out to the Toyota Pit Pass display to sign autographs from 1:30 – 2 PM.

Similar, but new… Lofton has been to races at Charlotte Motor Speedway as a spectator. He’s also raced on tracks similar to the 1.5-mile track this season, including Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway, but he has yet to race at the Concord, N.C. facility.

Justin Lofton on racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway “It felt so good to get a good run for the guys last week in Dover. They work really hard on these trucks day in and day out. I’m looking forward to Charlotte and getting another solid run. I’ve never raced at Charlotte, but I’ve been to similar tracks already this year; Atlanta and Texas, and I feel like I’ve learned enough to roll it over to Charlotte.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on Charlotte Motor Speedway “I’m excited to go to Charlotte. The track is similar to Texas and Justin figured Texas out pretty quick in the Nationwide Series car. He was fast and consistent. Atlanta also has a lot of the characteristics of Charlotte. He got right up to speed the first time there in a truck. He’s caught on to similar tracks pretty quick, and we have a lot of momentum going.”

Equipment Information Lofton will race chassis RHR129 this Friday at Charlotte. The truck is brand new, with a rebuilt body.

“It was an exciting run for sure, for never being here, never even racing a track like this. I’ve never been to Winchester or any of the short tracks that would simulate this,” Lofton said. “We unloaded off the truck really good. It was really cool to run good. It was probably one of the best trucks that I’ve driven so far this year. I just drove it for all I could this race and I’m really happy for everyone on the No. 7 visitpit.com Toyota team and everyone at Red Horse Racing.”  

From the start of the first practice on Thursday, Lofton knew he had a good truck. The team ran top-10 speeds throughout, landing seventh on the speed chart at the conclusion of the session. Following qualifying on Friday morning, the team found themselves 19th for the start of the 200-mile race.

Knowing that the track is often a challenge for unsuspecting rookies, crew chief Mark Rette coached his driver at the start of the race to practice, “Patience, patience, patience. Show the track some respect, we’ll adjust on it. Have some fun.”

Two early caution flags waved over the field within the first 20 laps. By that time, Lofton had begun his climb through the field. Under yellow on lap 23, he radioed to Rette that the truck was just a bit tight, adding, “It’s pretty good. I’m liking it.”

For the restart on lap 24, Lofton took the green flag from the seventh position.

With a fast and competitive race truck, it was evident that not many changes were needed on the No. 7 Tundra. On lap 53, the team made their first stop of the day, giving Lofton four fresh tires, a minor adjustment, and fuel.

The No. 7 over the wall crew did a stellar job throughout the race, keeping Lofton in contention following every stop. During their second stop under caution on lap 87, the crew worked feverishly, changing four tires in just 14.2 seconds, allowing Lofton to restart from the sixth spot.

The third and final stop of the day fell on lap 124. Rette called for a trackbar adjustment, four tires, and fuel. At that point in the race, he informed Lofton that they were able to make it to the finish without another stop.

Five more cautions flags waved in the closing laps, including a green-white-checkered finish after a few of the front-running competitors ran out of fuel, extending the race. By that time, Lofton had climbed solidly within the top-five. As the field took the restart for the final three-lap run, Lofton took the green from the third position.

Despite running out of fuel himself on the last lap, he valiantly held the spot, nabbing his career-best finish. The run left him with his first top-five effort after just six races within Camping World Truck Series competition.

“I knew when we unloaded the truck was good. I was a little worried. I figured we’d end up about fifth to seventh, but then these guys started running out of gas. We did a great job of getting the gas into our truck. The guys did an excellent job on pitroad.”

“This is big for us, especially going into Charlotte and going into this stretch. We really needed it. I’ve got the hardest working group of guys out there and to reward them with this was pretty cool.”

The finish catapulted Lofton from 16th to 12th in the driver point standings.

Lofton, Rette, and the rest of the No. 7 RHR team will carry their momentum into Charlotte Motor Speedway for Friday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200.

Weekend Warrior… Justin Lofton has kept busy away from the racetrack as of late with his production company, Weekend Warriors Productions. Prior to the Sunday race in Kansas two weeks ago, Lofton spent a day at Fort Riley with Army soldiers, and flew with the Blue Angels. Both outings will be featured in upcoming episodes of WeekendWarriorsTV.com, a bi-weekly web show produced by Weekend Warriors Productions. Following the Kansas race and through the break from truck competition, Lofton and business partner Brett Bortle shot a music video on location for country singer Tim Dugger. Once the weekend hit however, Lofton shifted his focus back to racing, spending Friday night with crew chief Mark Rette at Darlington Raceway, taking in the Nationwide Series race as spectators. On Saturday, Lofton was back behind the camera, shooting a dirt race at 311 Fastrack for yet another upcoming WWTV episode.  

Monstrous concrete… Lofton has one previous start on concrete this season prior to this week’s event at the “Monster Mile” that is Dover International Speedway. He started a season’s best 10th last month at Nashville Superspeedway before trouble on a restart hindered his effort, resulting in a 20th place finish. The concrete track at Dover however, is unique with its extreme characteristics. Measuring just one mile in length, the banking climbs to a challenging 24 degrees through the turns, giving the track the nickname of the Monster Mile.

Movin’ on up… Following Lofton’s 13th place finish the last time out in Kansas Speedway, which was his best to date so far within Camping World Truck Series competition, the 24-year-old climbed three positions in the driver point standings, moving from 19th to 16th. The No. 7 Red Horse Racing team also jockeyed positions in the owner standings, and now sit 20th after the first five events.

Freshman orientation… Following final practice on Thursday, Lofton, along with fellow Raybestos Rookie of the Year contenders, will take part in a dinner with media from both the local and national levels. The dinner meet-and-greet allows the media to get to know the rookie drivers better, away from the racetrack. For fans hoping for some face time with Lofton, he will be signing autographs on Friday afternoon at the track between 1-2 PM in the Fanzone.

Justin Lofton on racing at Dover Intl Speedway “I’m really excited to head to Dover this weekend. We have some momentum coming from Kansas, and we’re really looking forward to a strong run this weekend in order to get our summer started off in the right direction.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on Dover Intl Speedway “I love Dover. I’ve had a lot of success there in the past. It’s one of those tracks for a rookie that you either love it, or hate it. It’s very different than a lot of racetracks that we go to. The banking jumps a couple of stories down into the corners, there is a lot of speed through the corners. It’s a big Bristol. Stuff happens fast.”

Equipment Information Lofton will race chassis RHR110 at Dover this weekend. It is a truck that T.J. Bell drove to ninth place finish with at Homestead last November.

“Our race was good. At first we were hoping for sunlight, and then we got the sun to come out…and we were wishing it hadn’t rained. When the sun came out, we made a couple of adjustments to try to get some speed out of the truck, and then we went backwards – we made it looser,” Lofton said.

With racing set for Sunday in Kansas, the extra days leading up to the event allowed Lofton to set some time aside to visit soldiers at Fort Riley. Located roughly two hours from the speedway, Lofton spent his Thursday afternoon at the home of the Big Red One, signing autographs for the soldiers (some who will be deploying in November) and partaking in various activities. On Sunday, a dozen soldiers joined Lofton and his Red Horse Racing team, giving the crew added support for the event.  

Also adding to Lofton’s confidence at Kansas was his racing history. Last October the California native scored a second place effort in the ARCA race, shortening the learning curve, and giving Lofton and crew chief Mark Rette time to focus on the setup of their No. 7 visit pit.com Toyota Tundra. The efforts left Lofton with a stout machine and a 14th place starting position for the race.

Once the green flag dropped, Lofton quickly clicked off positions and following the first caution flag of the day, he had climbed his way into the top-10. Multiple caution flags waved in the early portion of the event, with Lofton radioing crew chief Rette that the handling of the truck was “a little tight in, and free in the center.”

With less than 30 laps on the board and while under caution, Lofton pulled his Toyota down pit road to the attention of his crew for a minor adjustment and four fresh tires. The crew clicked off a quick stop, lining Lofton up in 15th for the restart on lap 31.

It didn’t take long however for yet another caution flag to wave and this time, Lofton was too close for comfort after a multi-truck wreck broke out on the front stretch off of turn 4. With trucks scattering across the racing surface, Lofton feared damage to the left front of his Tundra as he tried to evade the melee. After a quick look-over by the crew, Lofton got the all clear and continued on.

With a few quick cautions out of the way, the field finally settled in for an extended green flag run. By lap 75, shot-caller Rette radioed to his driver that he was turning laps faster than the trucks in front of him and to keep digging.

A little over 20 laps later, Lofton pit again, taking on fuel and a minor adjustment.

Unfortunately, a heavy dark cloud moved in on lap 113 dropping heavy rain and hail, halting the race for over an hour and a half.

Once the weather moved out, Lofton made his third and final stop for another adjustment prior to the lap 119 restart.

Once back under green, the savvy racer quickly noticed a change in the racing surface after the rain, stating that his No. 7 Toyota was battling a loose condition.

The race stayed green through the finish with Lofton muscling his machine to a solid 13th place effort.
Despite narrowly missing the top-10, Lofton was pleased with the run, which boosted him three positions in the point standings, from 19th to 16th.

“I’m proud of the guys on the No. 7 Toyota Tundra, they did a great job all weekend. We had three solid stops, and we have a truck that’s in one piece. It’s a big improvement for us in our season, getting some momentum going. We’ll go on to Dover and we’ll let ‘er rip.”

The Camping World Truck Series is off this week with the schedule set to resume at Dover International Speedway on May 14th.

Content with Kansas… Justin Lofton, driver of the No. 7 Toyota Tundra, heads to Kansas Speedway this weekend with familiarity and fondness of the Midwestern track. Though a rookie visiting many tracks for the first time in Camping World Truck Series competition this season, Lofton has raced on the 1.5-mile Kansas track twice before within ARCA Racing Series competition. In his debut there in 2008, the California native started 10th and finished 12th. Last October, Lofton started from the pole, led over a dozen laps, and finished second.

Lofton visiting the troops… Lofton is heading to Kansas early this week, with plans of visiting the Army troops at Fort Riley prior to the on-track activity at the speedway. Located approximately two hours from the track, Lofton will spend his Thursday afternoon at Ft. Riley, meeting with the soldiers, and experiencing a day of training. The 24-year-old will take part in a day’s worth of activities including shooting ranges and trauma training. Lofton’s day will be captured by the WeekendWarriorsTV.com camera crew and will be featured in a special, upcoming episode dedicated to the visit.  

Flying high… Though Lofton is used to going fast for a living, on Friday, he will join fellow Camping World Truck Series competitors and reach unthinkable speeds as he straps in for a ride-along with the Blue Angels. Lofton’s high-flying ride with “Fat Albert” is expected to top speeds over 350 mph.

Justin Lofton on racing at Kansas Speedway “I’m really looking forward to Kansas. Brett Bortle (WeekendWarriorsTV.com director) and I will be heading out to Fort Riley to spend some time with the troops. On Friday, I am going to fly with the Blue Angels. It should be a lot of fun. The Kansas race itself, I am excited about. We’re taking my favorite truck and I am looking forward to a solid run. Mark and the guys do a great job week in and week out, and it’s time to compliment their hard work off of the track with a good run on the track.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on Kansas Speedway “Justin runs well on intermediate tracks and we had a great race last year in ARCA at Kansas. I’m looking forward to getting back there, on a track that he knows. We had some time off from truck competition and ran the Nationwide Series race in Texas, but I’m ready to get back to our truck schedule and building our momentum.”

Equipment Information Lofton will race chassis RHR141at Kansas this weekend. It is the same truck he previously raced at both Atlanta and Nashville. The truck has a best qualifying effort of 10th and finish of 20th.

After qualifying for the race on speed, waiting out a two-day rain delay, and driving through the field from 31st to 16th, Justin Lofton, full-time driver for RHR in the Camping World Truck Series, got caught up in a wreck while racing Trevor Bayne for position on lap 65. The contact sent Lofton’s No. 71 WeekendWarriorsTV.com Camry hard into the inside retaining wall. The car suffered heavy damage, ending Lofton’s drive. He climbed from the car unhurt, but was left with a disappointing finish of 37th.

“We had an awesome car. The No. 71 WeekendWarriorsTV.com Toyota Camry was on a rail. We started in the back and were working our way up,” Lofton said.  

“We were racing hard coming off of the corner. I was a little tight. Trevor (Bayne) was probably a little tight, too. He bounced off of the wall, caught my right front, which put me in the wall. It ruined our day. Hopefully we’ll be back for Charlotte and get the car up front in the top five where it is supposed to be.”

The weekend started off on the right track for Lofton, crew chief Mark Rette, and the entire No. 71 RHR Toyota team, who were making their first start of the season in the Nationwide Series. The Texas event however, was the second career effort within Nationwide competition for Lofton, who ran the Michigan event last August.

The team ran their first laps on Thursday on the 1.5-mile track, with Lofton breaking in a brand new car which had not yet turned any laps on a racetrack prior to the weekend. With a few tweaks on the machine between the two runs, Lofton next climbed behind the wheel for final practice on Friday. The session proved fruitful for the team, as they rocketed up the speed chart to sixth overall.

With no points to fall back on in order to make the event, Lofton had to make the race on speed during qualifying. After his two-lap effort, he secured the 31st qualifying position, ensuring a starting spot for the O’Reilly 300 field.

Rain however hampered NASCAR’s schedule, knocking both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series races back until Monday. With Sprint Cup set for Monday morning, the Nationwide teams prepared for an afternoon run.

Finally strapped in, Lofton took the green flag just after 5 PM eastern time. With a fast car and a broken in track after the Sprint Cup race ran its entire 500-mile course, 24-year-old Lofton focused on his climb towards the front. It didn’t take long for him to succeed, and by the time the competition caution waved on lap 27, he had already picked up 11 spots, into 20th.

After a round of pitstops and the restart, Lofton was back to work, steadily clicking off positions. With just over 60 laps on the board, he was riding in the 16th spot, eyeing the top 15. After moving to the inside of Bayne as he began to make the pass for position, Bayne slid down into Lofton, sending the No. 71 Toyota down track and into the wall.

“We were coming through the field. We definitely had a car to finish top-five in. I’m just really bummed for all the guys,” Lofton added.

Lofton and the RHR team will next hit the track in Kansas on May 2nd as they return to their usual schedule of Camping World Truck Series competition.

Lofton set for second Nationwide start… In the midst of a full-time ARCA Racing Series schedule, Justin Lofton made his NASCAR debut last August in the Nationwide Series. He started 19th and impressively finessed his way through the field, at times running within the top 10, before a cut tire forced him to the pits late in the race. He finished the event a solid 16th. After claiming the 2009 ARCA championship, Lofton and crew chief Mark Rette joined Camping World Truck Series powerhouse Red Horse Racing. This weekend Lofton and Rette will return to the Nationwide ranks with the RHR team, fielding the No. 71 WeekendWarriorsTV.com Toyota Camry. The event will be the first of several runs for Lofton and the RHR team within Nationwide competition this season, with goals of hitting the track again as soon as next month at Charlotte Motor Speedway.  

Online and on the hood… WeekendWarriorsTV.com will grace the hood of Lofton’s black, red, and grey No. 71 Toyota this weekend at Texas. WWTV is an online, bi-weekly web show hosted by Lofton’s sister, Brittany Lofton, and directed by Brett Bortle. The show delves behind the scenes with crews and drivers alike spanning racetracks across the country, telling the story of true grassroots racers. Just 10 episodes deep, the show has already covered everything from dirt modifieds, late models, karts, and open wheeled machines, to off road racing events south of the border in Mexico. Check out WeekendWarriorsTV.com for more information and to catch past episodes.

Off week leads to a study lesson… With a break in his racing schedule last weekend, Lofton headed to Arizona and the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving for two days to keep his skills sharp despite the downtime. “It was fun to be back at Bondurant and knock the dust off. It was nice to get back on track and build some confidence heading into the Nationwide Series race,” he said. Lofton made the stop with fellow road racing alum Matt Loiodice.

Consistency is the key… After the first four races of Camping World Truck Series competition, 24-year-old Lofton is still in search of his first top-10 finish. The final result however, shouldn’t cloud the team’s performance. The reputation of the superspeedway in Daytona and the short track in Martinsville proved true, as racing circumstance hindered the champion’s charge. In back-to-back events, Lofton was on track for solid top-10 efforts, running sixth and eighth respectively before contact from lapped trucks ended the team’s contention. So far, he has a best qualifying effort of 10th, the last time out on the intermediate track at Nashville, with a best finish of 18th. Though he has never raced at Texas, things are looking good for the California racer to do well as he goes to school on learning the track. He conquered numerous intermediate tracks last season in ARCA, claiming a pole and a runner-up finish at Kentucky, and the race win at Chicagoland.

Listen to Lofton… The California native will hit the airwaves this Friday following the final practice session in Texas, as a guest on Sirius Satellite Radio’s Tradin’ Paint show. Lofton is scheduled to go on-air at 1:30 PM EST. Following his chat, he’ll climb behind the wheel of his No. 71 Camry for qualifying.

Justin Lofton on racing at Texas Motor Speedway “I am really excited to be making our first Nationwide Series start of the year at Texas. We will be running there in June with the Truck Series, so I am hoping that a little more seat time will help us when we return. I really enjoyed racing in the Nationwide Series last August and I am really excited to be back. I am looking forward to making more starts through the year.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on Texas Motor Speedway “We will have a bit of a learning curve, switching series and running at a new racetrack. But he will get with one of the more experienced guys once we get there, to take him around the track and show him what Texas is all about. There will be a lot of cars out there that he will be able to watch. The ARCA race will also give him a chance to watch different lines around the track.”

Equipment Information Lofton will race chassis JLR019 this weekend at Texas. The car was initially built by CJM Racing and was obtained during the off season. It will hit the track for the first time on Thursday in the first practice session.

“One of these weeks we will get the right kind of luck on our side,” Lofton said after the event. “The guys have been working so hard. We had a good truck, and we showed that by qualifying in the top 10. But once the green flag drops, it’s like a switch flips and luck just runs the other way.”

For the second time this season, rookie Lofton was running on a track that he’d raced on previously. In 2008 he ran the ARCA event at Nashville, finishing a solid fifth. With experience, confidence, and hopeful of a little racing luck, Lofton, crew chief Mark Rette, and the entire No. 7 team were eyeing their first top-10 of the season.

After two early practice runs, they had a right to be optimistic. The truck showed consistent speeds throughout, and Lofton climbed behind the wheel for his two-lap qualifying effort. With his familiarity and a fast truck guiding him around the concrete facility, Lofton laid down the 10th quickest time.

With the schedule crammed into one day, it wasn’t long before the 24-year-old shifted his focus to the 200 miles of racing ahead of him. Once behind the wheel for the event, Rette reminded him from atop the pitbox that the tire pressures had to build before the handling would settle in for longer runs.

As the laps clicked off, Lofton held his own, running in the 19th spot. On lap 32 the first caution flag of the day waved, with the young racer telling Rette that the truck was running extremely tight.

With a call for four fresh tires and a spring rubber adjustment, the No. 7 crew did their best to get their driver back on track for the restart on lap 37. Unfortunately, the restart rule handed a challenge to Lofton and spotter Kyle Harvey. With trucks vying for position in front of, beside, and behind Lofton, he darted his Tundra out of the way in order to evade contact. The move however left the disappointed driver with a pass through pit road penalty for passing on the wrong side during the restart.

After the penalty under green flag conditions, Lofton rejoined the race from the 21st position.

With only two caution flags falling throughout the 150-lap race, the team was unable to make up the track position, leaving Lofton 20th at the finish.

“These restarts are tough as it is but with the double-file restart rule, it makes it even tougher. There were only two options, get out of line, or run into the truck in front of you. We didn’t have much luck or many options,” Lofton added.

The next Camping World Truck Series event is May 2nd at Kansas Speedway. Lofton however, will be taking advantage of the open weeks, by delving into Nationwide Series competition at Texas Motor Speedway on April 17th. Mark Rette and his entire Red Horse Racing team will make the journey with him, running the No. 71 Toyota.

Last race review… Justin Lofton had an impressive run going last Saturday at Martinsville Speedway before trouble yet again found the 24-year-old. After starting 16th, he moved into the top 10 in just 15 laps. Unfortunately, a lapped competitor lost his brakes, running into Lofton and sending his Toyota spinning. Contact with the retaining wall forced Lofton behind the wall while his crew repaired the damage. The team persevered to finish the event in 31st. After the first three events, Lofton shows 19th in the point standings.

One and done… This week’s race at Nashville Superspeedway is the first one-day show for the Camping World Truck Series with practice, qualifying, and the 200-mile race all set for one day, Friday. The race is the second night race for the series this season. Despite the day’s activities being crammed into one day and practice being run much earlier, during the heat of the day, crew chief Rette says it won’t affect the team’s approach for the 200-mile event. “Concrete doesn’t change as much as asphalt does,” he said.  

Concrete conqueror… Lofton has experience on the 1.33-mile concrete Nashville Superspeedway surface, having raced there in 2008 in ARCA. He started the race in sixth and finished a strong fifth.

Doing what he’s supposed to… Lofton heads to Nashville eyeing his first top 10 run of the season. Though he has yet to notch the statistical finish, he’s been running within the top 10 in two of the first three events. In Daytona, he got caught up in a lap one accident, hindering the effort from the start. In Atlanta, he started 22nd and muscled his way into sixth before contact from a lapped truck ended the run. In Martinsville, it was much of the same, as he wheeled his way from 16th into the top 10, before contact from a lapped machine halted his climb. “He’s doing exactly what he needs to be doing. It’s just the luck of misfortune,” shot-caller Rette said of Lofton. “It’s frustrating when we run so well and it gets taken away by someone else,” Lofton commented. “I’m excited about Nashville though. It’s a fun track. The goal is qualify up front and finish there.”

Restless rookie… Raybestos Rookie of The Year contender Lofton isn’t one to sit still. Free time isn’t something he has much of these days thanks to his busy racing schedule – and he wouldn’t want it any other way. Fans looking to take advantage of his availability can meet the California native this Thursday at the Nashville area Camping World located at 2622 Music Valley Dr. Nashville, TN  37214. Or, if heading to the racetrack on Friday, stop by and meet Lofton in between on-track activity from 1 to 2 PM in the fan expo area near the gate 3 entrance.

Justin Lofton on racing at Nashville Superspeedway “I can’t wait to get to Nashville. It will be the first track other than Daytona that I have seen before and run well at. I know we will have a good truck. The guys do an excellent job every day working in the shop and at the track. We need some luck to come our way, be patient, and we will bring our Tundra home with a solid top five finish.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on Nashville Superspeedway “We’re looking forward to going to Nashville and getting the monkey off of our back. It is the first track Justin has seen other than Daytona, which was a crapshoot. We took 141 to Atlanta and we were running well. We’re going to do what we have been doing, hopefully avoid some of the misfortune, and come home with a top five.”

Equipment Information Lofton will race chassis RHR141 this Friday. It is the same truck he ran earlier this season at Atlanta, finishing 20th.

Currently 18th in points after the first two events, Lofton, who ran respectably within the top 10 throughout most of the 200-mile race in Atlanta on March 6th, spent a few days at home before heading west to his native California.

From there, the 24-year-old trekked to Mexico for the MasterCraft Safety Tecate Score San Felipe 250 off-road event. Lofton, along with the rest of the Weekend Warriors TV crew were on hand to cover the event for the next episode of WWTV.

Once back on American soil in his native California following the event, Lofton was a guest on the syndicated Speed Freaks show on Sunday night, discussing his recent visit south of the border and his love for off-road racing, where he first cut his teeth racing on four wheels after transitioning from mountain bikes. Lofton also talked about his WWTV project, and plotted his season goals with his RHR team.

Following Lofton’s return to North Carolina on Monday, holding true to the old saying that there is no rest for the weary, he continued with the off-track duties that come along with being a NASCAR competitor, as he embarked on a three-day stretch with six media interviews mixed in with his other obligations.

Before returning home after landing in Charlotte, Lofton was on call, appearing as a guest on national shows Sirius Speedway and ABC Sports Radio. Once home, he wrapped up the day with one more late night call into WKIX / KIXWEB.com in Iowa.

On Tuesday, Lofton hit the ground running full speed ahead, literally and figuratively, as he was back at the track with his No. 7 Mark Rette-led crew. In preparation for next weekend’s event at the paperclip-shaped Martinsville Speedway, Lofton, Rette, and the rest of the team headed to Virginia for a one-day test on the .416-mile Motor Mile Speedway.

Now that he has the media’s attention following his string of appearances this week, in addition to a successful test to go along with a boost in confidence following the strong performance he displayed the last time out in Atlanta, Lofton has all of the key ingredients he needs to show the NASCAR world just how he earned the 2009 ARCA championship.

Lofton will next hit the track on Friday, March 26th at Martinsville, as the series hits the track for opening practice. The race is set for Saturday, the 27th at 2 PM Eastern, which can be seen live on SPEED.
If attending the Martinsville event, stop by and meet Justin on Friday night. He will be signing autographs in the fan exhibit outside of the turn 4, from 6:15 to 7 PM.

“We were en route to a solid top-10 with a top five in sight. On that restart, I went to the high side of the 93 truck. He started chasing his truck up the racetrack, squeezing me into the wall. It damaged the right side and the nose of the truck. The crew did an awesome job keeping us on the lead lap with all of the crash damage they had to repair,” Lofton said. “It’s disappointing to have such a great run taken away from us.”

Though the team did not get the finish they showed they deserved, Lofton earned respect and proved he’ll be a contender as the season rolls on.

Initially, Lofton took the green flag from the 22nd position. Knowing pre-race that their machine was set up for longer runs, Lofton settled in, maneuvering his Toyota into 18th after just five laps.

An early caution flag with just over 20 laps on the board allowed the 24-year-old to relay to crew chief Mark Rette that his visitPIT.com-backed Tundra was handling a bit loose in traffic. The team took advantage of the yellow, swapped out Goodyear tires, made a slight track bar adjustment, and got their driver back on track with a good stop, lining him up in the 12th position for the restart.

With the truck dialed in, Lofton wheeled his machine into the top 10 by lap 45, with Rette telling him, “Welcome to the top 10. Be cautiously aggressive, go get them.”

Lap after lap around the 1.54-mile track, the California native put his driving skills on display, muscling his entry into sixth, eyeing a top five effort by the time the caution waved on lap 69.

“You’re doing a great job out there bud. You’re impressing the heck out of me. Just take care of it here, there are a lot of laps left,” Rette said. “When we get a long run, we’re going to eat these boys up.”

Following cleanup for the caution, the field took the restart on lap 74. Lofton maintained the sixth position, mixing things up with the race leaders which included past and reigning NASCAR Nationwide Series champions Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch.

On lap 77 however, Lofton’s climb ended abruptly when the No. 93 truck of Shane Sieg drifted high on the backstretch, pushing Lofton, who was running in the outside lane, into the retaining wall. A victim of track position, Lofton’s truck suffered damage to both sides, forcing him to the pits for repairs.

The crew got to work and fixed as much of the damage as they could under yellow in order to keep their Toyota on track.  Lofton stayed up on the wheel, finishing out the race, bringing home a 20th place finish.

“It was a disappointing weekend for the 7 team. We had a strong truck. It wasn’t the fastest, but it sure handled great in the race. Mark made awesome changes throughout the race and the pit crew nailed every stop, picking up positions. It must be all of the training they have been doing at PIT,” Lofton boasted.

After the first two events, Lofton shows 18th in the point standings.

Next up, Lofton and the No. 7 crew will head to the paperclip shaped Martinsville Speedway short track on March 27th.

Last race review… Justin Lofton made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut a day later than planned at Daytona International Speedway on February 13th, after rain pushed the race back 24 hours. He ran well through both practice runs and qualified a solid 19th behind the wheel of the No. 7 Toyota Tundra. Unfortunately, as is the case with superspeedway racing, Lofton fell victim to an accident on lap 1, which caused right side damage to his machine. Thanks to the valiant work of his Mark Rette-led pit crew, Lofton fought back to finish 18th while teammate Timothy Peters nabbed the win.

Not just another day… With two off weeks separating track time for the NCWTS, Lofton used the time and headed west to his native California to celebrate his 24th birthday with family and friends on February 18th. A few days later, he took advantage of NASCAR’s “other” top two divisions’ schedules, by stopping by the Auto Club Speedway and taking in the Nationwide Series race.

Same faces, new places… Lofton joins Red Horse Racing with most of his championship-winning ARCA crew intact. Crew chief Mark Rette, along with truck chief Dan Bormann, crew members Jared Hewitt, and Tyler Jones, all made the move to Red Horse Racing with Lofton.

Lofton a beginner at Atlanta… an intermediate’s more like it… Though Lofton is a rookie at Atlanta Motor Speedway, he is very well versed on intermediate tracks that measure a mile and a half in length. Atlanta, a high speed 1.54-mile track, could be compared to other 1.5-mile facilities that Lofton has proven success at. Last season he notched a pole and a runner-up effort at Kentucky, and the race win at Chicagoland.

Back on board… VisitPit.com will grace the hood of Lofton’s No. 7 Toyota Tundra again this week in Atlanta. Based in Race City U.S.A., Mooresville, N.C., PIT, Performance Instruction and Training, is an award winning facility for motorsports related training, team building, and special events.

Justin Lofton on racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway “Daytona was disappointing but made us stronger. The true character of our team showed because we never gave up, and came home with a decent finish. I like Daytona, but I’m really looking forward to Atlanta. I like racing on other tracks this size, but haven’t been to Atlanta yet. It’s always fun to race on high-speed tracks that let you run wide open. I’m really looking forward to the race.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on Atlanta Motor Speedway “We’re ready to go racing after the superspeedway. Anything can happen, and did happen, at Daytona. I’m excited to go to a mile and a half where we can just go racing. It will be interesting to take a rookie to one of the fastest tracks that we go to. Justin has driven on Kentucky, Chicago, but he hasn’t driven on Charlotte, Atlanta, or Texas yet. He’s working hard on the simulator to learn those tracks.”

Equipment Information Lofton will race chassis RHR141. “It’s a newer truck. We’ve been working hard on it, trying to get the best package that we think will get Justin to the front,” Rette said.

Since he’s usually the one that his family members watch as he partakes in his racing endeavors, it was Justin this time that enjoyed some downtime and played the spectator, as he soaked up the California sun and watched his grandfather play in the Annual Lettuce Tournament at the Del Rio Country Club. From there, he headed to Fontana, and watched the Nationwide Series event at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday. Though the trucks weren’t on track, Lofton couldn’t block racing out completely, as he headed to the speedway to watch a few of his friends race.

He also stayed busy with his side project, Weekend Warriors TV, as the trio of Lofton, his sister Brittany and friend Brett, launched two episodes within the last two weeks.

After returning to North Carolina after a hectic but fun-filled week with his family, the now 24-year-old Lofton has shifted his focus back to his racing and his season behind the wheel of the No. 7 Toyota.

Later this week Lofton and crew chief Mark Rette will visit the wind tunnel as they prepare for the next event at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 6th.

“It’s not the way that I wanted to start the season, but the guys did a great job of repairing the truck and salvaging a decent finish,” Lofton said. “I really wish I would have been able to get up there and race my Red Horse Racing teammate Timothy Peters for the win, but we’ll have to wait until Atlanta.”

Lofton, who is the 2009 ARCA Racing Series champion, was optimistic entering his NCWTS debut weekend at Daytona after finishing third there last season in the ARCA event. With improving lap times throughout both practice sessions spanning Wednesday and Thursday, his confidence rightfully grew in his No. 7 VisitPIT.com Toyota Tundra. Though the speed chart doesn’t hold as much merit on superspeedways as it does at other tracks, Lofton knew he had a stout machine by the way his No. 7 Tundra handled racing within a pack of trucks. Under the guidance of spotter Timmy McKichan, Lofton felt his way through the draft around the 2.5-mile superspeedway, telling crew chief Mark Rette that the team prepared a good truck and to expect a good run on Friday night.

After laying down the 19th fastest lap in qualifying on Thursday, the team readied for the race, but rain hampered their plans, delaying the NextEra Energy Resources 250 until Saturday night following the NASCAR Nationwide Series race.

Once the sun set, it was time for the trucks to take center stage, with Lofton rolling off of the grid from the eighth row. Unfortunately, the tight racing that Daytona is known for, quickly proved its point yet again, as a wreck broke out before the field was able to complete lap one.

Lofton tried his best to avoid the melee but with trucks scattered across the racing surface, he wasn’t left with many options. Lofton’s No. 7 Tundra had its right side ripped open, prompting him to make numerous pitstops under the yellow flag for repairs.

With fears that the steering was off, crew chief Rette and crew got to work, feverishly taping, bolting, beating, and banging on the damaged machine. By the time the field saw the restart on lap 8, Lofton showed in the 29th position.

The field didn’t stay green for long however, with another caution flag falling on lap 20. By that time, Lofton had felt a vibration under his truck, and under yellow, the left front tire let go. The extended caution flag then opened the door for the crew to make extensive repairs, allowing Lofton to stay in the race.

“It’s speedway racing. We can’t control it. We’ll do the best we can. We’re not going to give up,” Rette radioed to his driver.

In addition to Rette’s never give up attitude, the entire No. 7 crew epitomized determination through the night, with their handy work allowing Lofton to move into the 22nd spot by halfway.

As the laps wound down, Lofton continued his climb through the field, telling his crew, “I feel bad. This thing is good torn up; I can’t imagine what it’d be like not torn up.”

With multiple caution flags slowing the field through the conclusion of the race, Lofton kept his focus and drove on to finish just outside of the top 15, sliding into 18th, while Red Horse Racing teammate Timothy Peters grabbed the win in a dramatic dash to the finish line.

“We had a really good truck. I could tell by the way it drafted in practice that we would be good. I was careful out there, saving the truck for the race. But once the green flag dropped, it was out of my hands.

“I can’t thank my guys enough; they didn’t give up, and they just worked and worked to keep me out there. With these guys working with me and these strong Toyotas, we’re going to have a great season after this.”

Lofton and the No. 7 crew will have a few weeks away from the racetrack before returning at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 6th.

Welcome to the Truck Series… 23-year-old Justin Lofton will be making his Camping World Truck Series debut on Friday, February 12th when he takes the green flag in the NextEra Energy Resources 250. Lofton, the 2009 ARCA Racing Series champion, has an impressive resume to his credit. In 2009 Lofton earned the ARCA title courtesy of six race wins, 15 top-5 and 19 top-10 finishes spanning the season’s 21 race schedule. Before climbing behind the wheel of a stock car, the California native honed his racing skills racing mountain bikes and off-road vehicles.

Get to know the newcomer… Lofton, though new to NCWTS competition, made his NASCAR debut in the midst of his ARCA championship campaign in 2009. He made his debut in the Nationwide Series at Michigan in August, where he started 19th and finished 16th. Lofton spent two seasons in ARCA before making the transition to NASCAR. When he’s not racing, Lofton doesn’t stray far from the racetrack. With a passion for video production, he promotes grassroots racing via his production company, Weekend Warriors TV, which tells the stories of fellow racers across the country in a bi-weekly web show.

Same faces, new places… Lofton joins Red Horse Racing with most of his championship-winning ARCA crew intact. Crew chief Mark Rette, along with truck chief Dan Bormann, crew members Jared Hewitt, and Tyler Jones, all made the move to Red Horse Racing with Lofton.

Lofton at Daytona… The NCWTS Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender Lofton has a stellar record on superspeedways. Last season he earned the pole for ARCA’s season-opener at Daytona, before finishing a solid third. To follow up the run, in April at Talladega Superspeedway, a comparable 2.66-mile high-speed track, he won his first of six races.

On board for the ride… VisitPit.com will grace the hood of Lofton’s No. 7 Toyota Tundra this week at Daytona. Based in Race City U.S.A., Mooresville, N.C., PIT, Performance Instruction and Training, is an award winning facility for motorsports related training, team building, and special events.

Justin Lofton on racing at Daytona International Speedway “I am so excited for this week to be here. The entire team is ready to get back to racing. They have been working so hard over the long off season to get all of the trucks ready for this season. I really feel we have a very competitive team and will run up front really early on in the season. We have a lot of momentum behind us and it will carry on into the 2010 season.”

Crew Chief Mark Rette on Daytona International Speedway “I’m ready to go back racing. It’s going to be a learning curve, for sure, to find what Justin needs in a truck compared to a Nationwide Series car and an ARCA car.  The air around the truck is much different than an ARCA car. You’re going to be in a tight pack, and the air is more of a factor. We’re going with a pretty conventional setup to let him get some laps and see what we have.”

Equipment Information Lofton will race chassis RHR108 on Friday night at Daytona. The last time it hit the track was last October with T.J. Bell behind the wheel at Talladega Superspeedway.

Though Lofton won’t climb behind the wheel of his No. 7 Toyota Tundra until next Wednesday in preparation for the 250-mile race on Friday the 12th, he will be heading south a week early.

Along with other members of the Weekend Warriors TV production team, Lofton will land in south Florida this weekend in order to take in the short track action at New Smyrna Speedway (a track he recently tested with his No. 7 Red Horse Racing team) and Volusia Speedway to film segments for an upcoming Weekend Warriors TV (found at WeekendWarriorsTV.com) episode.

Once filming is complete, Lofton will head to the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway for two full days of practice and qualifying before finally climbing behind the wheel of his No. 7 Toyota for his competitive debut in the NCWTS in the NextEra Energy Resources 250 on Friday, February 12th.

“I can’t wait to get to Florida. As a racer, the off-season is always tough because you just want to be at the racetrack. It felt so good to get in the truck last month when we tested New Smyrna,” Lofton said. “ I can’t wait to get back to racing and get the season started.”

Lofton, the 2009 ARCA Racing Series champion, has a stellar record on superspeedways. Last season he earned the pole for ARCA’s season-opener at Daytona, before finishing a solid third. To follow up the run, in April at Talladega Superspeedway, a comparable 2.66-mile high-speed track, he won his first of six races.

Over the weekend, he enjoyed some down time by taking in a Charlotte Bobcats basketball game before getting back to the grind on Monday.

Kicking off the week with business as usual, he and his Red Horse Racing team tweaked on final Daytona preparations, readying the truck for its first practice run, which is less than two weeks away.

On Tuesday, Lofton, who is part of the brain trust behind Weekend Warriors TV, helped launch the fifth episode. Focused on off-road racing, the episode delves behind the scenes of the intense action that bred Lofton as the racer that he is today. To view the episode and to catch up on missed episodes, including Lofton’s recent test session at New Smyrna Speedway, check out http://www.WeekendWarriorsTV.com.

Also in the works for Lofton this past week was the launch of an online charity auction found at: http://cgi.ebay.com/Bodyn-Bobsled-JUSTIN-LOFTON-custom-ARCA-champ-die-cast_W0QQitemZ220544902857QQcmdZViewItemQQptZL. The auction consists of an autographed 1:24 replica die cast of Lofton’s ARCA Racing Series championship-winning car from 2009. All proceeds of the auction will go towards the U.S. Olympic bobsled team.

Closing out the week, Lofton will appear on Burning Rubber Radio to preview his rookie run in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. You can listen to the interview at 8 P.M. Eastern time on Thursday evening.

With the season inching closer and his schedule filling up, Lofton continued the trend on Sunday, as he attended the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) convention where he was introduced to the attending motorsports media members along with fellow NASCAR rookie drivers spanning Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Truck Series competition.

Lofton will be racing head-to-head against Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon for the Raybestos Rookie of The Year honors within the NCWTS.

Following the luncheon, Lofton spent the early portion of the week with his race team at the Red Horse Racing shop and ironing out his vision for the season.

On Wednesday, Lofton’s schedule consists of a full day of media activities and a photo shoot for manufacturer Toyota. With Thursday left as a breather for personal business, Lofton will be back at it on Friday, appearing at the Charlotte Checkers’ Fourth Annual Race Night. Lofton, who plays an occasional game of hockey himself, will be signing autographs prior to the start of the match up on the ice for 45 minutes beginning at 6 PM EST. Fans interested in attending the event in order to meet the Truck Series rookie can still get tickets via the gocheckers.com website.

“I spent some time in California and laid low for a few days over the holidays, but I’ve kept pretty busy,” Lofton said of the short lived off-season. Adding, “I’ve spent a lot of time at the shop the last two months, working out with the over-the-wall crew. I’ve also put a lot of time into the Weekend Warriors TV project.”

Since claiming the ARCA Racing Series championship in October at Rockingham Speedway, Lofton unfortunately, hasn’t had much time behind the wheel of a racecar other than a dirt modified event in his native California. Lofton won the event and it was all chronicled on camera by Weekend Warriors TV (found at WeekendWarriorsTV.com), a web program that highlights grassroots racing.

In addition to Lofton’s own involvement, the show is hosted by his younger sister Brittany, and is directed by videographer Brett Bortle. The show has debuted three episodes to date, with the third installment focusing on Lofton’s dirt modified race win in November.

With the off-season winding down, the 23-year-old racer’s focus will soon shift back to that of driving as Lofton and his Mark Rette led crew will test their No. 7 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra at New Smyrna Speedway next Wednesday and Thursday.

“I’m at the shop everyday with the guys but I am ready to get back to a racetrack. I’m excited to see how these Tundras handle. I might be considered a rookie, but I do not feel like one,” Lofton said.

“Tom DeLoach (owner) and Kevin Ray (Team Manager) have built such a great organization. With their resources, and Mark (Rette, crew chief) and I already having such a strong relationship after winning the ARCA title, I feel like we’ll be strong out of the gate.”

Following the test session on the half-mile New Smyrna track, Lofton will be busy ironing out details for the 2010 season; partaking in photo shoots, media appearances, and autograph sessions. Fans in the surrounding Charlotte, N.C. area can meet Lofton at the Charlotte Checkers ‘ Race Night on Friday, January 22nd.

Three weeks later, they can catch Lofton’s debut in the Camping World Truck Series at the season-opener in Daytona on February 12th.