23-year-old Justin Lofton is accustomed to the routine of racing on the weekends but this week is different. A second year racer in the ARCA RE/MAX Series, Lofton will make his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut for CJM Racing in the No. 14 Lofton Cattle Toyota this Saturday, August 15th at Michigan International Speedway.
“I am so excited for the race this weekend. The guys have all been working hard and I really like Michigan a lot. It’s a fun racetrack with multiple grooves, high speeds and the ability to pass,” Lofton said.
Michigan is a special track to the 23-year-old. Lofton scored his first ARCA race win on the two-mile track in 2008. Since, he’s gone on to tally three more race wins this season spanning the superspeedway in Talladega to the short track at Berlin. He’s won the last two ARCA events, at Berlin and Pocono, and currently sits second in the driver point standings, just 20 points out of first.
He currently leads the series with 10 top five finishes, 11 top 10 finishes and four pole awards.
Lofton drives the No. 6 Toyota for Eddie Sharp Racing in ARCA and to his delight, his winning race team is making the transition to Nationwide competition with him. Lofton will be led by crew chief Mark Rette, who also calls the shots for him in ARCA. His crew has worked diligently preparing the car and they will also make the debut with him, tweaking on the car throughout practice and pitting his machine on Saturday.
“We’ve had a good year in ARCA and I’m certain that will roll over to the Nationwide car. My guys work hard and I like this track. We’ve had success here in the past and we’ve won the last two ARCA races - that gives us all of the confidence in the world,” Lofton added.
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