The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of:
                               Justin Lofton Debuts in Nationwide Series

By Brenda Benedict

Brenda Benedict

“The stuff that dreams are made of.” That is Humphrey Bogart’s famous line from the Maltese Falcon and it is generally overused but in this case, it really fits.

Justin Lofton is living the stuff that dreams are made of and enjoying every minute of it. I talked with Lofton yesterday and heard about the dream he has of breaking into the Nationwide Series. He took big steps toward that dream yesterday when he drove a Nationwide car onto the track for the first time.

Lofton, a 23 year old California native, made his Nationwide debut this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. Lofton is new to the Nationwide ranks but not to MIS where he won the ARCA RE/MAX race in June, 2008. That was the start of an impressive run when Lofton joined the Eddie Sharp Racing team. Lofton is currently number two in points in the ARCA RE/MAX Series.

Lofton has a long history of racing. Both his parents have racing experience- his mother in Porsche time trials and his father in road racing.

Justin started out racing mountain bikes as an 11 year old and found success at every level of competition. An injury with his bike forced him to switch to car racing around age 16 and he has tallied an impressive record since that time.

The Lofton’s team that came to Michigan International Speedway is the same team that has been supporting him in the ARCA RE/MAX Series and Lofton is banking on their proven record this past summer to propel him to a good showing.

When Lofton rolled onto the track Friday it was his first experience in a Nationwide car. But that did not seem to stop him from performing well.

His early run in practice found him in 31st spot, but he bettered his time during the final practice by almost six-tenths of a second and finished in 12th place. He was only one-tenth of a second behind Kyle Busch.

The team continued to prove to be strong during qualifying. Lofton qualified well and didn’t disappoint the team . His impressive time placed him in 19th place-a real relief for his team because of his ‘go or go home’ status. Lofton does not have enough points to guarantee him a starting spot.

After qualifying Lofton’s face told the story. Justin stated, “I’m excited to be part of the show” and he seemed to be genuinely excited. His enthusiasm seems to draw fans toward him and he was happy to accommodate all those who approached him for autographs.

Lofton continued his strong showing at Michigan on Saturday afternoon. He started in 19th place but slowly moved up through the competitors. When I asked Justin what kind of finish he would need to feel successful, he laughed but seriously thought that a top 15 finish would be outstanding. In lap 88, he moved into 15th place. After a late race spin out, Lofton recovered and finished 16th. A great showing and great start of a Nationwide career.

Lofton’s run at Michigan was the first of four Nationwide runs. He will also compete at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Homestead Miami Speedway in addition to his ARCA RE/MAX races.

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