Justin Lofton returned to his racing roots last weekend by climbing behind the wheel of a Class 1 Unlimited buggy while competing in the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge. Despite his sporadic absence from off-road racing over the last few years, Lofton quickly reminded everyone that he’s a force to be reckoned with no matter what he’s racing.
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.
For more on Justin Lofton and the golf tournament, visit LoftonRacing.com
Follow Justin on Twitter: twitter.com/jlracing
