Justin Lofton and the No. 6 Millennium VIP Group Private Jet Services Chevrolet raced through the field in a fight for the championship on Wednesday at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (“World’s Fastest Half-Mile). After damaging his No. 6 Chevrolet during his qualifying attempt, Lofton had to start near the back of the pack and raced through the field from the 32nd position on the World’s Fastest Half-Mile. The championship contender closed in on the competition to race all the way up to the 10th position before the checkered flag waved.
Starting near the back of the field, Lofton paced himself to move up the leaderboard during a long green-flag run at the beginning of the UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The 26-year-old picked up 20 positions before coming down pit road during the lap 82 caution period. With the truck just a little loose, the Millennium VIP Group Private Jet Services team went to work changing four tires, adding fuel and making a wedge adjustment to Lofton’s truck before sending him back on the track.
Lofton continued to stalk the competition, slowly picking up position after position to move into the top 10 by lap 180. As cautions bred cautions during the closing laps of the 200-lap event, the field bunched up, resulting in some damage to the No. 6 truck. On lap 193, one of the frontrunners engine sputtered causing the rest of the field to step on the brakes. Lofton’s teammate Cale Gale was turned off the nose of another competitor and spun into the inside wall as everyone else tried to avoid making contact. Lofton couldn’t get slowed in time, and ran into the back of the truck in front of him causing damage to the nose of his truck. With the hood bent up, Lofton continued to run as best he could for the final green-white-checkered restart. Coming to the checkered flag, Lofton was racing side-by-side and got pushed up out of the groove while two other competitors dove to the inside to take positions. As a result, the championship contender crossed the finish line in the 10th position.
“We really fought hard to work our way up through the field,” commented Lofton. “We got a couple of breaks along the way, but lost an opportunity at the end when the No. 9 truck got in to us in turn three coming to the checkered. It cost us a couple of spots, but we finished top 10. For starting in the 32nd position, I would say it was a pretty good race at Bristol.”
Leaving the World’s Fastest Half-Mile, Lofton is still sitting in fourth place in the championship point standings, just 31 points out of first place. Nine races remain in the 2012 season.
The NCWTS will take on Atlanta Motor Speedway on Friday, August 31st. Live coverage of the Jeff Foxworthy’s Grit Chips 200 will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET on SPEED, MRN Radio and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio, channel 90. Final practice (1:00 p.m. ET) and qualifying (4:30 p.m. ET) from the 1.54-mile track will also be broadcast on Friday afternoon. Fans can visit www.teamesr.com, www.twitter.com/teamesr, or www.facebook.com/TeamESR for the latest news and updates about Justin Lofton and the No. 6 Millennium VIP Group Private Jet Services Chevrolet Silverado team.
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About Eddie Sharp Racing: Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) (TeamESR.com) is a championship winning racing team housed in a 45,000 square-foot facility in Denver, N.C. After getting its start in the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) Racing Series, ESR has accumulated upwards of 20 race wins, the 2009 ARCA Racing Series Championship, and countless top five and top-10 finishes in just five years of competition. By 2010, ESR began to make the transition into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) with a partial schedule before racing in the series full-time in 2011. By 2012, the team expanded to be a multi-truck team and secured its first victory in just the team’s 35th NCWTS race. Additionally, ESR continues to build its driver development program fielding various drivers in the ARCA Racing Series, the United Auto Racing Association (UARA) STAR Series and other late model events across the southeast.
About Millennium VIP Group Private Jet Services: World Class Jet Charters and Fleet Service since 2002. We are a privately owned, full service luxury executive Jet Charter Service, that offers 100% up time to our clients traveling to or from any airport in the world. MillenniumAire has a long history of luxury jet services to our loyal clients for 10 years now. We operate our own fleet of jets and our corporate headquarters are located in Las Vegas, NV, along with offices in Long Beach, Calif. and Aurora, Ore. Our jet charter professional, charter concierge, Pilots and jet maintenance crews are not only the most qualified, but the finest professionals you’ll encounter in the industry, bar none. MillenniumAire Jet Charters can be arranged for any city, on demand. Please call us toll free at (888) 891-5505.
About SPEED Energy: SPEED Energy is available in four flavors: Ethanol, Unleaded, Fuel and Octane, which provide the human machine with the fuel it needs to keep up with the SPEED of life. Each drink contains a potent blend of B-vitamins, caffeine, taurine and ginseng. SPEED, packaged in 16 ounce cans, is available in singles, 4 packs, and cases. SPEED Energy is available at major retailers, convenience stores, grocery stores, bars and nightclubs. For a retailer near you, please visit www.speedenergy.com.
About Barz Golf: Barz Golf specializes in golf products that will satisfy your need
for speed. Barz Golf’s custom putters are designed for serious golfers and serious race fans. Our custom putters are great for the everyday golfer, from the occasional hacker to the Pro. Our custom race car putters are field-tested by GolfTest USA and received the Seal of Excellence. Visit BarzGolf.com for more information on customized putters.
Visit us online at LoftonRacing.com & TeamESR.com
