My Interview with Camping World Truck Series Driver Justin Lofton
So, for my second interview I had the privilege of interviewing Justin Lofton who spoke about his past, where he is at in the present, and his goals for down the road, and of course just some fun things to get an idea of the things that he enjoys.
Justin grew up watching his dad, uncle, and grandfather race so he knew early on that racing was going to be in his future. He started out racing off road cars and then when he was a little older he decided that he wanted to drive something else, something different
He was inspired by several drivers among them Robby Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Michael Schumacher, he states “These are all great drivers but I get to go racing with mine every weekend”.
Justin’s big break came in 2008 while he was driving in the ARCA series that’s where he was approached by Red Horse Racing about driving a truck for them. He didn’t start racing with them until 2010 but he states “That started the whole process”. His advice to others “Don’t rush yourself and win races”. It is such a simple statement ,but very true. So aspiring drivers take note of Justin’s advice.
I wanted to delve a little further into his driving, when asked if any tracks scare him, he replied “I can’t say any scare me. I love going and attacking tracks”. Justin also says that he does have one pre-race ritual “Mainly just putting my left glove on before the right. I try not to get a solid routine down because of distractions and obligations during race weekends”. I think it brought him luck for not being hurt any worse than just a broken thumb in the crash at Talladega. That’s just my opinion, something or someone looked after him in that nasty crash, it could have been so much worse. Sponsorship and himself he sees as his biggest competition right now . “I always go out and give %110 so the only pressure I have is to run well and put myself in a position teams will want to pick me up for a full-time ride” Justin says. The next step in his career is a full time ride in cup, that is what he hopes for in 2014 that is what he is focusing on for his career.
When asked about his dream team if he could pick one his comment was “I would like to work with/around Chad Knaus.” which I can’t say as I blame him as half the teams would like that too. I thought I would sneak in a few fun questions as well, see a little more of his lighter side so to speak. I asked him about his off time and his answer came a little bit as a surprise,” I have a vinyl graphics company J6ink and video production company Weekend Warriors Productions so I stay very busy keeping up with them when I’m not racing.” Which I never knew about. Out of curiosity I asked Justin if you could race in any era which one would you pick? He surprised me there too, I expected maybe early 90’s but his reply was “Probably mid 60’s formula 1 tracks were amazing, and drivers were huge stars then and the whole Country was behind their drivers.”
Justin talked about what he does during off season “I spend the two months off in California at my parents catching up with family, spend a week in Las Vegas for the National Finals rodeo and final off road race of the year. Then start preparing for my Charity Golf Tournament and 11th and get to spend a couple days in the sand dunes with my friends.” so I put some general questions in there some things that I guess are everyday things for us but for some reason I see drivers and different, elite in a way. Justin states his favorite food is fairly simple a New York Steak and white rice. He doesn’t really have a favorite movie as there are many great ones out there. When he was asked about his favorite type of music he listens to he answered “I go thru phases of country, big hair bands, and punk rock. As I do this, I’m listening to The Offspring”. His favorite time of year is Halloween and fall, one of his favorite ways to spend a evening is going to haunted attractions.
Winding down I asked him simply where do you see yourself in 10 years? ” A full time Cup driver” was his response and after talking to him and watching him on the track, I think he will be there too. I want to thank Justin again for taking time for the interview. I am glad I got to know a little more about him, I hope you are too.
I would like to send a huge thanks to Justin Lofton for being so kind and patient with me. Stay tuned because I have interviews with drivers John Wes Townley and Jeb Burton coming up next!
I want you all to know I do so appreciate the time it takes to read these articles, they are harder to write than I expected!
Thousands Rally Behind Petition To Honor Fallen Racer Sean Edwards
On October 15th, 2013, 26 year old Sean Edwards took to Queensland Raceway for a private test to train up and coming drivers. Prior to going out on track, the 2006 GT3 champion tweeted; “Time to hit Queensland Raceway today, should be fun, hope there aren’t too many kangaroos like at Bathurst! :)” Sean exited the pit lane that day and tragically, he never came back. Just like that, a promising young sports car racer was gone and the racing community was stunned. At the time of his death, Sean was leading the Porsche Supercup standings by a comfortable margin and was well on his way to winning the title with just one round remaining. Fellow racer Jon Miller came up with a way to honor Sean and his proposal has gained international support from fans and drivers alike. Here it is…
“Porsche, you have the opportunity do something rare and very special. We are asking you to elect to hold the final two rounds of the 2013 Porsche SuperCup (rounds 8 and 9 on November 2/3 at the Yas Marina Circuit) as non-points scoring rounds.
We believe that the rightful champion of the 2013 season has already been crowned, however he won’t be able to attend the final race to make it a formality. Racers and fans around the world are mourning the loss of driver, Sean Edwards, who currently leads the Supercup Championship by 18 points, with 3 wins in 7 races. With a win being worth 20 points, and Sean never having finished lower than 5th, he was bound to be champion. If his nearest competitor were to win both races at the final round, Sean would only need to match his worst finish so far (5th) and the championship would still go to him. If Sean were to win the first race of the weekend, he could park his car and score no points during race 2 – and still be champion. Even his competitors can’t argue: Sean Edwards has dominated Porsche Supercup this year. He deserves the title.
We want to make sure that Sean goes down in the record books as he was in the hearts and minds of his family, friends and competitors: a Champion. Please dedicate the final two races of Porsche Supercup to Sean Edwards, implore your drivers to race in his honor and put on a fantastic show for the fans. Pay them their prize money and hire the good ones to factory drives for next year. But do not award them any points.
Please, Porsche; make Sean Edwards your 2013 SuperCup champion and celebrate in his honor at the championship party in Abu Dabhi.
Thank you,
Racing fans, Porsche fans and Sean Edwards fans everywhere”
The petition surpassed 10,000 signatures within 48 hours with people praising the idea from all corners of the globe. I got the chance to interview the petition’s creator, Jon Miller earlier this week.
First off, where did the idea for this petition come from & who are some of its major supporters in the racing community?
The idea for the petition came after the initial shock of hearing about the accident and Sean’s passing. In the outpouring of respect and support for Sean’s friend and family, people began to share stories about him and how he was racing at the top of his game, on the verge of a major factory drive. Attention was also placed on the fact that Sean was currently leading the Porsche Supercup championship by a healthy margin. I think many racers and fans probably had the same thought. Richard Westbrook was the first one that I saw who tweeted: “Would be very fitting if Sean was crowned Supercup champion in Abu Dhabi. He dominated this year. Make it a non points race please Porsche”
It got over 600 retweets in a few hours and seemed to echo the sentiment that many were feeling. A couple of days later, I was still thinking about that idea and how to grow support for it and send the message to Porsche. I started the petition late one night and emailed it to a few people and posted it on Facebook and Twitter. When I woke up there were a few hundred signatures already, and within 48 hours there were 10,000 signatures from all over the world. I think it’s important to mention that the petition has grown organically and these signatures are not inflated numbers. People have left hundreds of comments supporting Sean and I have gotten personal messages from people all over the world who were happy to see the support for Sean and this idea.
The petition has seen support from drivers like Andy Lally, Will Davidson and 3-time Supercup champion, Rene Rast. Khaled Al Qubaisi, who was Sean’s teammate when they won this year’s Dubai 24hr race in a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 has also been very active in supporting the petition.
Has Jonas Krauss or any Porsche Supercup officials responded to this petition yet?
At this time, I have not received and response from Porsche or Jonas Krauss, acknowledging the petition. I hope that changes before race day and I have been told by supporters who are connected with Porsche that people within the company are aware of the petition.
Nicki Thiim and Michael Ammermüller are the drivers currently 2nd and 3rd in points and I’m interested to know if they have said anything regarding the petition and do you think they’d possibly consider refusing to run the final round in order to ensure Sean the crown?
The two drivers, Nicki Thiim and Michael Ammermuller who are mathematically able to defeat Sean for the championship have not responded to the petition, as far as I know. They have their own decisions to make about that, and I’m sure they will keep that to themselves. They have their own teams, sponsors and careers to consider in the context of all of this.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
The reason that I believe making it a non-points race is the right thing to do is so that the final race can be hard fought, for the win, all the way to the checkered flag – a proper show without concern of one driver punting another to ensure Sean’s title, or a dramatic, last lap, “intentional retirement” by the leader. Porsche are in a unique position to do something incredibly special for the motorsport world, a rare symbolic gesture. Being a driver myself, I understand some of the disagreement with this idea, that a championship should be fought to the end regardless of circumstances but that doesn’t resonate with me in this case. Sean dominated the series this year and essentially only needed to show up in Abu Dhabi to claim the prize. Nobody can argue with his performance this year or that he has earned the title.
Whatever happens at the final race weekend, weather or not this petition achieves it’s stated goal, as far as I am concerned it has already accomplished far more than I had ever expected. The stories that have been posted, the support and popularity of the petition alone shows that there is a massive, international motorsport family, who can break through the politics of racing and come together to support one of their own. I am just happy to be a part of that, for Sean.
I 100% agree with everything Jon is saying and believe there is no better tribute to Sean than to award him the championship posthumously. I really don’t see how you can argue otherwise. This young man paid the ultimate price doing what he loved and we should honor him for his sacrifice. Signing takes less than a minute and if you want to give your support, I posted a link to the petition below. Please spread the word as well.
TO SIGN THE PETITION —> http://www.change.org/petitions/porsche-motorsport-make-the-final-race-of-the-2013-supercup-season-a-non-points-race?
Sean Edwards was a great driver, a great person and he will be missed by us all. This tragedy epitomizes just how close the motorsports community is and how we all come together when things go horribly wrong. Death in racing is unavoidable and the wounds left in its wake sometimes never heal. Tragic deaths like that of Sean Edwards’ are never in vain though. Racing legend Bruce McLaren, who also lost his life behind the wheel, put it best when he said; “To do something well is so worthwhile that to die trying to do it better cannot be foolhardy. It would be a waste of life to do nothing with one’s ability, for I feel that life is measured in achievement, not in years alone.” We bury the fallen with tears, embrace the ones who escape death’s firm and final grip with relief and race on, because that’s what racers do. Goodbye Sean and let us all take comfort in the fact that you’re racing with angels now.
Denny Hamlin sets track record and takes the pole at Martinsville
Joe Gibbs Racing driver, Denny Hamlin, turns in a lap of 99.595 mph to set a new track record and score the Coors Light pole for the Goody’s 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Today’s record was the 18th new track record this season.
The pole was Hamlin’s fifth of the season and 17th of his career. Qualifying has been one of the few highlights for Hamlin this season. He missed four races earlier in the season with injuries sustained in a crash at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA. His stats this season have been off tremendously scoring only five top-10’s in his 28 starts.
Hamlin talked about his run, “I knew we were going to be pretty strong, I knew we had a shot at the pole, and beyond that I think our car was pretty good in race trim as well.”
Hamlin is always strong at Martinsville and he seems to have a little more pep in his step in the last few weeks. This could be a sign that the team has turned things around, identified the problems, and are now looking to finish the season on a high note.
Championship points leader, Jimmie Johnson, will start outside the front row. Johnson turned in a lap of 99.344 mph. His lap tied the lap posted by Hamlin’s teammate, Kyle Busch. Johnson took the higher position, however, due to the tiebreaker.
Johnson and Busch joked in the media center after qualifying about the fact that Johnson thought he was starting third. Busch stated, “He wanted third because he wanted to be on the inside.”
Johnson talked about his qualifying effort, “I felt like I had a good last lap, although it wasn’t the most efficient and smoothest lap, so I felt like I had a chance to slide down to fifth or sixth or something as the session went on.”
Matt Kenseth, who currently sits second in the points, will start fourth giving Joe Gibbs Racing three of the top five spots. Kenseth is currently only four points behind Johnson, who is the favorite to win on Sunday.
Rounding out the top five is Michael Waltrip Racing driver, Clint Bowyer. Bowyer, who currently sits ninth in the standings 57 points behind leader Johnson, turned in a lap of 99.162 mph.
Toyota has four of the top five spots with Ford sitting sixth and eighth and Chevrolet seventh, ninth and tenth.
The Goody’s 500 is set to go green at 1:30pm local time on Sunday.
