Darlington Raceway has a reputation for being one of NASCAR's toughest race tracks. But the No. 77 Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra team refused to relent to its challenges on Saturday, overcoming numerous obstacles in the Too Tough to Tame 200, and finishing with an impressive 13th place finish.

"The guys on this team worked nonstop all day. We had a rough start in practice but they thrashed on it and we got it turned around for qualifying. We had a good starting spot, but there's not much you can do when trucks scatter on the start. There was nowhere to go there and we suffered a bit of damage, but the guys fixed it up as best as they could and we kept digging," Lofton said.

Knowing that he had no points to rely on in order to make the event, Lofton and the No. 77 Lofton Cattle team showed no signs of concern early on after suffering through a spin and a "Darlington stripe" in both morning practice sessions. Instead, they simply worked harder, getting the truck ready for the afternoon qualifying run.

The hard work paid off, as Lofton laid down the 17th fastest speed, securing a solid starting spot for the race. Once the green flag waved however, more trouble found Lofton.

As the field got up to speed on the first lap, contact near the front of the field ignited a melee, collecting at least seven damaged race trucks, including Lofton's No. 77 Toyota.

Lofton radioed to crew chief Ryan Fugle that the wheel was off in addition to the cosmetic damage. He made multiple stops down pit road under the caution flag, with the crew repairing as much as they could before being forced to send him back on track for the restart.

Despite battling an ill-handling machine, Lofton maintained a spot on the lead lap through the third caution flag on lap 26. The yellow allowed him to make another trip to pit road. The crew swapped out right side tires and fixed the alignment. Lofton took the restart from the 30th position.

With a repaired truck, Lofton settled in behind the wheel, and consistently clicked off positions lap after lap.

By the time the yellow waved on lap 90, Lofton showed in the 13th position. At that time, Fugle called him to pit road. The crew worked their magic, laying down a solid four-tire change, gaining a position. Some leaders however, opted for two tires, leaving Lofton 12th for the restart.

Three more caution flags waved through the final 50 laps of the race, with spotter Mark Green calling Lofton through multiple near misses.

Lofton took advantage of one of those yellows, making his final pit stop of the night on lap 120. After taking on an air pressure adjustment, two tires, and fuel, Lofton rejoined the race in 17th.

With only three laps remaining following the final restart on lap 144, Lofton flexed his muscle, wheeling his battered, yet strong No. 77 Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra to a solid 13th place finish.

"I can't thank my guys enough. Rudy (crew chief Ryan Fugle) is such a great motivator. He stayed positive, laid out a plan to get the truck fixed, and kept me focused. It feels great to leave Darlington with a 13th place finish after the challenges we faced all day," Lofton added.

After Darlington, Lofton picked up eight spots to 15th in the driver point standings. The No. 77 team will next hit the track on April 2 at Martinsville Speedway.

For more on Justin Lofton, visit LoftonRacing.com and on Twitter, @jlracing.

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________________________________

Amanda Brahler

Justin Lofton Media Relations

Email: mandy@justinloftoninc.com

LoftonRacing.com - twitter.com/jlracing

Justin Lofton, No. 77 Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra

Track: Darlington Raceway

Event: Too Tough to Tame 200

When: Saturday, March 12th 5 PM (Eastern)

Broadcast information: 4:30 PM (Eastern), SPEED

Last Time Out: Justin Lofton qualified 24th for the 150-mile race at Phoenix two weeks ago, but despite a strong truck with a storied background within the Germain Racing stable, the Ryan Fugle led team suffered a setback when the throttle stop backed out, sending the No. 77 Toyota to pit road for prolonged repairs early in the running. Lofton made the best of the remainder of the race, running lap times consistent with top-10 trucks. Lofton and team ended the night in the 30th position.

Lofton at Darlington: Lofton logged his highest qualifying effort to date, qualifying in the third position, last August in Darlington. Though the track is dubbed "Too Tough to Tame" the California native had no problems early on learning the ropes around the abrasive 1.366-mile track. After laying down the top-five starting spot, Lofton ran a stellar race, maintaining a spot within the top-five most of the night before a late race run-in dropped him to 20th at the finish.

Down Time Details: Lofton spent the off weekend in between Phoenix and Darlington in his hometown of Brawley, California, shooting a music video with his production company Weekend Warriors TV. Lofton, along with co-owners, sister Brittany Lofton and business partner Brett Bortle, spent Saturday and Sunday filming with rock band Paperback Hero for their single Breath of Time. Following Darlington, Lofton and the WWTV crew will head to the Field Filler Fairgrounds for some go-kart racing. During his break in competition next weekend, Lofton plans on heading to Colorado to partake in snowmobiling with friend Rusty Szymanski. Szymanski serves as Lofton's navigator when he's behind the wheel of an off-road machine.

Truck Information: Lofton will race chassis GR010 this week in Darlington. Lofton and the No. 77 team ran this truck two weeks ago on the one-mile Phoenix International Raceway. The truck has a solid history within the Germain Racing stable. Teammate Todd Bodine raced the truck numerous times last season en route to multiple top-five runs.

Lofton on Darlington: "I am really excited for Darlington. As a rookie, I had a really good run there last year. I really liked the track. It's unique and challenging but a lot of fun to race. My teammate Todd Bodine won there last year, so that just gives the team an added boost heading into the weekend."

Crew Chief Ryan "Rudy" Fugle on Darlington:"The team had a chance with the week off to focus on all of the small details and because of that, we are heading to the track this weekend rejuvenated. We're going to start fresh and put the first two races and the bad luck behind us. This is a good truck and Justin ran really well in Darlington last year. We plan on running up front and mixing it up for the win."

###

_______________________________

Amanda Brahler

Justin Lofton Media Relations

Email: mandy@justinloftoninc.com

LoftonRacing.com - twitter.com/jlracing

// February 28th, 2011

Phoenix International Raceway is one of Justin Lofton’s favorite race tracks. He entered the event weekend with high hopes at the one-mile facility, but an issue with his No. 77 Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra early into the Lucas Oil 150 on Friday night left him with a 30th place finish.

“It’s disappointing because I had some family come from California and I always look forward to racing here. I knew something wasn’t right pretty early, but it is something that gradually gets worse and you can’t tell right off what it is,” Lofton said. “Once we figured it out, the truck ran pretty good. We’ll shake it off this week and be back at it in Darlington.”

At the start of the race, Lofton dropped his No. 77 Toyota to the rear of the field after the crew made adjustments to the truck following qualifying. Initially, Lofton grabbed the 24th starting spot. With just under 20 laps on the board however, the 25-year-old radioed to crew chief Ryan Fugle that the truck seemed sluggish on the front stretch.

Shortly after the race hit the lap 40 mark, the first yellow flag of the night waved, allowing Lofton to make a trip down pit road. The crew raised the hood, investigating the problem. The field returned to green flag conditions, but the Lofton Cattle machine remained on pit road. While looking their machine over, the crew found that the throttle stop backed out, fixed the problem, and sent Lofton back on track.

Despite rejoining the race with a 10 lap deficit, Lofton did his job, running a clean race and clicking off lap times that equaled other trucks within the top-10.

On lap 104 Fugle and Lofton agreed to drop to the rear of the field following a restart, since “cautions breed cautions.” And they were right. Five more caution flags waved during the course of the final 40 laps. Spotter Mark Green called Lofton through the action, allowing the California native to drive his Toyota home to a 30th place finish.

After a week off the No. 77 Lofton Cattle crew will next head to Darlington Raceway on March 12th.

Amanda Brahler

Justin Lofton Media Relations

Email: mandy@justinloftoninc.com

LoftonRacing.com - twitter.com/jlracing  

Justin Lofton, No. 77 Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra

Track: Phoenix International Raceway

Event: Lucas Oil 150

When: Friday, February 25th 8:00 PM (Eastern)

Broadcast information: 7:30 PM (Eastern), SPEED

Last Time Out: Justin Lofton had an eventful run at Daytona last week. First, he had to qualify on time in order to make the 250-mile Friday night event. On Thursday, Lofton did just that and nabbed the 17th starting position. The race however, was a bit of a challenge, with Lofton and the No. 77 Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra team falling victim to the tight racing on the 2.-5 mile superspeedway, suffering damage to their Tundra due to a lap 76 multi-truck wreck. Despite a few lingering issues, the team banded together and drove home to an 18th place finish.

Lofton at Phoenix: Born and raised in southern California, Lofton climbed the racing ladder throughout the Southwest.  From late models to lower-tiered NASCAR touring series, including the K&N Pro Series West, Lofton has visited PIR many times. To date, he has logged nearly 600 miles on the 1-mile track. In 2010 in Camping World Truck Series competition, Lofton had a stellar run in front of many family members and friends that made the trip from California. He started the event last November from the seventh position and finished and impressive ninth.

Off Week Plans: The Camping World Truck Series schedule sees a break in competition next weekend, allowing Lofton time to shift his focus to the production company, Weekend Warriors TV, that he co-owns. The three-person organization will head to Lofton’s home town in Brawley, California and shoot a music video for the Los Angeles-based rock band Paperback Hero.

Truck Information: Lofton will race chassis GR010 this week in Phoenix. Lofton and the No. 77 team recently tested the truck at the Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, Florida. Last year, teammate, champion Todd Bodine raced the machine numerous times, notching several top-fives and a visit to victory lane.

Lofton on Phoenix: “I am excited about Phoenix this week. I love racing there. I consider it my home track. It is always a lot of fun to go there because family and friends from back home can make the trip. For some of them, it is the only trip they make all year. I had a good finish for them last year and I’m really excited about our chances this week. We tested this truck during the off season and it was really fast.”

Amanda Brahler

Justin Lofton Media Relations

Email: mandy@justinloftoninc.com

LoftonRacing.com - twitter.com/jlracing 

Justin Lofton celebrated his 25th birthday on Friday at the Daytona International Speedway, coinciding with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series' season opener, the NextEra Energy Resources 250.

"Friday was a lot of fun. It's always cool to celebrate my birthday the week of Daytona, but it was really special this year to have the race fall on my birthday," Lofton said.

After months of anticipation, the event marked the debut for the 2009 ARCA Racing Series champion with his new team Germain Racing. Lofton and crew chief Ryan Fugle showed instant chemistry, as the duo had no problem securing a starting spot for the 100-lap Friday night race after Lofton grabbed the 17th starting position in his No. 77 Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra.

Once the green flag fell Lofton needed only six laps to move into the top-10. By lap 20 however, Lofton radioed Fugle that his Tundra was running a bit hot, causing him to have to move around in the draft in order to get more air into the nose of his machine in order to cool down the rising temperatures.

Under green on lap 28, Lofton drove the No. 77 Toyota down pit road for his first pit stop of the night. The crew got to work, changing right side tires and adding fuel.

10 laps later, the first caution flag of the event waved, allowing Lofton to make another stop. This time the crew swapped out all four tires, added fuel, and made an adjustment under the rear end of the No. 77. The additional work cost Lofton a lap, but by the next caution on lap 55, Lofton was given the free pass, putting him back on the lead lap.

Fugle then made the call on lap 56 and again on lap 67 to bring Lofton down pit road in order to top off on fuel. With 33 laps remaining, he informed his driver, "Use long gears. We're good to lap 101, but save all you can for a green-white-checkered."

Just 10 laps later however, a multi-truck wreck broke out in turn 1. Over a dozen trucks were involved, including Lofton. With damage to the Lofton Cattle machine, the newly 25-year-old drove to pit road for repairs.

Lofton returned to the track, but a bent truck arm left Lofton with a challenge behind the wheel. On lap 85, the truck broke loose, sending Lofton spinning through the tri-oval. After additional repairs, Lofton rejoined the race.

With just two laps remaining, the caution fell following a 10-truck accident across the front stretch. Luckily, Lofton missed the melee.

After waiting out a 10-minute red flag for clean-up, Lofton took the restart from the 24th position for a race-extending green-white-checkered finish.

With the help of spotter Mark Green, Lofton maneuvered his way through the draft on the 2.5-mile superspeedway, wheeling his way to a solid 18th place finish.

"We had a tough race but the guys did a great job working on the truck and we pulled out a solid result. We have a great group of guys here and it feels good to get our first race together under our belts. I'm real excited about heading to Phoenix next. It is one of my favorite tracks," Lofton added.

Lofton and the No. 77 Toyota Tundra team will next hit the track on Friday, February 25th at the Phoenix International Raceway for the Lucas Oil 150.

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________________________________

Amanda Brahler

Justin Lofton Media Relations

Email: mandy@justinloftoninc.com

LoftonRacing.com - twitter.com/jlracing

Justin Lofton, No. 77 Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra

Avondale, Ariz. (November 11, 2010) – With 33 action-packed races completed, only two races remain in the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series season. This week, second year Nationwide Series driver Michael Annett and the No. 15 Germain Racing team are making the trek to the Valley of the Sun for Phoenix International Raceway’s WYPALL 200 powered by Kimberly-Clark Professional, the second race of the season hosted at the sunny, one mile tri-oval.

Annett will veer from a string of races at mile and a half tracks to short track racing this weekend at Phoenix. The series last visited a short track in September for Dover International Speedway’s Dover 200 where Annett secured an 11th place qualifying effort and brought home a 15th place finish on the one mile oval. His best result on a short track this season was at his home track, Iowa Speedway, where he scored a seventh place finish after starting 12th.

Behind the wheel of the No. 15 Pilot Flying J Coffee Toyota Camry, Annett will once again be promoting Pilot Flying J’s “Best Coffee on the Interstate.” The coffee themed Camry was also featured in races at Kansas Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Gateway International Raceway and Texas Motor Speedway. The Pilot Flying J Coffee program has allowed the company to further awareness of their popular coffee brand through the car’s special paint scheme, as well as through at-track sampling of their product at various tracks during the months of October and November.

On-track activity for the Nationwide Series at Phoenix International Raceway heats up with practice on Friday from 12-1:50 p.m. followed by final practice from 3:40-4:20 p.m. Saturday steams up with qualifying at 12:05 p.m. before the WYPALL 200 powered by Kimberly-Clark Professional begins at 4:30 p.m. Practice, final practice and qualifying can be seen live on SPEED. Live race coverage starts at 4 p.m. on Saturday on ESPN 2 and MRN Radio. All times are ET.

For more information on Michael Annett and Germain Racing’s No. 15 NASCAR Nationwide Series team, check out www.MichaelAnnett.com and www.GermainRacing.com. Get live updates on Twitter @MichaelAnnett.

About Pilot Flying J:

Pilot Flying J is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, and has more than 550 locations in North America. The company employs more than 20,000 people and is the largest retail operator of travel centers in North America.

# # #

Contact: Maggie Martin, Rising Star Management Group, mmartin@risingstarmg.com

Fort Worth, Texas (November 8, 2010) – Texas Motor Speedway’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge produced a middle-of-the-road day for Michael Annett and the No. 15 Germain Racing team. Fighting an ill-handling racecar that wouldn’t respond to changes, Annett worked hard on the track to secure an 18th place finish in Saturday’s race.

Despite a 35th place starting position, Annett worked his way just outside the top-20 in 21st on lap 38. The first of five cautions came out on lap 43. Reporting that his car was free through the corners, Annett came to pit road for service on lap 44. The No. 15 Germain Racing pit crew was on top of their game on pit road, moving the No. 15 Pilot Flying J Coffee Toyota Camry four spots, pushing Annett to 17th for the restart on lap 48.

Still battling a car that was aero tight and wouldn’t turn in traffic, Annett made his second trip to pit road under the second caution on lap 82. This time losing three spots on pit road, Annett restarted 18th on lap 85.

Lap 140 brought the No. 15 Pilot Flying J Coffee Toyota Camry to pit road under green flag conditions for four Goodyears, fuel and air pressure adjustments to help free the car’s tight condition. The third yellow flag soon came out on lap 147. Annett returned to pit road for four tires, fuel, track bar and air pressure adjustments. Back to green on lap 152, he restarted 16th.

Still fighting a challenging racecar, Annett reporting being loose in the center and tight off. The caution was back out on lap 184. Knowing that there would be only 10 laps to go on the restart and that the car wasn’t responding to changes, crew chief Ryan Fugle did his best to help Annett with track position by opting to change only right side tires on the stop, advancing Annett to sixth for the restart on lap 190.

Unable to battle with cars that had four fresh tires, Annett was shuffled back to 17th when the yellow flag was brought back out on lap 197. Coming in one last time for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment, Annett was back on the track for a green, white, checkered flag finish. He earned a hard-fought 18th place finish in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge.

With only two races remaining, the Nationwide Series will head west to Phoenix International Raceway for the WYPALL 200 powered by Kimberly-Clark Professional on Saturday. The 200 lap race will preview the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway that takes place on November 20. Tune to ESPN2 and MRN Radio for live coverage of the WYPALL 200 powered by Kimberly-Clark Professional beginning at 4 p.m. ET on November 16.

For more information on Michael Annett and Germain Racing’s No. 15 NASCAR Nationwide Series team, check out www.MichaelAnnett.com and www.GermainRacing.com. Get live updates on Twitter @MichaelAnnett.

About Pilot Flying J:

Pilot Flying J is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, and has more than 550 locations in North America. The company employs more than 20,000 people and is the largest retail operator of travel centers in North America.

# # #

Contact: Maggie Martin, Rising Star Management Group, mmartin@risingstarmg.com

Fort Worth, Texas (November 4, 2010) – Behind the wheel of Germain Racing’s No. 15 Pilot Flying J Coffee Toyota Camry on Texas Motor Speedway’s 1.5 mile tri-oval, Nationwide Series driver Michael Annett is ready to duel for a successful finish in Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge, one of the final three races in the 2010 season.

Annett has three starts on the Fort Worth track and holds an average finish of 16.3. The second year Nationwide Series driver secured an 11th place finish in his first ever attempt at Texas’ Great American Speedway in 2009, and in his most recent performance in the Lone Star State he produced a 16th place finish.

“As an organization, we’re continually showing our strength on mile and half tracks. I’m excited to get back to intermediate track racing this weekend at Texas. We’ve definitely got what it takes to lock in a good finish on Saturday,” said Annett.

Annett will once again be contending with the Pilot Flying J “Best Coffee on the Interstate” paint scheme adorning his Toyota Camry and will continue the promotion of their coffee brand off the track as well.

Fans can visit the Pilot Flying J display in the Texas Motor Speedway fan zone on Friday from 3:30-4:30 p.m. ET to get Annett’s autograph and try samples of Pilot Flying J coffee.

With all three of NASCAR’s top-ranked series linked together for the final three race stretch, the Nationwide Series will hit the Texas Motor Speedway track on Friday for practice from 10-11:15 a.m. Final practice will follow from 11:40 a.m.-12:55 p.m. Both practice sessions can be seen live on SPEED. Nationwide Series qualifying begins at 6:35 p.m. on Friday.

Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge starts at 12:55 p.m. with live coverage on ESPN 2 beginning at 12 p.m. All times are ET.

For more information on Michael Annett and Germain Racing’s No. 15 NASCAR Nationwide Series team, check out www.MichaelAnnett.com and www.GermainRacing.com. Get live updates on Twitter @MichaelAnnett.

About Pilot Flying J:

Pilot Flying J is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, and has more than 550 locations in North America. The company employs more than 20,000 people and is the largest retail operator of travel centers in North America.

# # # 

Contact: Maggie Martin, Rising Star Management Group, mmartin@risingstarmg.com