Late Race Spin Pushes Max Papis Back to a 23rd-Place Finish at Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 22, 2011) – In 2008, Max Papis made his first career start in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, but since that day three short years ago, the Como, Italy native hasn’t competed in more than nine Truck Series events in one season. So even though Papis isn’t running for the Rookie of the Year title, the GEICO Racing driver entered Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway with a yellow stripe on the rear of his No. 9 Toyota Tundra for the fifth race of the 2011 season on Friday night.

After a brief rain shower delayed the start of the two practice sessions Friday morning, Papis took to the concrete track and quickly adjusted to the new racing surface. At the conclusion of both practices, the No. 9 GEICO Toyota was scored in the fifth position. Papis then laid down two solid laps in qualifying to place his Germain Racing entry in 11th-place to start the 150-lap race under the lights.

Once the green flag waved in Music City, Papis was ready to vie for the coveted Gibson guitar trophy. The first 40 laps of action saw Papis in the 13th position, gaining additional seat time at the unique one-of-a-kind circuit, as the driver reported to his GEICO crew that his Tundra was fighting a tight handling condition. Green flag pit stops began on lap 50 and Papis made his way to the attention of his crew for four tires, fuel, and adjustments. However through the sequence, the No. 9 GEICO Toyota fell one lap down to the leaders. On lap 59, the opening caution slowed the field for debris after the field had completed green flag pit stops. Papis placed himself in position to receive the Lucky Dog Award, which put him back on the lead lap.

The field restarted on lap 64, with Papis in the 17th position. Papis continued to battle with his competitors but remained in the same running order as the second caution was displayed 12 laps later on lap 76 for oil on the racetrack. A few leaders in front of the GEICO Toyota came to pit road for service, while Papis stayed out, allowing him to take the green flag restart on lap 80 from 14th-place.

On lap 83, Papis was on the topside of a three-wide battle and contact was made between Papis and David Starr. The GEICO Toyota received damage in the left rear and lost a handful of positions, pushing Papis back to 18th-place. The third caution was brought out on lap 103 for debris, giving Papis the opportunity to return to pit road for four tires, fuel, and additional adjustments.

Restarting on lap 107, Papis took off from the 15th position, as the GEICO crew gained three spots on pit road. Two short circuits later, the fourth caution came out on lap 109 for a spin by Austin Dillon in turn two. After track cleanup concluded, Papis took the green flag restart on lap 113 from 16th-place.

For the next 20 laps, Papis still felt uneasy handling effects from the contact that took place earlier in the event. Another caution closed in the field on lap 138 for an accident in turn four, as Papis was in the 18th position. With less than 10 laps remaining, Papis looked to make a late race push on the lap 142 restart. Unfortunately three laps later, Papis received contact from Brad Sweet, spinning the No. 9 GEICO Toyota in turn two. No damage was sustained as Papis did a great job of keeping his truck off the wall.

Papis took the green flag on lap 148 from the 24th position and over the final three laps, the Italian gained one spot to cross the finish line in the 23rd-place.

As the GEICO Racing team never gave up, Papis unofficially remains in the ninth position in the NCWTS driver championship point standings, only two points behind eighth-place Clay Rogers. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will have a break in action before heading to Dover (Del.) International Speedway on Friday, May 13th.

 -PMI-

Contact: Samantha Jones, Player Management International

Email: sjones@pmifirm.com   Web Site:  www.pmifirm.com 

Nashville a Welcome Destination for Gaughan and South Point Crew

 - Gaughan drives the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Tundra
 - He is an 8-time winner in the Truck Series
 - He holds two NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Championship Titles
 - Gaughan won in the GT class in the Rolex 24 at Daytona this year
 - Gaughan has 6 starts at Nashville and has completed 901 of 902 laps
 - He has two top-5 and four top-10 starts at Nashville

Mooresville, N.C. (April 19, 2011) - The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is entering a stretch of six intermediate race tracks. The stretch kicks off in Nashville on Friday night and Brendan Gaughan couldn’t be happier to hit this comfort zone on the 2011 season schedule. Gaughan has earned eight career wins, all of which were earned on intermediate tracks. Germain Racing, who fields the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Tundra for Gaughan, has 22 Truck Series victories—18 of those have come from tracks within the intermediate category.

“Nashville’s always been a good track for me going back to my earliest days in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. I’ve rarely had a bad race at the track. Nashville is the start of us being back to tracks that are good for me and for Germain Racing.  Nashville is a fast track with it’s banking and concrete surface. It suits my driving style. I like rolling the corners and driving into the corners real hard,” explained Gaughan, who ranks  13th in NCWTS standings heading into Friday’s race. “We’re coming into a stretch of tracks where I kind of look at them and see the string of tracks that I feel as a driver that I am better at than other places. And, with the Germain Racing team, these are the tracks where our Toyotas excel. You look at the team’s success on these tracks and it’s one of the reasons I came to Germain Racing.”

With Gaughan and the team so in tune with what it takes to win and be successful on intermediate circuits, Gaughan says he and his team know how they will start off their weekend with the South Point Hotel & Casino Tundra.

“We’re going back to Nashville knowing that Todd [Bodine, teammate] won there last year. We’re going to start with Mike Hillman Jr.’s setup in our No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Tundra and go from there,” explained Gaughan, who will unveil a slick, brand new race chassis, GR-017.

Gaughan has earned two top-five finishes and four top-ten finishes at Nashville in six Truck Series races. He has completed all but one lap of competition in the NCWTS and despite these strong numbers he’s not yet led a lap there.

In the weeks between Martinsville and Nashville, Gaughan rejoined some of his friends from his earlier Rolex 24 Hours race victory and headed to California for the Long Beach Grand Prix. He raced in the ALMS event with TRG.

Watch Gaughan’s No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Tundra on Friday night, April 22nd, at Nashville Superspeedway. The action starts on SPEED with qualifying airing at 5:00 PM ET on Friday and racing at 8:00 PM—all on SPEED. If you’ll be away from a TV, set the DVR and tune your radio dial to your local MRN affiliate.

Germain Racing has earned two championship titles in the Truck Series. The Toyota team owns 22 victories and 9 pole awards in the series that continues to grow ratings on SPEED. For more information on Germain Racing, visit www.GermainRacing.com or follow the team on Twitter @GermainRacing.

Brendan Gaughan holds eight Truck Series victories to go along with his two K&N Pro Series West championship titles. He currently ranks 13th in the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver’s points standings. 

Follow Gaughan at www.BrendanGaughan.com or on Twitter @Brendan62.

About South Point…The South Point (http://www.SouthPointCasino.com) is a 2,200-room resort in Las Vegas, Nevada providing affordable luxury while catering to visitors and locals alike. This casino destination features a world-class spa, bowling center, eight restaurants, showroom, equestrian arena, convention center, exhibit hall, bingo and all of the casino games that made Las Vegas famous. The South Point opened in December 2005.

###

Lofton's Competitive Run Ends Early in Martinsville

Justin Lofton and the No. 77 Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra team knew that they had an extremely competitive truck entering the Kroger 250 event weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Unfortunately, the tight racing quarters on the half-mile short track won out, after contact from a lapped truck ended their charge less than 20 laps into the race.

"It is disappointing for me and all of the guys on this No. 77 Germain Racing team. They built a strong truck. We knew after testing we were going to be a contender this weekend, and we proved that every time we got on track. I can only control how I race people, and it's unfortunate that some lapped trucks don't show a little more respect with the guys that are racing for the top-10," Lofton said.

There were two practice sessions at Martinsville on Friday and at the conclusion of each run, crew chief Ryan "Rudy" Fugle and Lofton proved their pairing was a fast one, with the No. 77 showing in the fourth position both times. The trend continued with qualifying on Saturday after Lofton wheeled his Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra into the eighth starting spot.

Once under the green flag for the 250-lap race, Lofton maintained the fast pace, racing near the front of the field. On lap 18 however, contact from a lapped truck sent Lofton hard into the turn 3 wall, causing heavy damage to his race truck. The team was forced to make prolonged repairs to the rear end of the No. 77 in the garage area, before sending Lofton back on track on lap 103, over 80 laps down.

Seven laps later, the yellow flag waved with Lofton reporting that the speed was still in the truck, and it was handling okay, despite the damage. At that time, Fugle informed the team that when it was time, they would have to take the truck to the garage area in order to change tires and add fuel, because of the damage to the fuel cell area on the truck.

On lap 137, the yellow, followed by a red flag, waved after a multi-truck wreck. Once the red was lifted, Lofton pulled into the garage for the inevitable fresh tires and fuel.

The second half of the race was uneventful for Lofton. Through the final stretch of the race, his only complaint was that a slight vibration had developed in the front end due to the rubber build-up from the tires. The checkered flag waved on lap 250 with the 25-year-old crossing the stripe in the 32nd position.

"The last half of that race was tough because we still had an extremely fast and competitive truck. I wanted to race with the leaders but the most important thing was to show them respect and finish out the race," Lofton added.

Lofton and the No. 77 team will next hit the track on April 22nd at the Nashville Superspeedway.

###

________________________________

Amanda Brahler

Justin Lofton Media Relations

Email: mandy@justinloftoninc.com

LoftonRacing.com - twitter.com/jlracing

Max Papis Claims First Top-10 Finish of 2011 Season at Martinsville

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (April 3, 2011) – Every driver has certain tracks that he circles on the schedule, knowing that with his past experience, the race can be a highlight reel of good runs. For Max Papis, one of those tracks circled in red is Martinsville Speedway. The Como, Italy native has raced at the Virginia short track four times prior to Saturday’s Kroger 250 – three times in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and once in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – recording his second career Truck Series top-10 finish the last time Papis visited Martinsville.

After two successful practice sessions on Friday afternoon, Papis took to the track for his qualifying run under sunny skies on Saturday morning. Papis clocked a lap of 20.212 seconds, placing the No. 9 GEICO Toyota Tundra in the 11th starting position. As the winds picked up, the green flag waved on the 250-lap race and the bumpin’ and bangin’ started early. Papis quickly reported to Crew Chief Randy Goss that his Toyota was tight in the center of the corners. When the first caution was displayed on lap 19, Papis came to the attention of his pit crew for a track bar adjustment and for the rear bumper bar to be cut off as it was flapping from contact in the beginning laps.

Because of the varying pit strategies that each team used throughout the race, Papis was forced to restart on lap 23 from the 31st position. Patience became the name of the game for the GEICO Racing driver as Papis carefully made his way back towards the front. In just six laps, the No. 9 Germain Racing entry was inside the top-25 and by lap 40, Papis had driven his way into 20th-place. The third caution slowed the pace on lap 57 as Papis radioed to Goss that his truck was free on entry and continued to be tight in the center of the corner. The Italian driver came down pit road once again for four fresh tires, Sunoco fuel, and one round down on the track bar.

Due to the changing strategies that continued up and down pit road, Papis restarted on lap 62 from the 22nd position and began his trek to the front once again. In a handful of laps, Papis had returned to the top-15 and wasn’t looking back. A wreck occurred directly in front of Papis on lap 73 and he did a phenomenal job of dodging the spinning trucks, while moving into 13th-place. With help from Spotter Jason Jarrett, Goss made the decision to stay out on the track as no damage occurred. As the majority of the leaders made their pit stop, Papis restarted on lap 78 from the fourth position.

Ten laps passed and Papis battled with defending Truck Series Champion Ron Hornaday, while continuing to run in the top-four. As the next yellow flag waved on lap 89, Papis was then stuck on the outside lane for the restart at a track where the inside lane is the preferred groove. The GEICO Toyota lost a few positions on the restart but Mad Max was on a mission and regained the spots and found himself in the sixth position by lap 137. Goss brought Papis to the attention of his pit crew for the final time of the event for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment.

Restarting on lap 144, Papis was ready to attack and move back inside the top-10, where he had run the greater part of the race. In a short 30 laps, the GEICO Toyota Tundra had moved into the top-five and was in position to pounce on an opportunity. That chance presented itself on lap 176 as another caution flew and the trucks in front of Papis came to pit road, placing the No. 9 in second-place. Papis challenged Austin Dillon for the lead over a 10-lap period before another caution flag waved, forcing the driver to restart on the outside lane once again. The final three cautions in the last 50 laps dealt Papis with restarting on the outside each time as the intensity picked up. On lap 250, Papis crossed the finish line and took the checkered flag in the 10th position. This was Papis’ second top-10 finish at Martinsville Speedway and third overall in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

“I feel today was one of my best NASCAR races since I started,” said Papis after the race. “My GEICO Racing team and I fought hard on the track and in the pits all race long and I am very proud of the effort. I got caught on the outside lane a lot of times. It killed our momentum and hurt us with the marbles up on the top of the track, but we never gave up and kept fighting. We, as a team, are getting better and it feels great to get a top-10 finish.”

After this strong performance by Papis and the entire GEICO Racing team, Papis remains in the ninth position in the point standings, only one point behind eighth-place Todd Bodine. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will take a two-week break before returning to action at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway on Friday, April 22nd.

-PMI-

Contact: Samantha Jones, Player Management International

Email: sjones@pmifirm.com     Web Site:  www.pmifirm.com

Gaughan Loves to “Hate” Martinsville

• Gaughan drives the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Tundra
• He is an 8-time winner in the Truck Series
• He holds two NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Championship Titles
• Gaughan won in the GT class in the Rolex 24 at Daytona this year
• Gaughan has competed in 10 races, completing 2254 of 2256 laps with two Top-10 finishes

Mooresville, N.C. (March 30, 2011) - Brendan Gaughan gets tapped often to promote races at Martinsville Speedway. The fit isn’t natural. Gaughan graduated from Georgetown University, he hails from Las Vegas, NV, and he didn’t cut his teeth racing on short tracks. Still, the old-school charm of the flat, tight half-mile circuit is not lost on Gaughan, nor is the fervor of the Virginia race fan. But he has this moniker...that he hates the place.

“I didn’t grow up on short tracks. I’m a big track guy, but I do enjoy racing at Martinsville Speedway. It’s one of those hard-nosed tracks. It’s old-fashioned. It’s a mean, tough place to race and it should never come off of the NASCAR schedule,” said Gaughan. “I remember running top five, finishing sixth and looking at my truck and there wasn’t a straight panel on it anywhere! One day, before I quit this great sport I want a “W” there. I’d love to have a Martinsville trophy with a sticker hanging next to it that says ‘I hate Martinsville.’”

Gaughan loves the Martinsville area, and has always enjoyed interacting with the fans and locals during his race weekends and media advances. He knows that though he’s promoted as hating Martinsville, he actually doesn’t really hate the place. What he really hadn’t realized is that he isn’t half bad at the track that befuddles many racing drivers.

“I didn’t realize I’ve actually done OK at Martinsville Speedway. The moniker that I hate the place is a long-standing joke that came about after I’d had a rough day racing at another track. When I was interviewed I said, ‘yeah, had a bad day, and the next thing I get to do is go race at my favorite track, Martinsville.’ Mike Smith from Martinsville called me up, and because of our bantering back and forth, I just continue to say I hate Martinsville with a smile on my face,” beamed Gaughan. “I love going to that area. I love working with Mike and the Martinsville fans are true NASCAR fans. It’s funny because I’ve done so much pre-race media for the track. I love the track, I love the area. But if anyone asks me, I hate Martinsville.”

Gaughan has earned two top-ten finishes and three 11th-place finishes in ten trips to Martinsville. He’s completed 2254 of 2256 laps in the Truck Series. In his Sprint Cup Series debut at Martinsville, he started 11th and finished 17th on the lead lap. These are impressive numbers for a guy who started out racing in off-road and has had to learn the subtle nuances of short-track racing all the while competing against the best in NASCAR.

In the weeks between Darlington and Martinsville, Gaughan participated in two of his favorite past-times. Scuba diving, and, watching the NCAA tournament. With his Hoyas out of the tourney, Gaughan will likely cheer for VCU—the team that defeated Georgetown.

Watch Gaughan’s No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Tundra on Saturday, April 2nd, at Martinsville Speedway. The action starts on SPEED with practice airing at 2:00 PM ET on Friday. Qualifying is on air at 10:30 AM Saturday followed by racing at 2:00 PM—all on SPEED. If you’ll be away from a TV, set the DVR and tune your radio dial to your local MRN affiliate.

Germain Racing has earned two championship titles in the Truck Series. The Toyota team owns 22 victories and 9 pole awards in the series that continues to grow ratings on SPEED. For more information on Germain Racing, visit www.GermainRacing.com or follow the team on Twitter @GermainRacing.

Brendan Gaughan holds eight Truck Series victories to go along with his two K&N Pro Series West championship titles. He currently ranks 21st in the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver’s points standings following his 26th-place finish at Daytona.  Follow Gaughan at www.BrendanGaughan.com or on Twitter @Brendan62.

About South Point…The South Point (http://www.SouthPointCasino.com) is a 2,200-room resort in Las Vegas, Nevada providing affordable luxury while catering to visitors and locals alike. This casino destination features a world-class spa, bowling center, eight restaurants, showroom, equestrian arena, convention center, exhibit hall, bingo and all of the casino games that made Las Vegas famous. The South Point opened in December 2005.

###

Justin Lofton, No. 77 Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra

Track: Martinsville Speedway

Event: Kroger 250

When: Saturday, April 2, 2 PM (Eastern)

Broadcast information: 1:30 PM (Eastern) SPEED

Last Time Out: Justin Lofton qualified 17th for the Too Tough to Tame 200 in Darlington during the tour's last race three weeks ago. The outing started out with a big obstacle after a multi-truck wreck broke out on the very first lap of the event. Lofton unfortunately got caught up in the melee, suffering front end damage, but the Ryan Fugle led No. 77 Lofton Cattle team worked on Lofton's battered Toyota Tundra, repairing the damage and handling issues. Lofton held up his end of the bargain too, picking off positions through the very last lap of competition. The checkered flag waved with Lofton driving home in the 13th position.

Two Wheel Time: Lofton got his start racing when he was just 12 years old. But rather than four wheels, Lofton flexed his competitive muscle on two wheels, racing mountain bikes. Though full bodied, four-wheeled, horse-powered machines are now his thing, Lofton still enjoys hitting the trails on two wheels. During the break in NCWTS competition, Lofton took advantage of the time away from the track by relaxing at home and hitting the trails with his truck chief Doug Powers.

Lofton at Martinsville: Lofton will make his third start at Martinsville this Saturday during the Kroger 250. His first trip to the paperclip-shaped track ended early after contact from a lapped truck forced him to the garage area for repairs. His return visit to the .0526-mile oval last fall was a competitive one after he qualified just outside of the top-10 in 11th, and finished a solid 13th.

Lofton Loves Short Tracks: Lofton, the 2009 ARCA Racing Series champion earned the honor after claiming six race wins. Three of them were on tracks measuring a half-mile or less. In 2010 during his rookie season in trucks, Lofton tallied six runs within the top 15 on tracks measuring a mile or less, including a solid fifth place run at the challenging, high banked, half-mile in Bristol.

Truck Information: Lofton will race chassis GR102. It is a brand new truck that has not yet seen race action. However, the team tested the truck at the Motor Mile before heading to Martinsville.

Lofton on Martinsville: "I'm so excited about heading to Martinsville this week. It's a fun short track and you really have to be on your game there because things happen so fast. If you can stay out of trouble, you can come home with a solid finish. I feel like we have some momentum rolling after Darlington. The guys were relentless working on the truck there and it paid off with a good finish. We hope to keep adding to it."

Crew Chief Ryan "Rudy" Fugle on Martinsville: "Martinsville is a historic track that I am excited to go to. It is one of those races on the Truck schedule that all of the teams want to win. I am real excited to get back to racing after having the last few weeks off."

###

________________________________

Amanda Brahler

Justin Lofton Media Relations

Email: mandy@justinloftoninc.com

LoftonRacing.com - twitter.com/jlracing

Mooresville, N.C. (03-15-2011) – Saturday night, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series took on the track Too Tough to Tame – Darlington Raceway. The South Carolina track is home to high speed racing and a fair share of run-in’s with the retaining walls. Brendan Gaughan hadn’t raced at the track in seven years, but, he says the return was all he expected – just not the result he wanted for the Germain Racing No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Tundra.

“Darlington was everything I wanted. We were fast. We were a top-5 Tundra. I got spun early and drove back from 30^th place all the way up to eighth. The South Point Hotel & Casino Tundra passed everyone to do it. We had a great truck. The 62 team made great pit stop decisions,” said Gaughan, explaining everything that went right before the team’s Darlington luck came to a halt, resulting in a 25^th-place finish. “In the end, on a restart, someone brake-checked the field and me and two other trucks got the damage. It took us out of position with 20 to go and made me a spectator.”

Heading into the Darlington weekend, Gaughan and crew chief Bryan Berry decided to take a different approach to their practice strategy. The new strategy worked and Gaughan looks forward to seeing more improvements as the team fully adjusts to the new strategy.

“In first practice, we were 11^th quick. Our goal was to unload off the trailer and post a qualifying speed in our first run out. It’s a work in progress, but we went faster. We still improved our times as the practice session went on and the tires got older, but, we laid down some stronger lap times earlier in practice,” explained Gaughan.

The change in philosophy is one that Gaughan looks forward to continuing to embrace.

“I need to lay down faster laps early in practice. At Darlington, I didn’t stripe it on lap 2 and we went into practice and did what we needed to do. We had good practices. We aren’t sure why we weren’t better in qualifying, but that’s all part of the learning process in changing our practice strategy,” said Gaughan, who had wanted a much better qualifying position than the 23^rd spot that he earned. “I really thought we were better, but that isn’t what hurt us. We still had a great race in the South Point Hotel & Casino Tundra and we have a lot to build on for racing at Martinsville.”

The next race for Gaughan and the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Tundra is April 2^nd at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, VA. Gaughan will participate in the track’s Grub-N-Rub ticket and hospitality package offered by SPEED. Saturday morning, Gaughan will be part of a breakfast with fans who have purchased the Grub-n-Rub package for the Martinsville race weekend.

Gaughan holds eight Truck Series victories to go along with his two K&N Pro Series West championship titles. Follow Gaughan at www.BrendanGaughan.com or on Twitter @Brendan62.

Germain Racing has earned two championship titles in the Truck Series. The Toyota team owns 22 victories and 9 pole awards in the series that continues to grow ratings on SPEED. For more information on Germain Racing, visit www.GermainRacing.com or follow the team on Twitter @GermainRacing.

About South Point…The South Point (http://www.SouthPointCasino.com) is a 2,200-room resort in Las Vegas, Nevada providing affordable luxury while catering to visitors and locals alike. This casino destination features a world-class spa, bowling center, eight restaurants, showroom, equestrian arena, convention center, exhibit hall, bingo and all of the casino games that made Las Vegas famous. The South Point opened in December 2005.

 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.

###

________________________________

Amanda Brahler

Justin Lofton Media Relations

Email: mandy@justinloftoninc.com

LoftonRacing.com - twitter.com/jlracing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 The GEICO Racing Team Battles Back from Three Laps Down at The Lady In Black

 DARLINGTON, S.C. (March 13, 2011) – Known as the track that’s ‘Too Tough To Tame’, Darlington Raceway proves to be a challenge for most teams that take on the historic asphalt track. Max Papis and the No. 9 GEICO Toyota Tundra team relished the opportunity to face ‘The Lady In Black’ as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rolled into town for the third stop of the 2011 season.

 Another one day show for the Truck Series saw Papis and his Germain Racing team practice, qualify, and race all in a jam-packed schedule. After two and half hours of practice under the morning sun, Papis was confident in the set-up package in his GEICO Toyota. Without 2010 championship points to guarantee a spot in the 36-truck field, the Como, Italy native once again had to solidify his place in the Too Tough To Tame 200 with his qualifying attempt. With the temperature rising, Papis clocked a solid lap time of 28.798 seconds, placing the Gecko in the 18th starting position.

 The green flag waved on the 147-lap race and immediately ‘The Lady’ struck, as a multi-truck accident collected Papis in turns one and two on the first lap. The No. 9 GEICO Toyota was hit on both the left and right sides of the truck, causing a lack of sideforce for the remainder of the event. Crew chief Randy Goss called his driver to pit road numerous times to repair the damage, change four tires, add Sunoco fuel, and make adjustments. The field restarted on lap five, with Papis scored in the 34th position. Three quick cautions were displayed over the next 35 circuits, as Mad Max had driven his way up to 26th-place.

 On the lap 41 restart, the field checked up in front of the GEICO Tundra forcing Papis to pass trucks in front of him prior to crossing the start-finish line. Despite his attempt to avoid a wreck, a ‘pass-through’ penalty was assessed to the driver for this action. Having to drive down pit road under green flag conditions on lap 45, Papis lost three laps to the leaders and became mired back in the 33rd position. A caution for debris slowed the field on lap 59, allowing Papis to stay out and take the wave around to get one of the laps back.

 Restarting on lap 63, Papis, two laps down, continued to remain optimistic while running in 32nd-place and unable to gain positions on the track. Clocking consistent lap times, another yellow flag was brought out on lap 74. Goss brought Papis back down pit road for four fresh tires, an air pressure adjustment to help the tight handling condition, and fuel. The Italian took the green flag on lap 79 from the 30th position. A short 10 laps later, the seventh caution slowed the pace, allowing Papis to take the wave around once again to receive another lap back. Running in the 28th position, Mad Max was the only truck one lap down to the leaders and in position for the Lucky Dog Award on the next caution.

 That timely caution came just two laps later for a major wreck on the frontstretch, which caused a red flag period for clean up to take place. Once the red flag was lifted, Goss radioed for Papis to come back to the attention of his GEICO crew for four tires, fuel, and additional air pressure adjustments. The resilient nature of the Gecko was shown as the team retained their position back on the lead lap. Mad Max was on a mission to make up lost ground with 40 laps remaining in the race. By lap 107, Papis had battled his way into the 21st position.

 Another debris caution was brought out on lap 119 and Papis returned to pit road for the final time of the evening for two right side tires and a wedge bolt adjustment as the GEICO Toyota was still fighting a tight condition. On lap 123, Papis restarted from 20th-place and drove his way into the top-15 in a 10-lap period. The final yellow flag came on lap 141, setting the stage for a three-lap shootout to the checkered flag. Unfortunately on the restart, the field stacked up again and drivers passed Papis in order to avoid an accident. This caused Mad Max three spots and left the GEICO team with an 18th-place finish.

 “It was a tough night for the GEICO Racing team, but we came back to get a top-20 finish in the end,” said Papis, after the race. “Darlington is a very demanding track for the driver and we got caught up in that wreck on lap one. The guys kept working on it and we got back on the lead lap, which we wanted to do from the beginning when we got behind. We also had that penalty in the middle of the race for passing before the start-finish line. That was very frustrating because I was just dodging trucks to not cause a big pile-up. We will take another good finish though and head to Martinsville in a couple weeks. I think we will have a very strong Toyota Tundra when we hit the track.”

 The tremendous effort shown by the entire No. 9 team has allowed Papis to remain inside the top-10 in the Truck Series Driver Championship Point Standings. Papis sits in the ninth position, only five points behind eighth-place Austin Dillon. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will take a three-week break before returning to action at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway on Saturday, April 2nd.

-PMI-

Contact: Samantha Jones

Email: sjones@pmifirm.com

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