POST RACE: Mechanical Failure Ends Day Early at Iowa for Lofton

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Mechanical Failure Ends Day Early at Iowa for Lofton

 

 

NEWTON, Iowa (April 20, 2008) - Under dreary skies, the No. 93 Lofton Cattle
Dodge took the green flag Saturday afternoon in the 27th position. Because
ARCA RE/MAX Series Practice and Qualifying were cancelled due to rain, the
field lined up according to the 2007 Owner's Points for the Prairie Meadows
250.  Mechanical failure caused the throttle to hang, planting the No. 93
squarely into the outside wall of turn 1. With the day over and completing
only 27 laps, Eddie Sharp Racing's Justin Lofton packed up early and
recorded a 27th-place finish at Iowa Speedway.

 

"The car was a rocket ship," said Lofton. "It was definitely a car that was
going to be in contention to win the race. It's just unfortunate that we had
a little carburetor trouble and the throttle hung open and we hit the wall
at lap 28."

 

Prior to the green flag, the No. 93 Lofton Cattle Dodge dropped from the
27th position where it was placed due to points, to the end of the line as a
result of a penalty enforced for being late in the tech inspection line. By
lap 15, Lofton had already climbed to the 19th position.  

 

The Lofton Cattle Dodge was still climbing when the caution was brought out
at lap 27. As Lofton attempted to back down for the yellow flag, he was
unable to slow the car as the throttle was hung wide open.  Trying to turn
down into Turn 1, the No. 93 made hard, right-side contact with the outside
wall. 

 

Once the car came to a rest, Lofton climbed from the window and took the
mandatory visit to the infield care center where he was evaluated and
released. The No. 93 Lofton Cattle Dodge was done for the day, logging 27
laps and marked in the 36th position for the Prairie Meadows 250.

 

"It's really unfortunate for the Lofton Cattle Dodge and the guys that work
so incredibly hard on it all week," commented Lofton when he returned. "I
really appreciate the work they have been doing. It is frustrating for me
when I cannot deliver them the finish that they deserve. But we'll keep our
heads up, go to Kansas and do it all over again."

 

This coming weekend Lofton will visit Kansas Speedway for the first time for
the Kansas Lottery $150 Grand. The Eddie Sharp Racing team attempted to test
at the 1.5-mile speedway two weeks ago for the ARCA RE/MAX Series open test.
Inclement weather caused the cancelation of the test session. Not only will
this be Lofton's first time on the speedway, this will be his first
experience on a 1.5-mile speedway in his career.

 

When asked what the rookie has been doing to prepare for the event, Lofton
replied, "I've been putting a whole lot of laps on the ARCA SIM Factory
Racing game.  Between Saturday and now I've logged over 150 laps. I also
trust my team and Crew Chief, Randy Nelson. I know when we unload the car it
will be solid and spot on. I'm really confident going into Kansas. We won't
have any trouble there."

 

Next Stop:  Justin Lofton and the Lofton Cattle team travel to Kansas City,
KS this weekend to race Friday, April 25th in the Kansas Lottery $150 Grand.
The race goes green at 5:00 p.m. The race will air on SPEED, Saturday, April
26th at 8:30 p.m. All times are Eastern.

 

For more on Justin Lofton, please visit www.loftonracing.com.

For more on Eddie Sharp Racing, please log onto www.teamesr.com.

For additional images, please contact Jody Jennings at
 jjennings@teamesr.com.

### 

Media Contact:    Jody L. Jennings

                                 Public Relations Manager

   Eddie Sharp Racing
   C: 205.910-4429 
   O: 704.489-8809
     jjennings@teamesr.com