JUSTIN LOFTON

Strategy Leads Lofton to 11th In Talladega

TALLADEGA, AL. -- It was a successful day for Justin Lofton and the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) team on Saturday at the always challenging Talladega Superspeedway. Measuring 2.66-miles in length, the Alabama track is known to provide intense racingcourtesy of the draft, andequal parts damaged race vehicles due to the tight racing. But with a solid game plan in place and the savvy know how at Talladega, Lofton and the Dan Bormann led team drove home to an 11th place finish in the Coca-Cola 250 powered by Fred's.

"I feel like we could have finished even higher but you need to lock up with just one truck to really pick up enough momentum to move through the field. We just didn't have enough time on that final restart to have it play out right," Lofton said.

"Overall, it was a good day. We came out of here in one piece and that is always the first hurdle at these superspeedways."

Lofton took the green flag from the 16th spot for the start of the 94 lap race. Thanks to the draft, he was within the top-10 after the first lap. Lofton, who claimed the ARCA Racing Series victory at Talladega in 2009, played on his past experience by opting to drop out of the lead pack of trucks and fall back in the field. By lap 5 as he wheeled his No. 6 CollegeComplete.com entry around the fast facility, he radioed to his crew that it was already "really dicey." Later, he would add, "there are a lot of trucks in a little place."

Throughout the race, Bormann continued to coach Lofton to maintain a safe distance from the lead draft. Six caution flags fell throughout the event with four of them being accidents. Knowing the risk of racing in the draft, Lofton stayed alert racing outside of the top-20.

Following a caution flag, with just over 20 laps to go, Bormann finally made the call for Lofton to pick a partner and begin his climb to the front.

Two more caution flags waved in the closing laps, with the final restart coming on lap 92 of the 94- lap race. Lofton took the final restart from the 13th spot. With just over five miles remaining in the race, Lofton picked up a few positions by maneuvering his way to just outside of the top-10 in 11th.

Next week Lofton and his No. 6 CollegeComplete.com ESR team will head to the paperclip shaped Martinsville Speedway short track.

Sponsor and marketing partners

Chase Mattioli Racing (CMR) and CollegeComplete.com have entered into a sponsorship alliance with Justin Lofton Inc. for the balance of the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. For more information contact Chase Mattioli Racing, LLC, Joe Mattioli, Managing Partner, 570-350-1900 thunderman3@msn.com.

Joining CollegeComplete.com on the No. 46 Toyota will be Anthem College Online and Grand Canyon University. Additional marketing partners include Advance Payment Services (www.joinAPS.com), University's WHUR 96.3 FM (www.whur.com) and Papillon & Moyer Construction (www.papillon-moyer.com).

About College Complete: CollegeComplete.com helps the public navigate the ever-changing and highly complex landscape of higher education, connecting students with the institutions whose offering maximizes the likelihood of success. Partnered with hundreds of educational institutions and across all types of education goals, including traditional college degrees, trade and vocational certifications, and professional licensure, College Complete helps students assess all of the information that exists in the public domain, allowing them to understand and make sense of their educational opportunities. CollegeComplete.com is the student facing subsidiary of Ed Ideas, Inc.

About ed ideas: Ed Ideas, Inc. helps institutions of higher education optimize their admissions pipeline - from initial inquiry to graduate, and everything in between. Ed Ideas has 50 years of success in student outreach, application, and enrollment generation for the world's leading public, private, for-profit, and traditional institutions. Outsource your needs to Ed Ideas, or let us help you improve your existing processes and practices. Whether your need is large or small, Ed Ideas is your higher education resource. For additional information contact: info@edideas.com.

Visit us online at LoftonRacing.com,TeamESR.com and CollegeComplete.com

Contact
Amanda Brahler
Justin Lofton Media Relations
Email: mandy@justinloftoninc.com

Date Posted: 10.23.11
Posted By: LOFTON RACING