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Lofton debuts new approach at Berlin, dominates for win
Justin Lofton entered the Wolverine Power Systems 200 presented by Generac at Berlin Raceway with one goal in mind – to return to victory lane. Piloting the No. 6 Valvoline Instant Oil Change Toyota for Eddie Sharp Racing, Lofton did just that, winning his second race of the ARCA RE/MAX Series season.
Prior to the race, Lofton announced that the No. 6 ESR team were taking on a new approach to the season for the second half. Rather than racing for points, they were instead gunning for race wins.
“We accomplished what we set out to do. We mixed it up with that pit call. Everything just went our way,” Lofton said of his winning run.
“This is my favorite racecar and it proved why tonight. It ran really well. My crew chief Mark Rette, all of the guys, they’ve been working so hard and we deserved this one. It took us a while to get back here (to victory lane) but I can guarantee this won’t be the last.”
Lofton dominated the day at Berlin, first pacing practice before going on to claim the pole, his fourth of the season. Once the green flag fell and despite frequent caution flags, his machine maintained the position, jumping out to a lengthy lead with every restart.
The first sign of Lofton and Rette’s new strategy fell just after the lap 65 mark under a caution flag. While Lofton held his position at the front of the field, the majority of the lead lap cars pit. Despite his competition having fresh tires, Lofton’s No. 6 Toyota held the lead through the halfway mark at lap 100.
By lap 125 however, Lofton’s tires began to show signs of wear as he rode in the fourth position. A caution flag waved allowing Lofton to drop down pitroad for his one and only stop of the day. The Mark Rette-led crew swapped out the tires and sent Lofton back on track.
He lined up eighth for the restart on lap 137 but by lap 144, he overtook then-leader, nine-time champion Frank Kimmel, sailing by on the high side.
From then on, the race was Lofton’s to lose. His Valvoline Instant Oil Change machine clicked off the laps unchallenged through a final caution flag just two laps from the finish.
The timing of the caution extended the race to 207 laps, with Lofton leading the way to a green-white-checkered flag finish. As Lofton guided the field to the final restart of the night, the second place car of Matt Merrell was tight on his bumper but Lofton got a good jump, driving away to his second win of the season.
Lofton’s new approach paid off in a big way as he also picked up ground in the point standings, shaving 50 points off of Parker Kligerman’s lead.
For more on Eddie Sharp Racing, please visit www.TeamESR.com
For more information on Valvoline Instant Oil Change, including locations, please visit www.VIOC.com
About Marathon Domestic, LLC. a Licensed Franchisee of Valvoline Instant Oil Change
Marathon Domestic LLC, operates 59 Valvoline Instant Oil Change service centers in Mid-Michigan and the
Toledo, Ohio areas. With more than 800 locations throughout the United States, Valvoline Instant Oil Change® is a leader in serving the quick lube market.
About Eddie Sharp Racing
Eddie Sharp set up shop in 2005 after several years of transforming young, talented drivers into ARCA championship contenders. Today, Eddie Sharp Racing has evolved into the rite of passage for any serious upcoming driver with an ambition for professional stock car racing. Located in Denver, North Carolina just north of Charlotte, Eddie Sharp Racing occupies a top-notch facility that closely resembles a five-star NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team, both inside and out. The two ESR buildings each contain two teams where on any given day, championship contending cars are assembled, engines tuned and teams strategize to score the next race day victory. |
