Brian Loftin (No. 23 L&R Transmission/QMF Solutions Chevrolet) has been a man on a mission in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour as of late. He has won the last two races including a wire-to-wire victory at Bowman Gray Stadium, in what he called the biggest win of his career.

Loftin will look to extend his streak to three in a row on Friday night in the Whelen Southern Modified Tour 150 at Caraway Speedway.

“We’ve been pretty good the last couple of weeks,” said Loftin, a resident of Lexington, N.C. “All the guys on my team have been working hard and we have three cars at the shop and there’s really not one car better than another. I’ve got to say this is the best crew I’ve ever had behind me and that make my job as a driver a lot easier. Sometimes you get things clicking and find a package that you really like.

“I don’t want to sound over confident but it’s like sometimes you can’t do anything wrong. There were a million things that could have gone wrong at Bowman Gray the other night but everything stayed together and we were fortunate enough to win. I just want to keep plugging and try to keep this momentum on our side.”

Loftin said that the Bowman Gray victory was a special experience

“To pull that win off at Bowman Gray was huge for me because I know how good guys like Burt Myers and Tim Brown are at that place,” Loftin said. “Winning that race really meant a lot to me as a driver as well as all the guys on my crew. Going into every race with the mindset that we have a very good chance to win really gives us all a lot of momentum.”

Loftin has not only been winning on a regular basis. Loftin has also been chipping away at the points lead that defending champion L.W. Miller (No. 36 John Baker Plumbing & Utilities/Sink Towers Pontiac) has held since the first race of the season. Heading into Friday night, Miller holds a slim 11-point advantage over Loftin.

“I’m not going to sit here and lie and say I don’t worry about the points because it is too early,” Loftin said. “The bottom line is L.W. is going to win some more races this year and hopefully we will too. The guy that runs up front and has the best consistency is the one that will be the champion at the end of the year.”

Loftin is 54 points ahead of third-place Tim Brown (No. 83 Hayes Jewelers/Triad Auto Sales Chevrolet) and up by 59 over Burt Myers (No. 1 JRC Investments Ford) in fourth.

Frank Fleming (No. 07 Patterson Automotive/ProHealth Center Pontiac) and Andy Seuss (No. 47 Advance Auto Parts/ Q Racing Oil Dodge) hold down the fifth and sixth position and are both less than 100 points behind Miller.

“It’s not just a two-man race like everybody thinks it is,” Loftin said. “I know Burt and Tim are going to have a say in this championship, just like Frank Fleming and Andy Seuss are. It’s not just limited to those guys either because anything can happen.”

So what would it mean if Loftin were to win this year’s NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour championship?

“I’ve never won a championship in any kind of racing I’ve ever done so that would be awesome if we could finally win a championship at this level,” Loftin said. “I’ve always been more worried about winning races than racing for points. I’d just as soon wreck if I’m running second because I want to win so bad.

“I’ve always said I’d rather win four or five races a year than to win the championship, but over the winter we as a team sat down and talked about it. We went into the season just trying to put ourselves in a position to win the championship so it’s been a little bit of a different approach.

“To finally win a championship would be huge. There are a very few select people that can say they won a major NASCAR touring series title. To put my name on that list would be unreal.”

Loftin said his love of racing dates back to when he was a young child going to the local short track to watch his father, Bobby, race on Friday and Saturday nights.

“Racing is all I’ve ever wanted to do and I knew that from the time I was a young kid,” Loftin said.

Loftin said he is excited to get back to Caraway and try to extend his win streak at the famed .455-mile short track.

“I love Caraway and I think that track is one of the best tracks in the country to run these cars,” Loftin said. “It’s got two distinct grooves and that makes for some fun racing for the fans and drivers.”



The Race: Whelen Southern Modified Tour 150

The Place: Caraway (N.C.) Speedway

Race Purse: $25,920

The Date: Friday, August 22

The Time: 8:00 p.m.

Track Layout: .455-mile paved oval

2007 Winner: L.W. Miller

2007 Pole Winner: Burt Myers



Schedule: Practice: 4:00-4:45 p.m. Time Trials: 6:30 p.m.

Track Contact: Renee Hackett 336-629-5803 (336) 629-5803 or carawayspeedway@embarqmail.com

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