KANSAS CITY, Kansas (October 1, 2009)-For the second consecutive season, Eddie Sharp Racing won the 2009 Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Championship Challenge, which they clinched on Thursday, courtesy of Justin Lofton's stellar second place effort at Kansas Speedway.

Lofton and car owner Sharp earned the Challenge honors by way of an impressive list of finishes throughout the 2009 season spanning nine racetracks on the ARCA RE/MAX Series tour greater than one mile in length. Along the way Lofton notched wins at Talladega Superspeedway, Pocono Raceway, and Chicagoland Speedway, of the tracks included in the Superspeedway Challenge.

Lofton, who started from the pole after rain altered the on-track schedule, led with less than 10 laps remaining at Kansas on Thursday in the Kansas Lottery 150 but a caution flag within five to go extended the race to a green-white-checkered flag finish. The restart allowed Parker Kligerman to take advantage of Lofton's No. 6 Lofton Cattle Toyota, which showcased its strength on the longer runs throughout the race. Lofton however, gave it all he had in the closing laps, finishing just .217-seconds behind Kligerman, a far cry from the 10-car length lead Lofton had prior to the yellow flag.

"I went in there, had a really good run going into the corner. But Parker showed me respect in Salem so I wanted to show him the same respect. I drove it into turn 1 wide open, let off the gas for a little bit to get the aero push out of it and stood back on it," Lofton said of his of his charge on the last lap to reclaim the lead.

"It's about one of the gutsiest moves you can ever try. It's not something you try every lap. It was the last lap, going for the win. If I would have had that three-car lengths width that I was off of the gas, I think I probably could have got him. Our car just ran better on the long runs but we gave them a run for it at the finish."

Lofton's ESR teammates Craig Goess and Tim George Jr. also had solid runs at Kansas, leaving the three-car team the dominating factor within the top 15. All had prime positions entering the race thanks to the cancellation of qualifying. Goess lined up sixth and George Jr. tenth, based on the owner point standings.

Justin Lofton

DRIVER REPORT

No. 6 Lofton Cattle Toyota

Lofton Finishes Second at Kansas, Leads Points Entering Finale

KANSAS CITY, Kansas (October 1, 2009)-Justin Lofton finished second on Thursday at the Kansas Speedway, which wrapped up the Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Championship Challenge for Eddie Sharp Racing. The finish also left 23-year-old Lofton 15 points to the good in the point standings with one race remaining in the ARCA RE/MAX Series season.

Lofton, driving the No. 6 Lofton Cattle Toyota, inherited the pole on Thursday after rain altered the on-track schedule for the day. Practice for the Kansas Lottery 150 took precedence over qualifying, giving Lofton the position.

The team was then given two hours of practice but unfortunately, they were unable to take full advantage after they discovered a miss in the Toyota. After diagnosing the problem, Lofton switched over ignition boxes and the team continued on as planned.

Once the race got underway, it quickly became obvious that the challenges would continue for the Lofton Cattle crew. Caution flags fell early and often, with the first dropping just three laps in. Four yellow flags waved over the field less than halfway into the event. Just as the race clicked off lap 40 and under caution yet again, Lofton had already diagnosed a slight problem with the handling on his machine as he battled a tight condition. It was then that Lofton was able to drop his Toyota down pitroad for four fresh tires and a slight adjustment.

The 100-lap race hit the halfway mark under yellow flag conditions with Lofton running sixth.

For the second half of the race, the field finally pulled off an extended green flag run, which is just what Lofton's Toyota needed. He hammered down, wheeling his machine from sixth into second, taking advantage of the green flag laps. Crew chief Mark Rette chimed in over the radio to his driver to "take care of it," as Lofton laid down times consistently faster than the leader.

His blistering pace quickly wound in the leader and with 11 to go, Lofton drove by and into the top spot.

The No. 6 Toyota quickly pulled away, with well over a 10-car length lead on the second place car.

A caution however, played the spoiler yet again in the closing laps, setting the field up for a green-white-checkered flag finish.

Lofton's car favored the long runs and the short dash to the finish enabled Parker Kligerman to take advantage on the restart.

Lofton refused to settle, and put up a valiant charge on the last lap, falling within car lengths at the finish.

"I went in there, had a really good run going into the corner, but Parker showed me respect in Salem so I wanted to show him the same respect. I drove it into turn 1 wide open, let off the gas for a little bit to get the aero push out of it and stood back on it.

"It's about one of the gutsiest moves you can ever try. It's not something you try every lap. It was the last lap, going for the win. If I would have had that three-car lengths width that I was off of the gas, I think I probably could have got him. Our car just ran better on the long runs but we gave them a run for it at the finish," Lofton said.

Lofton's runner-up finish locked up the Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Championship Challenge for car owner Sharp. The Superspeedway Challenge consists of nine events on tracks longer than one-mile in length. Despite one race, Lofton compiled finishes of eighth or better, including wins at Talladega Superspeedway, Pocono Raceway, and Chicagoland Speedway.

With just one race remaining on the season, Lofton is looking to capture one more championship next weekend - the driver's championship. He currently leads the way by 15 points over Kligerman.

What is Lofton's game plan for the finale?

"We're going to Rockingham to win the race. That's what we need to win the championship."

PRACTICE & QUALIFYING UPDATE
Rain Delays Practice; Cancels Qualifying

KANSAS CITY, Kansas (October 1, 2009)-ARCA RE/MAX Series and Kansas Speedway Officials have made alterations to scheduled on-track activities for the Kansas Lottery 150 race weekend. Track crews continue to work on the racing surface after heavy rain showers saturated the ground Wednesday night and early Thursday morning.

A two-hour practice session, originally scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Central, will now take place from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. As such, Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell has been canceled in favor of the two hour practice. The starting grid for Thursday's Kansas Lottery 150 ARCA RE/MAX Series race will be set based on current 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series Car Owner Points.

The Kansas Lottery 150, race 20 of the 21-event ARCA RE/MAX Series, is scheduled to roll off at the scheduled 4 p.m. Central (5 p.m. Eastern) start time live on SPEED. Check www.arcaracing.com for live timing and scoring and audio coverage of the race.

DRIVER PREVIEW

Lofton looks to Kansas to extend points lead

Denver, NC (September 28, 2009) --Despite the off week, Justin Lofton was unable to escape his racing reality. He enters this weekend's Kansas Lottery 150 at Kansas Speedway with a mere 25-point lead in the championship standings. With two races remaining, Lofton is on the verge of possibly scoring his first stock car championship.

"The off week was nice. I went home to California and caught up with my family and friends. It was relaxing for a while but I'm ready to get back in the car this week, that's for sure," said Lofton, who won the last race at Salem Speedway.

The race at Kansas is a welcome one for the 23-year-old since it mimics Chicagoland Speedway, the last 1.5-mile track that the ARCA RE/MAX Series visited. The track produced a win for Lofton.

"Kansas reminds me a lot of Chicagoland. We've got a lot of momentum going for us and we want to see if we can make up some ground on Parker (Kligerman, second in points) heading into the finale at Rockingham.

"It's hard to believe we only have two races left this season but it's been a good one. As a team, we've accomplished a lot. We're going after the win this weekend. We want that championship," Lofton added.

KANSAS PREVIEW
Team ESR Kansas Speedway Notes

Denver, NC (September 28, 2009) --Two to go: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has the Chase. NHRA has the Countdown. ARCA may not have a fancy name for their championship, but they definitely have quite a battle. Eddie Sharp Racing's Justin Lofton currently leads the way entering this Thursday's race in Kansas. Lofton maintains the lead in the driver point standings by 25 markers over second place Parker Kligerman. Lofton's teammate Craig Goess sits fifth and ESR's third driver Tim George Jr. is just outside of the top 10, in 11th.

Last race review: Lofton led the ESR No. 6 team to victory for the sixth time this season two weeks ago, taking the checkered flag on the Salem Speedway short track. His teammates unfortunately got caught up in short track run-ins, but the ESR camp's mood was boosted by Lofton's dominating performance. The win secured a 25-point advantage in the standings.

Same as the first: Kansas is very similar to other 1.5-mile tracks on the tour, which is good news for Team ESR. Lofton won the last 1.5-mile race at Chicagoland Speedway at the end of August. Teammate Craig Goess followed him across the stripe within the top 10, finishing eighth. Another 1.5-mile track, Kentucky, provided rookie Goess with his first top five finish of the season in fourth.

What they're saying:

No. 6 Lofton Cattle Toyota

"Kansas reminds me a lot of Chicagoland and that's good news for us since we won there. We've got a lot of momentum going for us and we want to see if we can make up some ground on Parker heading into the finale at Rockingham. It's hard to believe we only have two races left this season but it's been a good one. As a team, we've accomplished a lot. We're going after the win this weekend. We want that championship."

No. 81 Greenville Toyota of N.C. Toyota

"Kansas is another intermediate track that we expect to run well at. I had a good run at Kentucky and Kansas is very similar. Some of the track characteristics are a little different but overall, you approach it the same way setup wise."

No. 2 Ruby Tuesday Toyota

"I'm looking forward to Kansas. I've had a hard time on 1.5-mile tracks this season thus far, and part of that is the trust factor in the side force on the car. I had a huge turning point at our private test in Kentucky recently, and I look forward to applying what I learned there to practice, qualifying, and the race at Kansas. I'm looking to continue the learning process through the end of the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series season."

KANSAS SPEEDWAY
Kansas Lottery 150

Versatile ARCA RE/MAX Series to Make Ninth Appearance at Kansas

Denver, NC (September 28, 2009) --Straight from consecutive events on a dirt track, a road course and a short track, the ARCA RE/MAX Series is headed next to Kansas Speedway for the Kansas Lottery 150 Thursday, October 1. The event at Kansas, the 20th stop on the 21-race 2009 calendar, follows a grueling six-race stretch during which the series raced at six tracks in less than four weeks. This particular six-race leg, which includes two dirt tracks, two paved short tracks, one superspeedway and one road course, does well to depict the overall diversity of the tour. Beyond Kansas Speedway, the series will wrap up its 57th consecutive season at Rockingham Speedway (Oct 11).

Kansas to Determine 2009 Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Challenge Champion: Not only is the 2009 championship coming right down to the wire with a good old-fashioned "chase", ARCA will crown its Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Challenge Champion following the 150-mile race at Kansas. Currently, the Eddie Sharp Racing no. 6 Lofton Cattle Toyota team (car owner Jessica Sharp/driver Justin Lofton) is leading the superspeedway points headed into Kansas by 60 points over Kimmel Racing (car owner & driver Frank Kimmel).

This year's superspeedway schedule was made up of events at Daytona, Talladega, Kentucky, Pocono, Michigan, Chicagoland and Kansas. The award officially goes to the car owner and is officially awarded in December at the annual championship awards banquet.

TRACK FACTS
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
Location	Kansas City, KS
Address	400 Speedway Blvd., Kansas City Kansas, 66111
Phone:	(913) 328-3311
Length	1.5-mile paved
Turns	15 degrees banking
First ARCA Race	2001
EVENT SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1st
9:00-11:00 AM	ARCA RE/MAX Series Practice
1:00 PM	Pole Qualifying (All Positions / 2 laps
4:00 PM	ARCA RE/MAX Kansas Lottery 150 (150 miles/100 laps)

Coverage:
SPEEDtv at 5 PM EST; LIVE timing and scoring at ARCARacing.com