Justin Lofton is one of those rare drivers who can jump behind the wheel of just about anything and be a threat to win. His depth of experience includes a list of driving disciplines that few will ever achieve. ARCA, NASCAR Trucks, Pikes Peak hill climb, Stadium Super Trucks and even 24-hour endurance racing is included on his resume. His racing career has been a steady ascent; filled with wins and championships, every step of the way.

Justin, the oldest of three children, grew up in the Imperial Valley in Southern California. He was active in the typical activities of rural America such as the 4-H Club and Future Farmers of America (FFA).

Lofton showed animals and attended fairs when he wasn’t working on the family’s cattle ranch. The life lessons he learned while ranching, and raising livestock have stuck with him to this day; patience, hard work, and determination.

Justin did not merely compete, he excelled; winning multiple Bronze Star, Silver Star, and Gold Star awards. He was recognized by Junior Achievement, earning an award for being the most active 4-H member of the year, in 2000.

Showing talent at an early age in many areas, he received Grand Champion honors in photography at the California Mid-Winter Fair. He showed steers, pigs, poultry, waterfowl, rabbits, cavies, wildlife-pheasants, quail, and doves; winning many awards in showmanship. Justin created the Waterfowl and Wildlife exhibits at the California Mid-Winter Fair.

Home-schooled since the fifth grade, Justin was able to travel with his family, visiting many places of natural beauty and historical significance. What better way to learn about our country than to actually stand in Washington D.C., Mount Rushmore, Crater Lake National Park, Yosemite National Park, Yellowstone National Park, the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota, and the Grand Canyon. He also crossed the Rocky Mountains and traveled through the Great Plains.

He also developed his athletic abilities playing baseball and hockey. When he broke his arm playing hockey, he needed a way to recover his arm strength and dexterity so he began playing the piano and the drums. The man has many talents!

His wheeled pursuits began at age 9 when he raced bicycles in the ABA BMX Series. In 1999, he placed third in the District 21 point standings after earning numerous podium finishes in national events. In 2000, he won the District 21 points championship.

In 2001, he earned a championship in dual slalom and was a member of the winning team at the 12-hour downhill race in Big Bear, California. In 2002, his bicycle racing career came to an end after suffering a broken femur.

He was sidelined from racing for over a year while enduring 11 reconstructive surgeries to repair his femur. He parked the bike in favor of four wheels and a roll cage.

Never one to sit still for too long, he took the wheel of the number 20 Super Stock Mustang of Gay Smith racing in 2003. In his very first race in the Colorado Hill Climb Association (CHCA), he was fastest qualifier and finished the race in third place.

In only his second race he was the number one qualifier again and this time, took the win. He ended the season with a Rookie of the Year title in the CHCA.

Often referred to as a NASCAR driver, he is in fact, a second generation off-road racer with impressive accomplishments in the desert. He shared driving duties with Matt Loiodice racing a class 1000, (limited engine, unlimited suspension) car in 2004.

The duo won three out of five races in the Best in the Desert Series (BITD) and finished second in the remaining two. He was second in overall points, won his second Rookie of the Year title and took the class 1000 Championship.

After taking a Rookie of the year title in the CHCA in 2003 and his second Rookie of the Year title and a Class Championship in BITD in 2004, he did what anyone would do; he switched to pavement racing in pursuit of a NASCAR career in 2005.

He earned a victory and numerous podiums racing a Late Model car at Irwindale, California’s Toyota Speedway. He did return to CHCA for a little taste of dirt at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, but suffered rear gear failure during the race.

Lofton’s next stop was the NASCAR Grand National West Series where he raced for two seasons. He also managed to squeeze in some road racing. He competed at the 24 hours of Daytona, driving a Pontiac GXP-R in the GT class. He was building an impressive resume of accomplishments and a skill set very few possess.

His next stop would be the ARCA Series, driving for Eddie Sharp Racing in 2008. After only eight races in the ARCA Series, Lofton took the outside pole at Michigan International Speedway and grabbed his first win. He earned three top five’s and five top ten’s as well as two poles while setting three track records that season.

That would be plenty for most but not Lofton. He teamed with his Father Bob Lofton to run the Baja 1000 in a Jimco Trophy Truck. It was Justin’s first time behind the wheel of an unlimited Trophy Truck and first time racing in Baja. When he took over the wheel, his friend Matt Loiodice joined him as the navigator. The Lofton Cattle Team finished the race fourth in class.

In 2009, Lofton had an incredible season racing in the ARCA Series. He had five pole awards, 15 top-five and 19 top-ten finishes. He also took three more track records.

He won six races on tracks that ranged from short tracks to superspeedways; Talladega, Berlin, Pocono, Chicagoland, Toledo, and Salem.

He led 1,005 laps in 15 races and won the ARCA Points Championship. True to form, once the season was over, he jumped into an IMCA dirt modified car for a single race. He took the lead on lap two and went on to win!

Lofton was in a truck again during 2010, but it was on the pavement. He moved into the NASCAR series full time, racing in the Camping World Truck Series.

He had decent success in the Camping World Truck Series, driving for a couple of different teams. He soon earned a reputation as a solid performer who could fill in for any team in a pinch.

When he wasn’t racing in NASCAR events or raising money for children at his annual charity event, he was putting more time and effort back in the dirt, racing in the BITD series.

After several successful seasons racing an unlimited, open-wheeled car, he stepped up into the premier class in off-road, driving a Jimco built Trophy Truck in 2015. We posed some questions to Lofton to find out a little more about him.

Off Road Xtreme: How old were you when you went to your first desert race?

Justin Lofton: “As far back as I can remember; it would be the early 90’s I think the 1991 Parker 400. My dad had his first Jimco 1600 car built then.”

ORX: Which do you like more, the speed or the competition?

JL: “The competition but speed brings out talent. The faster you go, the better the racing and the more fun it is to beat your competitors.”

ORX: It’s easy to see the differences between desert racing and pavement racing but are there similarities between the two?

JL: “Yes, strategy. Races in the desert are being won by tighter margins year after year. Just as in pavement racing, determining when to pit for fuel and whether to take tires or just fuel. Strategy is important but also teamwork. Your strength comes from the people surrounding you as well as your equipment.”

ORX: What is it about the Henderson 250 race that has made you so successful there?

JL: “It was the perfect distance for my Jimco buggy. I could drive 110 percent for the entire race!”

ORX: Are you a good golfer?

JL: “I wish, my foundation puts on a great golf tournament every January and I have yet to place in the event.”

ORX: Tell us about your charity tournament.

JL: “It’s a blast. It started as something to do between the 2009 ARCA season and 2010 CWTS season. We have raised more than $150,000 for the Local Boys and Girls Clubs of the Imperial Valley. The donation has helped them open two new clubs which give more than 300 kids a safe, constructive place to go after school every day.  (To donate to the Justin lofton foundation or participate in the annual tournament, go to: http://www.justinloftonfoundation.org/)”

ORX: What made you decide to switch from an open- wheeled car to a trophy truck?

JL: “Media attention and publicity. I love the buggies, but they just don’t get the attention they deserve.”

ORX: Have you raced in the desert with anything other than a Jimco built vehicle?

JL: “I tested a Gieser truck with Craig Potts. Otherwise it’s a Jimco for me.”

ORX: What was it like to win the Mint 400 overall?

JL: “It was simply amazing. We had a plan and stuck to it. The entire race was so dusty. We really had no idea we were out front until the very end when we were crossing the bridge coming into the main pit.”

ORX: You have raced in the NASCAR Truck series, ARCA, Stadium Super Trucks, Offroad racing, Pikes Peak, and the Rolex 24-hour, what else would you like to try?

JL: “I’ve always wanted to go rally racing, both Redbull Global Rally Cross and World Rally Championship style. Dakar is first on my bucket list and hopefully we can put the right things together to make that happen soon.”

ORX: Seeing #AHBEEF on the side of your truck always makes us hungry. How do you like your steak done?

JL: “Medium Rare!”

Justin Lofton was not medium rare at the recent Polaris RZR Mint 400, he was well done! He took his first win in his #AHBEEF Jimco Trophy Truck!

Lofton’s racing legacy is constantly evolving. Having the skills necessary to excel on pavement and off-road is rare. He shares those abilities with legendary racers such as Parnelli Jones, Mickey Thompson, and Robby Gordon. Lofton also shares something else with those names; the willingness to push the envelope without fear. He has endured a pair of spectacular crashes while finding the limits of his new Trick Truck, but continues to dust himself off and keep going.