mLife Of Brian! Loftin Wins His First Whelen Southern Modified Title
Asheboro, NC — Brian Loftin’s early-season success allowed him to cruise to the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour championship Saturday night at Caraway Speedway.
Loftin finished third in the Whelen 150, the final race of the season, to clinch his first NASCAR title. Loftin, who had collected a tour-high four wins, needed only to finish seventh or better to hold off challengers Tim Brown and L.W. Miller.
Andy Seuss won the race for his second career victory. Brown finished second and Miller in sixth.
Loftin ended up winning the title by 30 points over Brown and 82 over defending champion Miller. Those three were the only drivers to enter the final race with a chance at the title.
The 31-year-old Loftin, from Lexington, N.C., is the third different champion in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour’s four-year history. Junior Miller – no relation to L.W. – won the first two titles. It is the third straight year Brown has finished second in points.
Brown won the Coors Light Pole Award and started third following the post-qualifying redraw, while Loftin started seventh and L.W. Miller 12th.
Jason Myers led the first eight laps before Seuss was able to take advantage of Brown pressuring Myers to go around both for the lead.
On lap 69, Loftin moved up to fifth. Loftin avoided a major disaster when Junior Miller spun in front of him in Turn 4 to bring out the race’s first caution. Loftin was able to dodge Junior Miller’s car and avoid any contact. During the extended opening-race, green-flag run, Seuss put all but six cars a lap down. L.W. Miller was among those to lose a lap, but he was able to get it back as the benificiary car from that first caution.
Loftin closed out the race – and his championship season – by picking up spots where he could and keeping Brown in his sights. Loftin’s previous best points finish was third in 2005, when he also won four races. He won the final two races in 2007 and finished 12th in points, running in nine of the season’s 12 races.
As the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour champion, Loftin earned a secure spot in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown. The Showdown, competed in NASCAR Camping World Series cars, will be Jan. 23-24, 2009 at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.).
Seuss, 21, had previously won at the Music City Motorplex in Nashville, Tenn. in 2007.
Sources: Jason Christley/NASCAR WSMT PR