Lofton on Texas "The race definitely didn't play out like we planned, but it ended up working out just fine."

NASCAR TRUCK SERIES: LOFTON/ESR 10th AT TEXAS

FORT WORTH, TX. - Justin Lofton and the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Eddie Sharp Racing team entered the WinStar World Casino 350k with the goal of leaving with a solid finish under their belts. After qualifying sixth, overcoming early troubles, and leading the race for six laps, they did just that with a solid 10th place finish to their credit.

"The race definitely didn't play out like we planned, but it ended up working out just fine. The truck got better as we went through the day on Thursday. We weren't that high on the practice speed charts, but we qualified up there and it ran pretty good," Lofton said. "It feels good to get another top-10 in Texas. I really like racing here."

After taking the green flag from the sixth spot on Friday night, Lofton kept his No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet Silverado within the top-10 before dropping down pit road to top off on fuel under a yellow flag on lap 15. As Lofton slowed to pull into his stall, he had trouble seeing his pit sign because of the track lights and slid his tires. Crew chief Dan Bormann then opted to swap out left side tires. One lap later, Lofton returned to pit road for fresh right sides.

At the time of the restart on lap 20, Lofton's Chevrolet was scored in the 28th position.

Another caution flag waved on lap 34 and by that time, Lofton had already begun his climb back towards the front, as he showed in 17th.

Since he had already taken on new tires, Lofton stayed on track under the yellow while other lead lap trucks pit. The call boosted Lofton to the top of the board. At the restart, Lofton held his own with slightly older tires, pacing the field for six laps. Over the next 20 laps, he held strong in the fourth position.

A caution on lap 57 allowed the California native to make another trip down pit road. The team swapped out all four tires, added fuel, and adjusted the track bar. With other teams taking on just two tires, Lofton lined up from 13th for the restart on lap 63. Four laps later, he was back within the top-10.

With just under 50 laps remaining, Lofton made his final pit stop of the night. Citing a slightly tight condition, Lofton and Bormann decided on track bar and air pressure adjustments on the black, green, and white CollegeComplete.com entry. He took the restart from the 10th spot.

The race stayed green until lap 142, which set the field up for a race-extending green-white-checkered flag finish. Under the yellow, Lofton explained the handling of his truck, and how he had a handful with the drive off the corners lacking as the laps wound down.

Despite the challenge behind the wheel, Lofton muscled his way around the 1.5-mile Texas track for the final laps, holding on to 10th at the finish.

Lofton and the entire No. 6 ColleteComplete.com ESR team will observe a week off from NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competition next week before heading to the Homestead-Miami Speedway for the season finale on November 18th.

Lofton on Texas "I really like racing at Texas because it is fast and fun. You can run wide open there. I've always had speed and good runs going there, but track position and luck bit us a few times. It was nice to leave there with a top-10 in June, and we plan on doing it again this week."

NASCAR TRUCK SERIES: TEXAS PREVIEW

Track: Texas Motor Speedway Event: WinStar World Casino 350k - Length: 147 laps / 220.5 miles When: Friday, November 4th at 8:00 PM (ET) Broadcast Info: 8:00 PM (ET) SPEED, SIRIUSXM, MRN Radio

Last race review: Last week during the tour's stop at Martinsville Speedway, Lofton and the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) started out with a strong effort on Saturday after qualifying in the top-10 for the Kroger 200. As the race played out however, Lofton seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, narrowly avoiding multiple on-track incidents. With minor cosmetic damage to his CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet, the California native pressed on, but as the laps wound down, he was forced to pit road in order to exchange his ailing Goodyear tires for four fresh tires in order to complete the final run. With 22 laps remaining, he maneuvered his machine from 22nd to 17th picking up as many positions as he could before time ran out.

Lofton at Texas: This week's run in Texas will mark Lofton's fifth visit to the 1.5-mile track. In his previous starts there, he has a best finish of 10th, notched during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) stop in June. He has one Nationwide Series start there as well, where he was forced to qualify in on time. But contact from another car ended his day early. He also suffered a similar fate during his first two Truck Series events. Last spring he started the race a solid 16th but ended the day 24th after getting caught up in a wreck in the middle of the race and during his return visit last November, he fell victim to a flat tire under green flag conditions, which dropped him outside of the top-20. All of the troubles however were erased in June, when he started the race 25th, drove his way through the field, and ended 10th. Lofton flexed his competitive muscle after a green-white-checkered flag finish allowed him to pick up three positions, moving him from 13th to 10th over the final two laps.

Entertaining Premiere: When he isn't racing at over 150 miles per hour Lofton spends his time as co-owner of Weekend Warriors Entertainment, a video production company. On Monday, October 31, Weekend Warriors will debut its latest project, a country music video for Jason Michael Carroll, nationally on the Great American Country (GAC) network. The video features Carroll and his single Meet Me In The Barn, with a horror based concept, making it unique to the country music scene. Rather than making a simple video to promote the song, WWE co-owner and director Brett Bortle and Carroll collaborated to create a feature film over 11 minutes in length, coinciding with its Halloween release. The video, which was shot over three days in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, is set to debut on GAC in its entirety at 11PM during Late Shift Videos.

Going the distance: Rather than taking the easy way via airplane, Lofton will drive across the country to Texas. As if the two-day schedule at Texas weren't enough time behind the wheel, Lofton will add 18 hours and over 1,000 miles from the ESR team shop in Denver, NC to the track outside of Fort Worth.

Truck information: Lofton will race chassis ESR008 this week at Texas. He has previously raced the truck at Kentucky, Nashville, and Pocono, scoring two top-15 finishes.

Tournament time: Plans for the Second Annual Justin Lofton Charity Golf Tournament are beginning to take shape, with dates being set for January 6th and 7th, 2012. The tournament, as it was last year, will take place in Lofton's native California, at the Del Rio Country Club in Brawley, California. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Boys and Girls Club of the Imperial Valley. The two-day event includes autograph sessions, golfing, a dinner, live concert with Curb recording artist Tim Dugger, and a charity auction. Last year Lofton raised $40,000 for the Boys and Girls Clubs.

2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results

For more information on Eddie Sharp Racing, follow @TeamESR on Twitter or log on to the Eddie Sharp Racing Fan Page on Facebook.