Brian Loftin of Lexington, NC, makes his much anticipated return to modifieds after an unexpected, but much needed, break. Loftin will make his first appearance at Friendship Motor Speedway on June 15, 2007. What most fans will be surprised to see – Loftin will not be in the red #23 car that brought him so many wins. For this race, Brian Loftin has teamed up with father-in-law Clarence “Clev” Rierson. Rierson recently purchased a WSMT car of David Pinnix, previously driven by long-time friend of Loftin, Brandon Ward.
    “Since my retirement, I have enjoyed trying out new things. When my wife (Tina, President/Owner of QMF Solutions) got involved in Brian’s racing and got to know his crew members and the other drivers he races against…we fell in love with the modifieds!
    After the incident at Nashville we saw that it might be a while before we got to go back racing and just saw the opportunity to buy a car and put Brian Loftin in it. We’ve all missed being out there. It’s a family affair with the Loftin’s and Rierson’s – everyone is involved somehow, and I love seeing families doing things together.” said Rierson. “Racing is a special bond between Brian and his dad. I just want to help that continue and be a part of it somehow. I know nothing about race cars, so this is my way of being involved. It’s up to Brian and Bobby (Loftin) to get this thing going. Bobby knows a lot about these cars. They are a great team, him and Brian. They really know how to get it done.”
    After shopping around for race cars, Loftin and Rierson both agreed that the car Pinnix had built was definitely the best car out there. Rierson comments, “I really feel like David (Pinnix) has built an incredible car and motor. I think Brian will do well in it and all together we can go out there and win some races. Tina and I have never seen him win, so that’s our goal, but unfortunately we won’t be there for the first race in this car.”
    Brian Loftin is more than excited to make his return after the unexpected chain of events that happened around the Nashville race. “It was extremely unfortunate what happened at Nashville, but it happened. The bad, but good thing, was the timing,” Loftin said. “My wife and I had just experienced a personal tragedy the week before Nashville, so our entire family was emotionally spent.
    The wreck was just fuel on the fire. Even though as a driver you never want to take a break, it couldn’t have happened at a better time. My wife needed me home to be with her. I really needed to be the family man and not racing allowed me to do that. You’ve got to keep your priorities straight – racing’s not everything. But now, I think we are all ready to get back out there.” Loftin’s wife, Melissa, also confirmed that when she said, “I really love having him at home and I’m so glad we were able to be there for each other over the past few months…but it’s time to go racing. I miss it. I’m ready! Brian is completely focused on winning races and I have no doubt in my mind he will make that happen.”
    Brian and Melissa are both extremely thankful for the opportunity Clarence has given Brian, as well as the sponsorship of L & R Transmission, and QMF Metal & Electronic Solutions, Inc. As for a sponsor on the new car of Rierson, Melissa, wife and PR manager for Brian Loftin Racing and Rierson Racing, laughs and says, “We are actively looking and have a couple of great opportunities. Anyone interested? Call me!”
    While Brian Loftin will be in Rierson’s blue #23 car at Friendship, the plans for his own two cars are still undecided. As for right now, the concentration in the Brian Loftin Racing garage is working on all the cars to get them ready to go back on the track and win races. “Randy Myers is doing a great job of trying to get the ASA tour off the ground. He has supported modifieds in the south for a long time. It’s the least we can do as drivers to support him. Clev and I are both excited about running that tour. As for the NASCAR tour…the only thing I can say for right now is that we are coming back racing in every possible way we can.” A smiling Brian says to his fans, “You’ll just have to watch and see.”