When Matt Looft won his first feature during his rookie year in 2010, he never dreamed he would become the winningest IMCA sport mod driver of all-time. Now he hit win No. 200 this past weekend at Arlington Raceway in Minnesota.
“I never thought it was possible to win 200 features,” Looft, of Swea City, Iowa said. “They say hard work and determination pays off — I know now that it really does.”
Looft credited his team for his incredible feat. His crew consists of his wife, Brittney, and three friends who help at the track — Greg, Matt, and Roger.
“We have a strict maintenance schedule,” Looft said. “Characteristically, we do not have many DNFs because of that.
“Each night, we check the engine, chassis, and tires. If any part of the car makes contact with anything on the racetrack, we tear that corner apart. If parts are bent or damaged, we don’t repair them — we replace them with new parts.”
Looft earns a living by hauling fuel to farmers. He has a family consisting of three children — Brayden,7, Bryson, 4, and Brylee, 10 months. Despite all that, Looft still finds time to race. He competes up to five nights week.
- Thursdays at Kossuth County Speedway in Algona, Iowa.
- Fridays at Murray County Speedway in Slayton, Minnesota.
- Saturdays at Arlington Raceway.
Plus, specials at:
- Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer, Iowa.
- Jackson Motorplex in Minnesota.
Matt Looft said he does not pay much attention to his next milestone.
“We’re not looking ahead for hundreds of more wins,” said Looft. “The kids are getting older. They will want to play T-ball and other sports. There will be family activities to attend. Who knows — they may even want to race. We’ll figure it all out as we go.”
(For more on Matt Looft’s 2021 season, read “Matthew Looft: A Year to Remember”.)
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
