NASCAR Cup Series 2019 rookie preview: Matt Tifft

With the Daytona 500 just days away, learn more about another one of this season’s NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year contenders, Matt Tifft.

Howdy, NASCAR fans! Welcome in to the next chapter of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series rookie preview! If you missed round one, click here to learn more about Obaika Racing rookie Tanner Berryhill.

Today, I am going to keep the ball rolling by discussing yet another youngster headed to the Cup Series as a full-time driver in the 2019 season Matt Tifft.

Tifft’s racing career picked up in 2007, when he was introduced into go-kart racing in the state of Ohio. The Virginia native earned his stripes in the Buckeye State, and he created his first divisional and national racing schedule two years later in 2009.

After winning two national level go-kart races, Tifft switched up his career and moved to super late models on both asphalt and dirt. After making the move in 2010, he continued his quick path to the top by competing in his first full-time stock car season the very next year.

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In addition to scoring two super late model victories, Tifft also proved consistent enough to land an ARCA Midwest Tour ride for the 2012 season. He finish in fifth place in the final championship standings and won the 2012 ARCA Midwest Rookie of the Year Award.

Tifft’s career hit the national scene in 2013 when he ran the entire K&N Pro Series East schedule for Win-Tron Racing. In 13 total starts, he earned three top 10 finishes finished in 16th place in the championship standings. In addition, he made a number of starts in the K&N Pro Series West this season.

The year 2013 also welcomed Tifft’s ARCA Racing Series national debut. In two starts, he finished in fifth place at Toledo Speedway and 15th at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

Tifft’s performance was enough to get the attention of former NASCAR driver Ken Schrader. Schrader fielded a car for Tifft for half of the 20-race 2014 ARCA Racing Series season and a handful of K&N Pro Series East races that year as well. Tifft reached slight success at the K&N level that year, and he emerged as a young star in the ARCA Racing Series after earning seven top 10 finishes in his 10 starts.

NASCAR’s national divisions came calling in the 2014 season as well, as Tifft made three Truck Series starts for BJ McLeod Motorsports. His average finish was 16.33 and his best finish was an eight place finish in the October race at Martinsville Speedway.

Tifft’s fast track to racing success struck again in 2015 when he compiled nine ARCA Racing Series starts, one K&N Pro Series West start, 12 Truck Series starts and his first Xfinity Series start at Kentucky Speedway. His highlights from the 2015 season included recording five top 10 finishes in both the ARCA Racing Series and the Truck Series, and he finished in 10th place in his Xfinity Series debut.

To keep the good times rolling, Tifft got one step closer to a full-time NASCAR ride in 2016 when he made a combined 20 starts in the Xfinity and Truck Series.

Driving for Joe Gibbs Racing on a part-time basis in the 2016 Xfinity Series season, Tifft earned his first career pole position and five top 10 finishes in seven races after driving in three races for JGL Racing. In the Truck Series, he recorded an average finish of 12.0 in 10 races and finished 100% of the 1,526 laps in those 10 races.

In addition to his racing career, Tifft also battled personal adversity during the 2016 season. He suffered from a back condition, which resulted in the discovery of a tumor on his brain. After successful surgery, he was cleared to race in September and made his return. Just a couple of months later, he was announced as the full-time driver of the #19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for the 2017 Xfinity Series season.

In the 2017 Xfinity Series season, Tifft competed in all 33 races and earned two top five finishes and 13 top 10 finishes. He recorded an average finish of 13.6 before finishing in seventh place in the championship standings.

With one full season under his belt, Tifft showed signs of improvement in 2018 by recording six top five finishes and 19 top 10 finishes in his first season driving the #2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. He bested his average finish from the 2017 season by one full position up to 12.6 and finished sixth place in the championship standings. During his 2018 campaign, he also recorded his career-high finish of second in the August race at Road America.

It was announced in late November that Tifft will become the third full-time driver for Front Row Motorsports for the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season. He is set to drive the #36 Ford Mustang while competing for the 2019 Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award.

In terms of my predictions, Tifft is in for a rough season. Personally, I don’t believe that he has earned a Cup Series ride. His improvement in the Xfinity Series is positive, but his quick trip to NASCAR’s top level of racing worries me. In addition to moving through the ranks too quickly, he has never won a NASCAR sanctioned event.

While Tifft may have talent inside of a race car, he doesn’t strike me as a future Cup Series winner. He has also fallen into a trap many young drivers do. Signing with an sub-par Cup Series team this early in his career could permanently scar his career. If he doesn’t show signs of success in his first two seasons in the Cup Series, his career could be over as quickly as it started.

I foresee Tifft finishing in 30th place or worse in the championship standings. Not only is he new to racing on Sundays, but Front Row Motorsports will have to balance three full-time cars compared to their usual two.

I’m not saying that Tifft can’t find success in the #36 Ford, but you won’t see me picking him to surprise fans this season.

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Well, there you have it! I hope you learned a little more about one of the new faces in the NASCAR Cup Series! Stay tuned for part three of our rookie preview as we discuss one of the biggest underdogs in NASCAR, Ryan Preece! See you next time!

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