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MATT TIFFT: ONE OF NASCAR’S MOST DRIVEN ATHLETES
t isn’t every day that you’re able to sit down with a remarkable athlete from your state and have a conversation with him/her. This month, I had the honor of sitting down with Highland alum, Matt Tifft. Tifft grew up in Hinckley, where he started racing at a young age. By the time he was able to vote, he was a rising star in NASCAR racing. He moved up the ranks of the sport, racing for one of the most famous team owners in history, Joe Gibbs. At 20 years old, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and in June of 2016, had life-saving surgery to remove it. Soon after recovery he was racing again in the Xfinity Series, competing for wins on a weekly basis. In 2019, he was promoted to the Cup Series, where he would race against the top drivers from around the world.
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TH E ROYA L NEWS
Following a seizure before one of the final races of his rookie season, he was sidelined from the sport in 2020. Now, at 24, he’s making a name for himself in the sport once again, as this February, he becomes the youngest Cup Series owner in NASCAR history. Tifft is a force in the NASCAR scene. Looking at most professional drivers today, many started racing at a fairly young age. “My first go-kart I raced, I was eleven years old. That was over at the Barberton Speedway not too far from Hinckley and North Royalton there,” said Tifft when talking about his first years racing. Racing took up a majority of Tifft’s time as he continued climbing through the ranks. He attended Highland High School, although racing created obstacles in his schedule practically every weekend.
