Tifft finished 11th at Daytona Int’l Speedway last week, after being involved in several of the late-race incidents that diminished the field and rallying late despite crash damage to his machine.

But looking ahead, as the only full-time driver going for the driver’s championship at Joe Gibbs Racing this season, the Hinckley, Ohio native has found himself relying heavily on Cup regulars and rotating XFINITY teammates Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and reigning series champion Daniel Suarez as he adapts to some of the new tracks he has yet to encounter in his burgeoning NASCAR career.

“It’s definitely hard to gauge where we’re at right now,” Tifft admitted. “I think we’re decent over these first couple weeks, but for me it’s really going to be about getting into a rhythm as we go forward here. This week, I’ve had Carl Edwards helping me out quite a bit. These guys definitely do want to help and it’s good to have that backing from our teammates … both new and old.”

“Some of the West Coast tracks that I haven’t had too much time on yet in an XFINITY car … but I think after we get to that point, I’ll feel a lot more confident when we start repeating tracks and getting to places where I’ve been before.”

And while Tifft knows that the early season will be a learning curve, he also has his eyes set on the ultimate prize as he continues his progression at the national level.

“A lot of the races in the beginning for me are going to be learning experiences … but we want to be in race-winning contention soon. We just have to take things step-by-step for a while.”

“Right now, it’s all about getting the best runs we can because it’s the first time we’ve worked together at a handling race track, but we’re optimistic about the future, for sure.”

About the Writer

Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network.

Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.

The 23-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.

Email Jacob at: editor@racechaseronline.com

Follow on Twitter: @Speed77Radio or @JacobSeelman77

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