Despite His Seizure, the Former Front Row Motorsports Driver Believes His “Bug Is Back” as He Makes a Return to Racing

Matt Tifft has had a roller coaster ride in terms of chasing his passion for motorsports in NASCAR. From his highs of racing in the Xfinity Series for Joe Gibbs Racing and Richard Childress Racing to the lowest of lows with his struggles in the Cup Series in 2019, the driver has seen it all. After being out of the driver’s seat for more than four years, Tifft has finally managed to muster up the courage and announce his comeback to competitive racing.

Matt Tifft fought his battle with a brain tumor, which was one of the prime reasons he had to give up on his dream run for racing in the Cup Series. At the time, many fans predicted that his time in the race car was all but done. However, after a long absence from racing owing to his personal and professional life, the driver is back fit and looking to get back to racing full-time this season. Speaking in an interview, the 27-year-old shared his comeback story along with his plans for the 2024 season.

Matt Tifft is looking to turn a corner after a long absence from the racetrack

The former Front Row Motorsports driver had a significant medical issue well before he started to make a name for himself in the NASCAR scene. Back in 2016, he underwent surgery to remove a tumor, but the issue persisted for the driver even after calling it quits from racing after the horror incident in Martinsville. A lot has happened in his personal and professional life, but against all the odds, he has finally found light at the end of the tunnel. As he gears up to get back to racing.

While it’s not that Matt Tifft hasn’t steeped a foot in the race car recently, planning to compete in 30 or so races is indeed a tall order for him. For the major chunk, he was limited to being an observer in the pit box or some other role. “It was tough man, trying to unpack everything that had happened and the effect on the nervous system. The big thing for me now it that I feel 100 percent, good to go and just excited for the opportunity.” Tift said this in an interview with the Athletic.

Last August, he made his brief comeback to racing in the Super Late Model races at a local event in Wisconsin. And this sparked his desire to get back to his racing roots: “The next morning after that first race, I told my wife. Yeah, the bug is back. And I’ve been stuck ever since.” Matt Tifft went on to add. Optimistic about his return to racing, the driver is planning to compete in 30-odd races in dirt Late Model races, alongside road course events in the Trans AM TA2 sports car series.

It is indeed tough to digest the fact that, for a driver who has seen the best of the racing experience competing in national series, a comeback primarily on dirt is an odd choice. But he just hasn’t given up on his return to racing in NASCAR.

The FRM driver isn’t ruling out a dream comeback to NASCAR

Combining all three series—the Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series—Matt Tifft has a total of 134 races under his belt. Given that he is still young, at just 27, calling it quits from racing in the national series should not be the end for a driver who had the potential to compete at the very top level of stock car racing. The question about his return to NASCAR hinges on his ability to race full-time, and perhaps his dirt racing adventures could provide us with the answer.

“Years down the road, I would love to be able to come back to NASCAR at some point. And if that day comes, I want to be as well-rounded a driver as I can be—the best driver that I could be. I truly see this as an opportunity to go learn, to win, and then go from there,” Tifft added.

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NASCAR is all about comeback stories, and given that Matt Tifft has buried the hatchet on his horrors of the past, he might as well script the best comeback stories of recent times with his experience in the Super Late Model racing events.