Tifft cleared by doctors to begin the process of returning to racing

Tifft, who underwent brain surgery on July 1 to remove a benign low-grade glioma, plans to test a late model car on Sunday at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway – the first step reacclimating himself to the rigors of racing.

Tifft, a 20-year-old student at UNC Charlotte, was originally slated to run 13 races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Joe Gibbs Racing this season. He won one pole and scored a pair of eighth-place finishes in the three races he completed before his diagnosis in late June.

“It’s great to see everybody. I’ve really missed being at the race track. I don’t think I’ve ever been away from a race track that long,” Tifft said in his first public appearance since his surgery Friday at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

“This was something we couldn’t mess with, or wait around. It hadn’t taken a cancerous form yet but in the future it very well good have.”

Surgery a success

Tifft said the surgery was considered a success and doctors got out as much of the tumor as was possible. He requires no further follow-up treatment but will undergo MRIs about every eight months for a while to ensure the tumor is not growing back.

He is once again driving a passenger car and has returned to normal physical activity. He also underwent a test to ensure he was not susceptible to any seizure activity.

“Doctors told me I am at a point now where I can actually begin to work back toward racing,” Tifft said. “This weekend I’m going to test a Late Model and get back in the seat. I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to that.

“It’s been a couple months since I’ve been in a car. I’m curious as to what my level of stamina will be. I don’t know what the exact steps are going to be (to get back to racing). I think the biggest thing is to first get back in a race car.”

Tifft said his goal has always been to get back in the race car.

“Honestly, if you look back at the video updates that I did, the reason I was able to stay so positive and so driven during this whole time was that one goal of getting back in the car,” he said.

“I had a really great support group with my family and my girlfriend. The great news was that it was something we caught very early. The whole time I was realizing that it could be a whole lot worse. I just need to keep that in the back of my mind.”