Racer Matt Tifft shaking off rust -- and getting in the dirt

These days, life is all about embracing new experiences for Hinckley Township native Matt Tifft. From tackling new disciplines in his first full season in the driver's seat since 2019 to facing the challenges of being a father for the first time, the soon-to-be 28-year-old former NASCAR Cup Series driver is enjoying every moment of it. For Tifft, his nearly 3-week-old son Camden and wife Jordan were huge driving forces behind him returning to the sport he loves after a seizure suffered at Martinsville Speedway halted his career late in his rookie season nearly five years ago. He is taking on about 30 races this season. "A giant part of this is I want to prove to (Camden) that if you set your mind to something, you are capable of doing it," he said. "You should go after it. He's just a tiny little baby right now, but in the future I want to show him he can make things happen and be his own man." It has not taken long for Camden to show signs of having the same itch for racing as his dad. Tifft said his son already likes to be on the move, and it was at a racetrack in Erie, when his crew chief started the racecar to warm up the engine, that Jordan into labor. "We may be in trouble here, because he might be getting into racing," Tifft said. "So far, he likes sleeping on stroller rides and car rides and if I stop, he gets mad. If I'm accelerating or going fast, he loves it." As much as Tifft might enjoy his son following in his footsteps — though he is adamant he wants Camden to find what he is passionate about — he said Jordan might be even more excited at the prospect. On some level, this makes a lot of sense, because Tifft said Jordan offered him the biggest encouragement when it came to getting back into racing. The couple will celebrate their first wedding anniversary in August. "When I first met my wife a couple years ago, she asked me if I thought I was ever going to race again," Tifft said. "I honestly thought no, but she was the one that really pushed me to try and challenge myself if that's really what I wanted. Seeing her drive and competitive spirit as my biggest cheerleader was really cool." In creating his own racing schedule, which revolves around mostly Ohio and Pennsylvania racetracks, Tifft can go to a race and return home that night to sleep in his own bed in the family's Bratenahl home. He has taken on a variety of disciplines from dirt tracks to stockcars to road course and sports car racing. The dirt courses have proven the most difficult due to their counter-intuitive nature and the fact that he did not compete much on dirt previously during his 17-year racing career, but Tifft is progressing and finished fourth last weekend. "Even though I grew up going to watch (dirt cars), everything you do in them is basically the opposite of what you do in a NASCAR car," Tifft said. "Every one of my instincts is different, because in (dirt) cars, you're basically driving them to the limit of spinning out every single time because that's how you get speed. In an asphalt car, you really want to drive as straight as you can." Being close to home has allowed Tifft to enjoy being back amongst family and friends he grew up with. He enjoys seeing friendly faces and people sporting his T-shirts at the track. The number and variety of racetracks within a few hours drive of Cleveland is a plus. It also afforded him the opportunity to purchase Browns season tickets. Another perk of creating his own schedule was the chance to make sure his Sundays in the fall were free. His best weekend came at Road Atlanta in early May, when Tifft won a pair of races in the Historic Stockcar Racing series in his first time competing in a stockcar since leaving the NASCAR Cup Series. "It was so special to come back and really enjoy my time down there," Tifft said. "I really had a team that believed in me and I was really excited to go down there and compete for a podium spot. I really missed being in stockcars because those feel like home to me." Returning to the racetrack has given Tifft an outlet for his competitive energy, which he says is where he can let his adrenaline out. While he is intensely competitive and disappointed when he does not perform to his expectations, one big change for Tifft is how quickly those feelings of disappointment get replaced by the appreciation of having the opportunity to do what he loves. "I'm not a person that likes to go out to clubs or a big drinker," Tifft said. "I'm pretty boring. My fun comes in competition. Whether it's me running outside to beat my best time or my heart rate at the track, those things fire me up." In the coming weeks, Tifft will be competing at Mid-Ohio before returning to race in the Trans Am series at Road America, where he set the track record in 2018 while competing in the Xfinity series. The record has since been broken, giving him a new target. "It's been really cool to get back on the track and getting to do a lot of different kinds of racing," Tifft said. "I enjoy doing the schedule I'm doing right now, picking and choosing what I want to do." Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com.