MORE: Tifft tweets upbeat video post-surgery | Tifft joins Red Horse Racing
JOLIET, Ill. -- Matt Tifft climbs back on the horse tonight here at Chicagoland Speedway, a Red Horse in fact, as the 20-year-old returns to competition following surgery for a brain tumor just 11 weeks ago.
Tifft will be competing in the No. 11 Toyota Tundra for Red Horse Racing in Friday night's American Ethanol E15 225 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Chicagoland Speedway (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
It will be his first NASCAR start since May 21 when he finished fifth in a Camping World Truck Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
He recently tested in a Late Model entry at Hickory (N.C.) Speedway and said he has driven go-karts as well to prepare for his return.
"I did not feel anything at all that was different and I would not be here this weekend if I did not feel like I was 100 percent and ready to go," Tifft said Friday.
In late June, Joe Gibbs Racing officials, for whom Tifft competes part-time in NASCAR's XFINITY Series, announced that doctors had discovered a "low-grade glioma" during Tifft's evaluation and treatment for a back condition. He underwent surgery on July 1.
Thursday Tifft was back behind the wheel of the Red Horse entry, taking part in practice on the 1.5-mile track.
"I radioed in after the first practice how much I had missed it," said Tifft, who was sixth and 19th, respectively, in Thursday's two Truck Series practices. ...
"Going the high speeds and going into the banking of a track like Chicagoland in a Truck Series event, it's totally different than what you can prepare for on a short track. A lot of fun but also I had to be on my game just like any other driver has to be. It takes a lap or two for you to get used to it and I think by the second run out there we were running competitive times again.
"But, definitely, was soaking it in going around the first couple of laps."
Teammate Timothy Peters said the "feedback and … positives that (Tifft) brings to the race team is just second to none.
"A good person to boot," Peters said. "It's hard to beat that.
"He was fast in the first practice (on Thursday) and would've been right up there will all of us (in the second)," Peters noted, adding that Tifft's team did not make a mock qualifying run.
"Chicagoland is one of my favorites tracks," said Tifft. "I had a lot of fun (Thursday). It was really great to be back in the truck, so I'm looking forward to tonight and getting back in my first race."