1320Video Founder Kyle Loftis Dies at 43—The Man Who Put Grassroots Drag Racing on the Internet
Kyle Loftis built one of the most recognizable brands in grassroots car culture before most people had figured out that the internet could be a place to watch drag racing . He started 1320Video in 2003, long before YouTube , Instagram , and Facebook became the dominant distribution points for automotive media. What began as one enthusiast shooting photos and sharing them on message boards grew into one of the most recognizable brands in grassroots performance , street car, and drag racing coverage.
He was only 43 years old. Loftis was found dead in his Sarpy County home on Tuesday. The Sarpy County Sheriff’s Department confirmed his death was “not suspicious,” declining to release further details out of respect for privacy.
No official cause of death has been announced. What 1320Video Became Under His Watch The name “1320” connects directly to the number of feet in a quarter-mile drag race , a detail that tells you everything about who Loftis was building the channel for. Before YouTube existed as a content platform, he was filming street races and distributing the footage through forums and DVDs, gradually turning that work into a platform with millions of subscribers.
The brand ‘s videos gave visibility to cars and personalities outside the traditional national-event spotlight, bringing small-tire racing, street car shootouts, road trips, grudge races, and drag-and-drive events to audiences far beyond the local tracks and message boards where that culture first took shape. By 2026, 1320Video had accumulated more than 6 million Facebook followers, nearly 4 million YouTube subscribers, and close to 3 million Instagram followers. Loftis also served as a mentor to other creators who went on to build their own empires, including Garrett Mitchell, better known as Cleetus McFarland, who had gifted Loftis a new Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 just weeks before his death.
Motorsports broadcaster David Freiburger posted to Instagram: “I’ve just learned that Kyle Loftis of 1320 Video died last night. This is terrible. I’ve known Kyle since the seminal days of Pump Gas Drags and Drag Week, which he absolutely helped grow.