The automotive community woke up to devastating news on May 7, 2026. Kyle Loftis, the founder of 1320Video, one of the most influential independent motorsports media channels ever built, passed away.
The announcement came directly from the 1320Video social media pages, leaving fans, friends, and fellow creators stunned and heartbroken across every platform.
The statement from 1320Video read simply but powerfully: “We are extremely saddened to share that Kyle Loftis, the founder of 1320video, passed away last night.
We are in a state of shock. Kyle’s passion for motorsports inspired millions of people around the world, and we will never forget what he has done to grow our beloved sport. Kyle was a beam of light at every gathering… his enthusiasm, kindness, and creativity were contagious.”
No official cause of death has been confirmed at this time. His team has asked that the family be given space and privacy during what is an incredibly painful period.
A Channel That Changed Everything
Before YouTube algorithms, before social media sponsorships, and before the modern era of automotive content creation, Kyle Loftis was already doing it.
He built 1320Video from the ground up, filming street races, roll racing events, and grassroots drag racing at a time when almost nobody was doing it with any consistency or quality.
For an entire generation of car enthusiasts, 1320Video was the first place they ever saw a real street race. It was raw, unfiltered, and exciting in a way that polished television motorsports coverage simply could not replicate.
Kyle had a genuine eye for what car people actually wanted to watch, and he delivered it week after week for years.
His impact stretched well beyond his own channel. Cleetus McFarland, now one of the biggest names in automotive entertainment, got his start under the 1320Video umbrella
David Freiburger, a respected veteran of motorsports media, paid tribute online, saying Kyle helped grow events like Pump Gas Drags and Drag Week, and that he built “one of the earliest examples of a social media empire.”
A Community United in Grief
The response from the automotive world has been immediate and emotional. Tributes have poured in from creators, fans, and industry figures alike. Cooper Bogetti, Garrett Mitchell, and numerous other personalities within the community have spoken out, each reflecting on what Kyle meant to them personally and professionally.
Those who knew him describe a man who made racers feel like rock stars. He had a gift for being present and enthusiastic at events, and his energy was contagious whether he was behind a camera or simply standing in a pit lane talking with people.
Several longtime fans noted that he always made ordinary people feel like they were part of something much bigger than themselves, because under Kyle, they were.
Just two weeks before his passing, Kyle appeared in a video alongside Cleetus McFarland, who gifted him a fully built Corvette ZR1 as a gesture of gratitude and friendship. That moment now takes on an entirely different weight.
The motorsports community has lost a founding voice, a creative force, and by all accounts, a genuinely good human being. Kyle Loftis was 40 years old.
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