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  • Joey Coulter Still Feeling Awesome After Career Best Truck Run

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”260″][/media-credit]While much of the attention was focused on what happened after the Truck race at Kansas Speedway, Joey Coulter was still riding on a self-proclaimed high of awesomeness after his career best finish.

    The driver of the No. 22 Richard Childress Racing/Darrell Gwynn Foundation Chevrolet started eighth in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas this past weekend. Yet he was able to finish the race with the first top five of his rookie season.

    “It was huge,” Coulter said of his run at Kansas. “We’ve had some good runs in the ARCA Series at a mile and a half but to run as good as we did at Kansas was awesome.”

    Coulter contributes his great run to a combination of great pit strategy, keeping up with the race track and working with his RCR teammate Austin Dillon.

    “Austin (Dillon) is a great teammate,” Coulter said. “His crew chief and my crew chief, me and Austin, we talk a lot.”

    “We sit down all the time during practice and talk about what we are fighting,” Coulter continued. “Austin has brought me up to his level really quick.”

    “He’s done a great job explaining to me the different ways to drive these trucks,” Coulter said. “I’ve watched a lot of video and I’ve talked to a lot of drivers and it’s just all that combined that contributed to our run at Kansas and we were just able to put it all together.”

    “We both know that if he is faster than me, he’s the guy I can go to and find out why,” Coulter continued. “That’s going to bring me to his speed. Then once I get there, I might hit on something and end up a little bit faster than him.”

    “He’s going to come to me and we’re going to tell him what we did and it’s just going to keep going back and forth until we’re both really, really fast,” Coulter said. “The great thing about a teammate is that open line of communication is there and you can always get the information you need.”

    “It works and I love having a teammate,” Coulter said. “It’s my first time having one and I love it.”

    Coulter also contributes his success to the equipment available to him at Richard Childress Racing. And finally Coulter gives all the due to his family, who has stood with him since he began his racing journey.

    “RCR in my opinion is the best equipment in the Truck Series,” Coulter said. “The guys that build those trucks are the same guys that go to the race track and work on them at the track.”

    “So, when they build something at the shop, they really put everything they’ve got into it,” Coulter continued. “Everybody puts so much pride into their work that when the race truck rolls into the trailer on the way to the race, it looks more like something that would roll through the block on Barrett Jackson.”

    “These things come out looking great.”

    “My family has been there since the beginning,” Coulter said. “Mom, dad and my girlfriend have been there since I was short track racing in Florida.”

    “It’s really hard for them to miss a race, which is cool,” Coulter continued. “I love having them there.”

    Coulter did take at least a little bit of time to celebrate his great finish. But that run actually made Coulter even more anxious to get to the next track.

    “When I got back after the race, I hung out with my parents and soaked it all in,” Coulter said. “I kept watching the highlights on Speed Center and reading the articles on line, just soaking it all in.”

    “We really enjoyed it, but at the same time it just made me a lot more excited to get to Texas,” Coulter said. “I just kept telling my crew chief, ‘Let’s go to Texas right now. I’m ready to go.’”

    Coulter has actually been to Texas Motor Speedway before, running there last year in the ARCA Series.

    “I love that race track,” Coulter said. “It is so much fun. It’s unreal how fast you can go through the corners with so much grip.”

    “It’s wide open from what I’ve heard,” Coulter continued. “It’s going to be an experience to go around the track and never take your foot off the gas. I can’t wait to do that.”

    Coulter admits that he expects more of the same at Texas as at Kansas in terms of the weather and the intense heat. He credits his growing up in Florida for his ability to handle the heat, that and a new tip that his teammate recently gave to him.

    “I’m very glad that I was born in Florida, where there are two seasons, hot and very hot,” Coulter said. “It’s just something I’ve gotten used to over the years.”

    “My teammate actually got me drinking Pedialyte this weekend and I felt way better before and after the race this time,” Coulter continued. “I’m working out every day like I have been for awhile and that helps with the heat too.”

    Coulter will also be celebrating a personal milestone when he reaches Texas this week. He will turn 21 years old on Wednesday, June 8th.

    “We are actually going to head to Texas a day early so I don’t have to be traveling on my birthday,” Coulter said. “I’m definitely not going to do anything crazy because we have to work this weekend.”

    “I’ll probably go some place and see if they card me,” Coulter said with a chuckle. “I’m excited about it. It’s really kind of like the last real exciting age.”

    For his birthday, Coulter may also indulge in one of his favorite confectionaries. In fact, he is nicknamed after one of them, “Cupcake”.

    “Before the Darlington race, we did a media event, me and Johanna Long,” Coulter said. “We got to talk to a bunch of young kids about how important it is to stay in school.”

    “There was this little hole in the wall, family cupcake place and somehow I got stuck carrying the box of cupcakes,” Coulter continued. “I guess that’s where I got the nickname of ‘cupcake’ from.”

    From celebrating his birthday to his top-five finish, Coulter has just one word to sum up his life at present.

    “Awesome,” Coulter said. “It’s a great feeling to be in the situation I am.”

    “I’m extremely fortunate to have the opportunities I’ve had,” Coulter continued. “My dad has always been sure to tell me that there are plenty of unemployed race car drivers.”

    “I’m grateful for this opportunity,” Coulter said. “RCR is an awesome organization and there are an awful lot of awesome people that have gotten me to where I am.”

  • NASCAR Truck Series Drivers and Teams Schooled on Pit Stops, Air Force Style

    As part of the Truck Series’ visit to Dover, Delaware this weekend, several drivers and teams visited Dover Air Force Base to thank the troops for their service. But they also went to school on how pit stops are done, Air Force style.

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”247″][/media-credit]Several NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers, including Matt Crafton, Joey Coulter and Miguel Paludo, as well as their crew chiefs and team members, had a behind-the-scenes tour of the base, home of the 436th Airlift Wing and the 512th Airlift Wing, Reserve Associate.

    From piling into the hold of the C-17, a huge plane designed to transport all types of military equipment and troops, to literally standing atop the wings of a C-5 in the hangar for repairs, the teams were treated to one of the most unique military experiences in their lives.

    Matt Crafton, driver of the No. 88 Menards/Certain Teed Chevrolet truck, was one of the drivers most impressed with his visit to Dover Air Force base.

    “It meant a lot to be there,” Crafton said. “The guys and gals came out and thanked us for being here, but I mean we need to thank them a lot more for what they do for us because if they didn’t do for us, we wouldn’t be here doing what we do.”

    Joey Coulter, rookie driver of the No. 22 RCR/Rip-It Chevrolet, echoed Crafton’s sentiments about his experience at Dover Air Force base.

    “It’s been really awesome,” Coulter said. “You get a whole new respect for things that you don’t see behind the scenes that is pretty neat.”

    “It’s unbelievable the size of those airplanes,” Coulter continued.” Even in the cockpit, there were ten of us and there was still plenty of room.”

    Miguel Paludo, another rookie behind the wheel of the No. 7 Lucas Oil/K&N Oil Filters Toyota, was also amazed at the base and the size of the airplanes on which the air men and women were working.

    “I am just in awe,” Paludo said simply. “It is amazing the engineering that goes into these things.”

    While showing off the enormous hangar/garage area where planes are repaired, the air men and women were equally as thrilled to have the NASCAR drivers and teams see them in pit stop style action. One of those was Tech Sergeant and Production Supervisor, aka night shift pit boss, Matthew Ende.

    “I think it’s great to have the NASCAR teams here at Dover Air Force Base,” Ende said. “It’s a great morale booster for these guys because they work hard every day.”

    “To see these guys interact with the NASCAR folks is really good,” Ende continued. “We appreciate them coming here to hang out with us.”

    Ende, originally from update New York, has been stationed at Dover Air Force Base for sixteen years. His job is to coordinate all of the specialists, including hydraulic, electro and environmental specialists, who serve as the cargo planes’ pit crew on the night shift.

    “I pretty much run the whole shop and coordinate everyone that works on the jets on the night shift,” Ende said. “So, yes I am the pit boss.”

    Ende is not just large and in charge in his Air Force ‘garage’. He is also a true NASCAR fan.

    “Oh yes, I am a NASCAR fan and I usually go to the September race here in Dover every year,” Ende said. “My favorite driver right now is Tony Stewart.”

    All of the NASCAR Truck Series teams returned the favor of their visit to the Air Force base, inviting their Air Force counterparts to the Dover Truck race. And for most of the drivers, at least for Crafton who finished third, as well as capturing the points lead, and Joey Coulter, who finished a personal best sixth place, their Air Force partners were definitely good luck.

    Unfortunately, Miguel Paludo did not have such good luck. He ended up in the fence with a damaged race truck as a result of a tangle with Ricky Carmichael.

    Truck Series points leader Crafton summed up his feelings about his Air Force honorary pit crew best.

    “It was just an honor to have them in our pits,” Crafton said. “It was great to be with them throughout the day and have them hang out with us. They had a blast and they were all smiles.”

  • Kyle Busch Wins Monster of a Truck Race; Nemesis Kevin Harvick Finishes Fifth

    Kyle Busch, behind the wheel of No. 18 Traxxas Toyota, put the controversy and trash talking with Kevin Harvick from last week’s Darlington race behind him to win the Lucas Oil 200 Truck Series race at the Monster Mile in Dover, Delaware.

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”264″][/media-credit]Busch’s win also tied him with Mark Martin for the most wins in all three series, with both drivers now at 96 victories. He is also the first two-time winner in the Camping World Truck Series at Dover International Speedway.

    This was Busch’s 27th victory in 90 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races. The win also was his third victory and fifth top-10 finish in 2011.

    “It was a really good truck,” Busch said. “I can’t say enough about this Toyota.”

    While Busch seemed to dominate most of the race, he affirmed that it was not as easy as it seemed.

    “Overall the race went pretty well for us,” Busch said. “It wasn’t quite the walk in the park it seemed.  This place is so difficult and so challenging and you feel like you’re always on edge.”

    Busch said that he and his nemesis Harvick managed to race each other clean and without issues.

    “I thought today’s race was good,” Busch said of his competition with Harvick. “We had some close moments and we raced each other hard but it was fine. All is good as far as I know.”

    For his part, Kevin Harvick finished fifth after an eventful race. Harvick, piloting the No. 2 Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet, had to rebound from a speeding penalty to work his way back through the field to score that top five finish.

    Red Bull rookie Cole Whitt had almost as good a race as winner Kyle Busch, finishing in the runner up position. The driver of the No. 60 Red Bull/Fuel Doctor Chevrolet posted his first top-10 finish, his first top five and his career best finish.

    “It’s crazy,” Whitt said. “I’m happy to be here in the first place. Trying to live the dream and chase it and drive door to door with half these guys, let alone Kyle Busch, is pretty cool.”

    “We had a great truck all weekend and this thing’s been pretty spot on,” Whitt said. “We’ve just been turning things around from the way the season started.”

    “Early in the race, we were good on long runs and our truck just couldn’t do it on short runs,” Whitt said, crediting that issue to his runner up status. “That’s what it just turned in to be. It was all short runs after that.”

    Whitt also acknowledged that he went to school at the feet of Kyle Busch, especially on those late race restarts.

    “Kyle is one of the best in the business on restarts,” Whitt said. “He definitely schooled me a few times and then I felt like I got a good one there at the end but it wasn’t good enough.”

    “We’re all small team trying to make it big.”

    Matt Crafton, driver of the No. 88 Menards/Certain Teed Chevrolet, came in third but that was good enough for him to claim the points lead in the Truck Series.

    “At the beginning of the race, I couldn’t fire off and I was really, really loose,” Crafton said. “But at the end of the run, we’d be one of the best trucks on the race track.”

    This was Crafton’s sixth top-10 finish in 11 races at the Monster Mile. He is now leading the points by five over teammate Johnny Sauter.

    “It’s great to be the points leader,” Crafton continued. “We just need to keeping doing what we’re doing and running top five every week and having these top three finishes and throw a couple of wins off and see where we are at Homestead.”

    Austin Dillon, behind the wheel of the No. 3 BassProShops/Remington/Tracker Boats Chevrolet, finished in the fourth spot. Harvick rounded out the top five.

    Another notable in the race finishing order was rookie Joey Coulter, who qualified fifth and finished sixth in his No. 22 RCR/Rip-It Chevrolet. This was Coulter’s first trip to the Monster Mile and the driver and his family were thrilled with the result.

    Brendan Gaughan, James Buescher, Ron Hornaday, Jr. and Justin Marks, the pole sitter rounded out the top ten.

     

  • One-On-One Interview with NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Driver Joey Coulter

    One-On-One Interview with NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Driver Joey Coulter

    Joey Coulter is living a dream right, so far having what he calls a spectacular time at Richard Childress Racing.

    Coulter began racing in 1998, racing go-karts at West Coast Kartway in Naples, Florida, and then also started running the WKA Horstman Gold Cup Series in 1999, followed by the Florida FASTTRUCK Series in late 2005.

    [media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”273″][/media-credit]In 2007, he moved up to the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, where he finished in the top 10 multiple times, including top-10s at the 2007 Thanksgiving Classic at Kenly and Baileys 300 at Martinsville Speedway. His first stock car victory, though, would come in December of 2008 at Southern National Raceway Park in Kenly, N.C.

    The 2009 season marked his rookie year in the ARCA, which resulted in two poles, seven top-fives, 13 top-10s and a fourth-place finish in the season-ending point standings. Last season, he finished eighth in points while winning the Bill France Four Crown Award and his first victory at Berlin Raceway.

    Following the final race of the ARCA Racing Series season at Rockingham, Coulter got the surprise phone call from RCR with an offer to drive a second truck for their team. Coulter immediately accepted, ready to make that jump up to the next level. In his first two starts this year, Coulter has already impressed as he was running up front at Daytona before a tire blew and finished ninth at Phoenix.

    Coulter took some time out of his schedule to talk about the season so far and more.

    Ashley McCubbin: What are your thoughts on the year so far?

    Joey Coulter: So far it’s been spectacular. It’s really been going well and everybody over at RCR has been doing an awesome job kind of helping me out with getting ready for the race track and getting a handle on the truck. It’s really been a good experience. At Daytona, we had a really good qualifying run, we’re running real smart in the top 10 and blew a right front tire and ruined our night, but right before then we were having a real good night. Phoenix, for it being a hard track, to go from being terrible in practice to a finish in the top 10 was really good. The first two races have been really good. I mean, I didn’t think we’d do as good as we did with Phoenix being a tough track.

    AM: What’s it been like working the guys, such as crew chief Harold Holly?

    JC: Working with Harold has been great. I mean, him and I worked together with the ARCA cars and things have gone well. Our communication has carried well over to the truck. I feel like it’s really gotten better since then too. We’ve working two years with each other and he’s been great with helping me out and he’s been making some great changes to the truck.

    Working with Austin Dillon has been even better. He’s helped me out so much, epically out there at Phoenix. He helped me. Mike Dillon has helped me a ton there, too. He’s helped with telling me where I need to be to be in the right place, and like in the right groove.

    AM: How did the deal coming together with Richard Childress?

    JC: I was surprised to say the least. After the season finale at Rockingham in the ARCA series, I told Mike Perelli that we’d be doing this again next year and trying to win the championship. Looking over the whole year, there was nothing that stuck out a whole lot that I would say RCR would look at. There wasn’t anything that was really clearly there. I mean, we won at Berlin and we won the Bill France Award, but there never seemed to be that big moment.

    Then a week after Rockingham, my dad called me and said to me that I needed to go over to RCR and they want to talk to you and I was like ha-ha you’re kidding. He said, ‘I’m dead serious. They want you there at 10 o’ clock for a meeting’. So from the ball got rolling and once we got up, there they showed us around the shop and we talked about some things and we signed.

    AM: Speaking of the ARCA Series, how do you feel the experience has helped you?

    JC: For one, when we go to some of these big race tracks, like I haven’t run most of these races, but when we go to places like Michigan, Iowa, Kansas, Chicago, places like that, it’s really going to pay off as I got lots of laps on those race tracks. You know in ARCA last year, things were really competitive as there were a ton of different winners. Only two people won twice, and there were a lot of different people running well and it really showed how good the competition there. I think the type of racing with that crowd of drivers really gets you prepared for the truck series because the competition jumps by 10. So just getting a little taste of that in the ARCA series really helps you out.

    AM: What are some of your expectations for the year?

    JC: Right now our expectation is to finish in the top 10 every weekend. Overall, for the entire year, we want to win rookie of the year. We feel with the experience from Austin winning it last year will help me a lot. I really don’t think rookie of the year is that far out of reach.

    AM: What are some of your thoughts going into Darlington?

    JC: I’m just really excited. I’ve just been talking to a lot of people about that place. I’ve never been there, never seen it, probably watched the last 10 races there the last couple of weeks trying to learn everything I can. I’ve talked to Austin Dillon a lot. I’ve just been doing a lot of talking to a lot of people. I’ve been trying to figure out what it’s like, what’s the tire wear like, what are some things you need to look out for. I’ve heard getting on pit road is really challenging so we’ll see how that plays out. It’s going to be exciting. I know I will have a really good truck when I get there. Austin ran really well there last year and we’re going back with the same set-up and I feel like we have a really good chance to get another top 10.

    AM: There have been a lot of pictures being tweeted of what Speed is going to makeover (which will be shown during their pre-race show on Saturday). How has that gone?

    JC: That was a lot of fun. We went to a bunch of different places and you got to watch it on Saturday as it was a lot of fun. I don’t think I’ve spent that much on clothes but it will be cool to show off our new look for the rest of the year. We had a good time.

    AM: What is one of your favorite racing stories to tell?

    JC: One of them is the phone call from RCR to get here because this is like – since I was eight years old, I’ve wanted to be a NASCAR driver and drive for a team like RCR, Hendrick, Roush and to get that phone call when I was least expecting, it is really cool. In the same year that we got our first win in the ARCA Series at Berlin, which was a race track that I didn’t really like the first time I went there and we just went back the second time and had a really good car and ran great and won the race and running well the next three races, that led us to winning the Bill France Crown Award. I guess, just last year as a whole was big for me.

    AM: What are some of your hobbies?

    JC: I’m a big RC car, like the little remote control nitro powered cars – I’ve got quite a few of them. They’re all like tricked out. When I get to go back down to Florida, I’m a big scuba diving fan as I do a ton of scuba diving, a lot of deep sea fishing and things like that.

    AM: Favorite TV Show?

    JC: Race Hub, Wind Tunnel – I watch those a lot.

    AM: Favorite Movie

    JC: Days of Thunder, Top Gun

    AM: Favorite Food

    JC: Pizza

    AM: Any specific topping?

    JC: Just pepperoni

    AM: Favorite Color

    JC: Blue or Black

  • Joey Coulter and Rip It Energy Fuel Ready for ARCA Series Opener at Daytona

    Joey Coulter and Rip It Energy Fuel Ready for ARCA Series Opener at Daytona

    Earlier this month, Joey Coulter and Coulter Motorsports announced the continuation of their sponsorship with Rip It Energy Fuel in 2011. They will kick off the season together on February 12th with the ARCA season-opening Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway. Coulter will be driving the No. 16 Chevrolet again, sponsored by Rip It Energy Fuel and the Darrell Gwynn Foundation. 

    [media-credit name=”arcaracing.com” align=”alignleft” width=”233″][/media-credit]”I am thrilled at the chance to go out and represent Rip It Energy Fuel again in select races during the 2011 ARCA Racing Series season,” Coulter said in a press release. “They have become an integral partner in not only my career but Coulter Motorsports as a whole. Daytona is one of those tracks everyone wants to win at, and showcasing our sponsorship with Rip It makes it that much more special.” 

    Last year, Coulter earned one win, seven top fives and 10 top-10 finishes, along with the Bill France Four Crown Championship. 

    This year, Coulter is schedule to race five races during the 2011 ARCA Season – Daytona, Talladega, Michigan, Lucas Oil Raceway and Kansas. In preparation for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, Coulter piloted the car to the 10th-fastest position on the chart at 49.543 seconds. 

    “The (Daytona ARCA) test proved to be very beneficial, allowing me to adapt to the new, smoother pavement, and my Coulter Motorsports team to work on our cars,” Coulter said. “My guys did a great job and I want to especially thank Randy (Renfrow) for stepping in for me when I was gone. He really got the cars dialed in and setup for drafting. Michael (Chapman) did a good job setting the cars up identically, and I know he will make sure we bring back a rocket ship. I am excited to be back racing in 2011 and can’t wait for Daytona!” 

    Also this season, Coulter also will be competing for Rookie of the Year in the Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 22 Silverado for Richard Childress Racing. Rip It Energy Fuel also announced they’d serve as an associate sponsor on his truck. 

    “It just all fell together so fast,” Coulter said. “It was unbelievable. For me, it’s like a dream come true. Best Christmas present I’ve ever gotten. It’s a wonderful opportunity.” 

    Coulter got a phone call from Richard Childress following the final race of  the season at Rockingham, where the opportunity was offered. The season opener at Daytona next week for the Camping World Truck Series will be his first truck race. 

    “We’ve gotten to test twice,” Coulter said. “We went down to Disney World Speedway in Orlando and tested for a good, solid day and a half. Then just last week, I was in Gresham for a day, doing a short-track test. 

    “Man, what a piece of equipment. It’s unbelievable the caliber of equipment that comes out of these shops. Compared to an ARCA car, they’re different but they weren’t as different as I thought they were going to be. I really expected it to be something I hadn’t ever really felt before but it was pretty close.” 

    Coulter has already got the chance to work with teammate Austin Dillon at Disney World Speedway. 

    “Yeah, he gave me lots of advice,” Coulter said. “It helped out a ton. After talking and testing it at Disney World for that day and a half, we kind of figured out that our driving styles are pretty close. We’re able to share information and our crew chiefs can communicate real well, so we’re really going to be able to learn a lot off each other. 

    “They learned a lot already off our short-track test. They weren’t able to make it down there, but they were able to learn off the notes we brought back. Being able to use all their notes from last year should be able to give us a baseline for the places I’ve never been before.” 

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