CHANDLER, AZ – Committed, dedicated, attentive and goal-driven are all actions that one could easily infer about ARCA Racing Series standout Joey Coulter. Describing him as ill-prepared however, would not even be close to the truth and he showed just why this past week.
Coulter, understanding the daunting tasks that make up the 2010 ARCA Racing Series schedule, knows he needs to be 110% prepared going into this season. Openly admitting his biggest hardship throughout the 2009 season, road course racing, led the young racer to travel 1,900 miles across country to attend the renowned Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving. With two established road course races on the 2010 schedule, West Palm Beach and New Jersey Motorsports Park, Coulter wanted to make sure he could adequately anticipate the left and right turn challenges.
“Last year (2009) in the ARCA Series was truly a great learning experience for me,” commented Coulter. “I attended some of the most challenging tracks across the country and raced against some of the most talented drivers, all while trying to learn as much as possible. Going into the 2010 season I knew the road courses would be my biggest challenge. That made me want to learn them (road courses) inside and out and that is why I choose to learn from the best and attend Bondurant.”
Due to Coulter’s extensive racing background Bondurant placed him in the same program the likes of Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart and Dale Jarrett all completed. The three day advanced road racing class was aimed more at teaching Coulter through extensive seat time rather than class time. The program which he completed from January 13-15th was held at Bondurant’s headquarters in Chandler, AZ right outside of Phoenix.
Driving a 2008 Corvette Z51 Coupe, Coulter was immediately put to the grindstone learning the often uncomfortable and awkward heel-toe braking method. Instructor William Hawkins worked closely with Coulter to perfect his sight line driving, shifting patterns and road course etiquette on the Bondurant Road Course. A 1.6 mile, 15 turn course specifically designed by road racing legend Bob Bondurant to properly teach his students the many perils of the sport. After successfully working with Hawkins throughout day one, Coulter would spend the entire second and third days logging laps, learning everything he could on both the Bondurant Road Course and the Firebird West Course.
“To have the opportunity to travel to Bondurant and work one on one with the instructors was honestly one of the coolest things I have gotten to do,” said an ecstatic Coulter after finishing his course. “I learned so much in these past three days and I feel more prepared now for the road races than I ever thought I would. I want to thank William (Hawkins) for working so closely with me and Bob Bondurant for encouraging me at the beginning, I can not wait for the race season to start.”
At the conclusion of day three, Coulter was awarded a diploma of completion for the advanced road-racing course and given his customary grade card, showing he earned a 4.0 on a 5.0 scale. While that may not seem like total satisfaction to some, Tony Stewart was awarded a 4.2 the first time he attended the legendary school. Not only did he leave with a diploma and chance to meet Bob Bondurant, he also earned the respect of his instructors and a new found love of the left and right handed turns that make up road racing.
Make sure to catch all of Joey Coulter’s racing action throughout 2010 by logging on to his official website at www.joeycoulter.com
For more information on Bob Bondurant’s School of High Performance Driving please visit www.bondurant.com
