JUPITER, FL (2/28/10) – Joey Coulter entered the inaugural Tire Kingdom 150 at Palm Beach International Raceway with one thing on his mind; prove his road racing skills. Coulter did just that, persevering through downpours, to bring his No. 16 Darrell Gwynn Foundation, Tempest Cycles, Rip It Energy Fuel Chevrolet home sixth.
The first of two ARCA road course races this year, PBIR opened their gates on Friday (2/26/10), giving the teams a three hour practice session to dial their cars in. As the session ended, Coulter would post the sixth fastest time of the day at 79.316 seconds with a speed of 91.820 MPH. The team would then, immediately get the car ready for the afternoon qualifying session. Coulter would go out second in the second group of five cars. He would qualify ninth for the Tire Kingdom 150 with a time of 79.804 seconds and a speed of 91.259 MPH.
“I felt we were right where we needed to be in practice, the car felt dialed in and griped the track well,” commented Coulter. “I gave it my all in qualifying and came up a little bit short, but am still happy with a top-ten starting spot. My guys have worked really hard and I know we will be in contention tomorrow.”
With rain on everyone’s mind and radars Saturday afternoon, ARCA waved the green flag over the 34 car field just after 1 PM. Coulter quickly moved his way to the front, as a lap one turn one incident among the top cars allowed him to go from ninth to third. He would remain in third, gaining valuable ground on the 2.034 mile 11-turn road course, towards the leader.
A lap six full course caution would bring the field back together. Coulter radioed to crew chief Harold Holly that the “car felt good through the turns, but the rear grip off was lacking.” Holly took note and would fix the cars grip during the first pit stop later in the race. Coulter came back to the green in third, with sprinkles hitting the track on and off.
Rain and slick racing tires do not mix, forcing Coulter to slow his pace around the tight corners. He would find himself in the fifth spot for most of the green flag run. Down pouring rain hit the track on lap 18, forcing ARCA officials to throw a full course yellow on lap 20. Coulter would use this caution to come down pit road for four fresh Hoosier rain tires and top off with Sunoco fuel.
Hoosier’s rain tires being used, marked the first time in ARCA’s 58-year history they would race in the rain. Coulter would again take the green flag, this time in the fourth position. Racing in the rain may have been new to most, but Coulter looked like a seasoned veteran, taking care to use speed mixed with caution.
“Racing in the rain was a totally different thing than I was used too, “said Coulter. “It was challenging at first, but once you get a rhythm it becomes kind of fun. I look at it as another learning experience, preparing me for the future.”
The race would remain green, even through another down pour on lap 47. Coulter found himself in fifth, tracking down the cars in front of him every lap. Holly would call Coulter to the pits for one final time on lap 56. This was a scheduled gas stop, where Coulter said the car was neutral.
Just 12 laps after pitting, the skies unleashed and the rain became unbearable. ARCA waved the caution to re-group the field, but the incredible amount of rain falling forced them to call the race five laps short at lap 70. Coulter would cross the line in his No. 16 Darrell Gwynn Foundation, Tempest Cycles, Rip It Energy Fuel Chevrolet in the sixth position.
“Joey (Coulter) did a phenomenal job today,” commented Holly. “For this (PBIR) only being his second road course race and to then throw in the curveball of rain, he did exactly what he needed to do. It was a fun and interesting race and I am proud of Joey and all of my guys.”
Next up for Coulter and his crew is the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 at Salem Speedway on Sunday, April 11, 2010.
You can follow all of Coulter’s other activities at: twitter.com/joeycoulter as well as www.facebook.com/coultermotorsports and www.joeycoulter.com
You can also vote for Joey Coulter as the most popular ARCA driver for 2010 at www.arcanation.com/joeycoulter
Also please be sure to support Joey’s sponsors at:
Rip It Energy Fuel: www.ripitenergy.com
Tempest Cycles: www.tempestcycles.com
MAD Industry: www.areumad.com
About Darrell Gwynn Foundation (DGF)
www.darrellgwynnfoundation.org
The Darrell Gwynn Foundation (DGF) is a certified non-profit 501(c) 3 agency. DGF exists to prevent, provide for and ultimately cure spinal cord injuries and other debilitating illnesses. To expedite specific cures, the Foundation assists in the funding of targeted research. DGF is also dedicated to injury prevention, with special emphasis on programs targeting children. The Foundation helps improve the quality of life for those already afflicted with injury or illness, by providing necessary equipment or special services. DGF is an official charity of the Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction, National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and has a close affiliation with NASCAR and the NASCAR Foundation.
