Coulter Earns Career-First NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Pole En Route to a Seventh-Place Result at Michigan International Speedway

8/19/2012 Coulter Earns Career-First NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Pole En Route to a Seventh-Place Result at Michigan International Speedway

 Joey Coulter and the No. 22 Rip It Energy Fuel Chevrolet team earned a seventh-place finish at Michigan International Speedway after Coulter captured his career-first Camping World Truck Series pole award in the Saturday afternoon VFW 200. After the drop of the green flag, the No. 22 Chevrolet was shuffled back to the fifth position within the first lap of the 100-lap event and Coulter promptly radioed to crew chief Harold Holly that the Richard Childress Racing machine was tight in traffic. On the lap-13 caution, Holly instructed the 22-year-old driver to bring his Silverado in for a fuel-only pit stop. Restarting in the third position, the Miami Springs, Fla., native, was trapped in traffic as he reported that the No. 22 Chevrolet had acquired an extremely loose-handling condition, prompting the Holly-led crew to execute a wedge adjustment on the next pit stop to combat the ill-handling racer. Fuel mileage ultimately decided the result of the event, as the last round of pit stops occurred under green-flag conditions. With teams employing many strategies, the No. 22 team made its final pit stop on lap 84 with their RCR teammate, Ty Dillon. The two teammates drafted with each other for the remainder of the event, working their way towards the front, with Coulter ultimately taking the checkered flag in the seventh position. The 2011 Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year is currently seventh in the Camping World Truck Series driver championship point standings, 43 points behind the leaders.

Start - 1 Finish - 7 Laps Led - 0 Points - 7

JOEY COULTER QUOTE:
"The racing was awesome all weekend in Michigan. I'm disappointed in the finish as Harold (Holly, crew chief) and all of the guys on the (No.) 22 team provided me with a truck capable of winning. We have a short week before we go racing at Bristol (Motor Speedway), and we will use the momentum from our win at Pocono (Raceway) and the pole award at Michigan (International Speedway) to be competitive for the win at Bristol."