Joey Coulter Scores Seventh Top-Five Finish of Season at Phoenix International Raceway

11/10/2012

Joey Coulter and the No. 22 American Eurocopter Chevrolet team survived an accident-filled race at Phoenix International Raceway and persevered to their seventh top-five finish of the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. After a 17th-place qualifying effort, the 22-year-old driver alerted his crew chief Harold Holly that the black and blue Chevrolet was tight in the 10-degree banked corners of the one-mile oval. Settling into the top 20, Coulter narrowly escaped six different multi-truck accidents over a 41-lap period and moved into the top 10 by lap 90. Holly directed the Miami Springs, Fla., native to stay out and not pit under a lap-103 caution-flag period and the strategy paid off as Coulter restarted in the fourth position. Over the final portion of the 153-lap event, Coulter maintained the top-five running position, eventually passing one competitor with fewer than 10 laps to go, taking the checkered flag in third-place for his seventh top-five finish of the season. With the strong effort, Coulter kept his Camping World Truck Series title hopes alive by advancing one position in the driver championship point standings to fourth, 29 markers out of the top spot.

Start - 17 Finish - 3 Laps Led - 0 Points - 4

JOEY COULTER QUOTE:
"Overall, it was a great job by everyone on the No. 22 American Eurocopter team tonight. I don't know what was going on with some of the drivers out there, but there seemed to be a lot of cautions throughout the night. I'm glad we stayed out of trouble and kept our hopes alive for a championship."