LOOKING TO GET BACK ON TRACK AT KENTUCKY

6/24/2013 LOOKING TO GET BACK ON TRACK AT KENTUCKY

JOEY COULTER
Looking To Get Back On Track at Kentucky

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (June 24, 2013) – After three weeks off, Joey Coulter and the No. 18 Darrell Gwynn Foundation team head to Kentucky Speedway for this week’s UNOH 225 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) event. After a disappointing 25th-place finish in his last outing at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Coulter couldn’t think of a better place than the 1.5-mile oval to get back on track for 2013. In his last visit to the “Bluegrass State,” Coulter started on the pole and led 39 laps en route to a fourth-place finish in the 2012 Kentucky 201, a track-best for the Miami Springs, Fla. native.  In fact, out of the seven 1.5-mile venues that the NCWTS visits in 2013, Coulter’s stats at Kentucky Speedway are the strongest; one pole, 47 laps led, one top-five, three top-10 finishes and 99.7 % of laps completed.

The 23-year-old driver also spent some time at the track testing with Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) teammates Kyle Busch, Darrell Wallace, Jr., and Erik Jones in preparation for this week’s event. While the 18 team was not able to bring a Toyota Tundra of their own, Coulter was able to get behind the wheel of both the 51 and 54 Tundra’s to get a feel for their set-ups and left the two-day test with an expanded notebook of information.

In addition to his success at the track and additional seat time since his last visit to Kentucky Speedway, Coulter will have a little extra “star” power on board the No. 18 Tundra this weekend. In memory of former KBM driver Jason Leffler, Coulter will carry #LEFturn above his driver’s door in this weekend’s UNOH 225 and the No. 18 door number will reflect the color’s Leffler carried at Kentucky Speedway in 2012 when he piloted the No. 18 Dollar General Tundra as part of his nine-race schedule with KBM in 2012.

Coulter describes Kentucky Speedway as having a lot of character, fun to drive and at the top of his list of favorite tracks – a combination he hopes can get him back on track in 2013.

Joey Coulter, Driver of the No. 18 NCWTS Darrell Gwynn Foundation Tundra:
You attended the KBM test at Kentucky Speedway a couple weeks ago, what did you learn from that test although you weren’t able to test one of your own trucks?
“Both the 51 Tundra and the 54 Tundra made a lot of changes and tried multiple setups that will give us a great baseline for this week. I was able to drive both trucks throughout the day and although both setups were very different, both trucks were very fast. It is great testing with Kyle (Busch) and being able to listen to his feedback and then get in the same truck and feel exactly what he is talking about. It would take me all day to describe what I learned during the test. Being able to drive Darrell's truck was also a great way to learn a different feel. It is neat seeing how all three of our driving styles compare and what the small differences are and making changes that we all like. It is a huge advantage having the teammates that I have. With all of the bad luck the 18 had we were unable to bring a truck to the test so we are relying on what we learn from our teammates, which means we are going to have a lot of great information to work with. That is the best part about being at KBM and the Toyota family – it’s a real team effort with great results.”

Harold Holly, Crew Chief of the No. 18 NCWTS Darrell Gwynn Foundation Tundra:
Joey attended the KBM test at Kentucky Speedway, but the 18 team did not. Do you think the 51 and 54 Tundra’s will have an advantage when they unload compared to the 18?
“No, I don’t think so. Joey was able to attend the test with them and was able to drive the 51 and 54 set-ups while we were in the shop trying to get caught up on inventory. Joey was really comfortable in the 54’s set-up, so that is what we will go back with and will unload identical to the 54. It’s quite a bit different in terms of set-up than what we have normally unloaded with in the past, but Joey was happy with it so that’s what we are going with.”

You practice during the day and race at night. How will you facilitate that transition on the 18 Tundra?
“The good thing about the test at Kentucky Speedway last week was that it went from 2-10 p.m. So they were able to go from the heat of the day to late in the evening and were able to see how much the balance swing was during that transition. The second day of the test they were able to get their set-up’s dialed-in to where it wasn’t that big of a swing from day to night. What we will be implementing this weekend is based on what the 51 and 54 teams learned.”

Joey Coulter’s No. 18 Darrell Gwynn Foundation Tundra:
Chassis KBM08: Coulter will pilot KBM08 for the second time this season in this weekend’s UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway. This Toyota Tundra went to victory lane in its debut in the 2011 N.C. Education Lottery 200 with Kyle Busch behind the wheel at Charlotte
(N.C.) Motor Speedway. The last time the NCWTS was in Kentucky, Brian Scott qualified 10th and led 14 laps en route to a fifth-place finish.


KBM08 Performance Profile:
Date Site Driver Start Finish Laps Laps Led Status
04/14/13 Rockingham Coulter 17 18 205/105 0 Running
9/21/12 Kentucky B. Scott 10 5 134/134 14 Running
4/15/12 Rockingham Leffler 4 34 19/200 0 Engine
9/2/11 Atlanta Busch 6 3 130/130 14 Running
8/20/11 Michigan Busch 13 25 63/102 7 Radiator
7/22/11 Nashville Richards 12 22 146/150 0 Running
6/4/11 Kansas Busch 11 6 167/167 0 Running
5/20/11 Charlotte Busch 6 1 134/134 7 Running

Notes of Interest:
Joey Coulter: Kentucky Stats:
• In four NCWTS starts at Kentucky, has compiled 1 pole (September, 2012), 1 top-five and 3 top-10 finishes
• Has a driver rating of 108.1, ranked second overall
• Has an average running position of 7.266
• Ranked fourth in fastest laps run with 63
• Average start: 8.0/Average finish: 7.8
• Best start: first (September, 2012)/Best finish: fourth (September, 2012)
• Completed 99.7 % of laps attempted (584/586)
• Spent 88.1% of laps attempted in the top 15 (516)
• 47 laps led, ranked sixth overall
• Has two ARCA Racing Series starts including a seventh-place finish in July, 2009

Joey Coulter NCWTS Performance Profile – Kentucky:
Series Date Start Finish Laps Laps Led Status
NCWTS 9/21/12 1 4 134/134 39      Running
NCWTS 6/28/12 16 7 150/150 0 Running
NCWTS 10/1/11 9 13 148/150 0 Running
NCWTS 7/7/11 6 7 152/152 8 Running
ARCA 7/18/09 33 7 100/100 0 Running
ARCA 5/9/09 13 28 89/100 0 Running

Joey Coulter 2013
• Ranks 13th in the NCWTS driver point standings with 192 points; 17 markers behind 10th-place Dakoda Armstrong, 46 points behind fifth-place Ryan Blaney and 93 points behind series point leader Matt Crafton
• Recorded a season-best second-place finish at Kansas Speedway (4/20/13)
• Recorded a season-best 10th-place start in the season-opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway
• In seven starts in 2013, Coulter has led 15 laps en route to one top-five and two top-10 finishes
• Has completed 89.1% of laps attempted (1090/1223) and has an average start of 15.0 and an average finish of 16.7
• Third full-time season in the NCWTS

Joey Coulter 2012
• Earned first career NCWTS victory at Pocono Raceway (8/4/12)
• Captured three pole awards (8/18/12 @ Michigan International Speedway, 9/21/12 @ Kentucky Speedway and 9/28/12 @ Las Vegas Motor Speedway)
• Collected eight top-five and 15 top-10 finishes en route to a third-place finish in the final point standings
• 749 driver’s points accumulated over the final 20 races of the season were more than any other NCWTS driver

Joey Coulter Camping World Truck Series Career:
• In 54 starts, has compiled 1win (Pocono, 2012), 3 poles (2012), 135 laps led, 14 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes
• 2011 - Earned Rookie of the Year award in the NCWTS after registering four top-five and eight top-10 finishes en route to a seventh-place finish in the final point standings
• 2010 - Collected 1 win ( 8/7/10 @ Berlin Raceway), 7 top-five and 10 top-10 finishes en route to an eighth-place finish in the final ARCA Racing Series point standings
• 2009 - Captured two poles (7/11/09 @ Iowa Speedway and  9/4/09 @ Toledo Speedway) and recorded seven top-five and 13 top-10 finishes en route to a fourth-place finish in the final ARCA Racing Series point standings as a rookie.
 

Notes of Interest:
Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 18 Toyota Tundra: 
• In five starts since 2010 at Kentucky Speedway, has collected 1 win (Kyle Busch, July, 2011), 159 laps led, 3 top-five and 5 top-10 finishes
• Has registered an average start of 8.8 and an average finish of 5.2 across five starts at Kentucky Speedway
• In 2013 has an average start of 15.0, an average finish of 16.7 and has led 15 laps en route to one top-five finish (second, Kansas)
• Currently 15th in the 2013 NCWTS owner point standings
• Finished fifth in the 2012 NCWTS owner championship standings
• Over the final 18 races of the 2012 season, collected 683 owner’s points, the most among Truck Series teams during that span
• Led the NCWTS with 17 top-10 finishes in 2012, including nine straight to end the season, while collecting seven top-five finishes and one win (Brian Scott 11/9/12 at Phoenix International Raceway)
• All seven drivers that made a start in 2012 posted a top-10 finish (Ku. Busch, Ky. Busch, Hamlin, Herring, Leffler, Mayhew and Scott) and six of the seven led at least one lap
• Since debuting in the Truck Series in 2010, has compiled 17 wins, 8 poles, 40 top-five and 57 top-10’s across 76 starts
• Led the Truck Series in wins in each of its first two seasons: 2010 (8) and 2011 (8)
• In 2010, became first team since the NCWTS originated in 1995 to win the owner’s championship in its inaugural season

Last NCWTS Event-WinStar World Casino 400 at Texas Motor Speedway
After starting 11th, a cut left rear tire just 54 laps into the WinStar World Casino 400 would relegated Coulter to a 25th-place finish, 89 laps down.

Honoring #LEFturn:
In honor of former Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) driver, Jason Leffler, Coulter will carry #LEFturn above his driver door on the No. 18 Toyota Tundra in Thursday night’s UNOH 225 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race at Kentucky Speedway. Leffler, who piloted the Dollar General Tundra in nine NCWTS events in 2012 for KBM, lost his life in a June 12 sprint-car crash in New Jersey. Coulter will also honor his former Truck Series companion by changing the color of the No. 18 door number from its usual red to the famous Dollar General yellow that Leffler carried on his Toyota Tundra in the 2012 UNOH 225.

Welcome Aboard:
Coulter welcomes new associate sponsor, Arthur Krenzel Lett Insurance Group - a risk management solutions firm specializing in auto, home, life, and commercial insurance products - aboard the No. 18 Toyota Tundra for the 16th running of the UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway. AKL Insurance Group is highly skilled in developing custom solutions that protect your family through every walk of life. For more information visit: AKLInsuranceGroup.com