Iowa Speedway – A Field of Dreams

7/9/2013 Iowa Speedway – A Field of Dreams

Iowa Speedway – A Field of Dreams

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (July 9, 2013) – Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) has 20 Truck Series victories since making its debut in 2010, however, Iowa Speedway is one of nine tracks on the 2013 schedule that the young organization has not yet conquered. Joey Coulter and his No. 18 Darrell Gwynn Foundation team hope to change that stat in this weekend’s American Ethanol 200 presented by Enogen at Iowa Speedway. Although the team has had their share of heartaches in the first eight races of the season, Coulter feels as though the team is focused and has what it takes to make a little noise in the remaining 14 races - starting with this weekend’s first of two  NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) event’s in the Hawkeye State.

Coulter has 55 Truck Series starts since 2010, including 11 starts on a short track (anything under a mile in length), and boast the highest percentage rate (36%) for finishing in the top five than any other type of track on the circuit. In nine superspeedway (2 miles +) starts, Coulter has finished in the top five 11% of the time and in 35 intermediate (1-2 miles in length) starts, has finished in top five 26% of the time.

As a veteran or a rookie you know that planting a garden requires work. Coulter and the No. 18 Toyota team feel as though the soil has been prepared, the seeds have been sown, and the garden watered. Their field of dreams would be seeing the crop bud in the cornfields of Central Iowa this weekend in an effort to harvest a victory for KBM and cross another track off their hit list.

Joey Coulter, Driver of the No. 18 NCWTS Darrell Gwynn Foundation Tundra:
Is Iowa a track you enjoy racing at?
“When people ask me what my favorite track to race on is, I always say Iowa Speedway. There are a lot of reasons why, but two are more important. One, the race track is the perfect size – it’s just big enough to really carry a lot of speed and give you the sensation of being on a large intermediate track, but at the same time the corners are short and banked enough to give you the feel of a short track. The racing that goes on during an event there is similar to that description as well - we are really going fast but racing as hard as we would and as close as we would if we were racing at Bristol or Martinsville.  The other main reason that Iowa is my favorite, is that the fans that go out to that track are probably some of the most enthusiastic and loyal that I have ever seen. People out there eat, sleep, and breathe all kinds of racing. It is hard not to like a track that has that kind of support from its fans.”

Do you enjoy the stand-alone Truck Series events?
“Stand-alone truck races are cool because the fans are more focused on us and we become the ‘big show’ for the weekend. However, I do also enjoy racing with the Sprint Cup or Nationwide Series, because that gives us the chance to race in front of the cup teams and owners who might be there to see us win. Either way, I don't feel like one is better or worse than the other. As long as I get to go to a track somewhere and put on a great show for the fans, I'm happy.”

What are you expectations for the remainder of the season?
“I’m not sure what to expect for the rest of the season. I know that the entire team and I are focused on winning the most races of any driver this year. We feel like that is our only shot at getting into title contention or at least make a bunch of noise for the rest of the year. So far we have had a lot of bad luck mixed in with one or two really strong runs. Harold (Holly) and I have fully adapted to the way that these Tundra’s work compared to what we were used to and the team has jelled perfectly. Now that we have everything working like a well-oiled machine, we feel like we can really build some super-fast trucks and win a bunch of races for Samantha and Kyle.”

Harold Holly, Crew Chief of the No. 18 NCWTS Darrell Gwynn Foundation Tundra:
What kind of racing can we expect at Iowa this weekend?
“They changed the tire on us last year and also went in and did some work in the corner of Turns 1 and 2 where it was sagging on each side of the tunnel. Basically, they drilled holes in the race track and blew the race track up on each side of the tunnel and it took the big bump out of it. The bump put a lot of character in the race track and made it pretty challenging. Well when they took that bump out, it changed things quite a bit and on top of that they changed the tire on us too. In 2011 we sat on the outside pole, but when we went back last year we somewhat struggled with our set-up. These guys at KBM had a really strong truck and set-up, so we are going back with a mix of what we experienced and what KBM had and I think we will unload pretty close. As far as the groove, it was single-line racing around the bottom early on, but late in the race the top came in strong and I think that will make for some good racing this week.”
No. 18 Darrell Gwynn Foundation – Iowa Speedway Advance                                   Page Two

Joey Coulter’s No. 18 Darrell Gwynn Foundation Tundra:

Chassis KBM12: Coulter will pilot KBM12 in this weekend’s American Ethanol 200 presented by Enogen at Iowa Speedway in Newton. The Tundra has finished inside the top 10 in each of its five previous races, amassing an average start of 13.4, an average finish of 6.6, completing 100% of laps attempted (793 of 793) and 75 laps led, all by owner-driver Kyle Busch at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway in 2012. The last time this chassis saw action was in Dover, when Coulter advance more positions after 200 miles than any other driver in the field – gaining 16 spots – to bring home his second top-10 finish of 2013.
Date Site Driver Start Finish Laps Laps Led Status
5/31/13 Dover Coulter 24 8 200/200 0 Running
10/13/12 Las Vegas Mayhew 3 9 146/146 0 Running
8/31/12 Atlanta Busch 4 2 130/130 75 Running
6/28/12 Kentucky Leffler 18 8 150/150 0 Running
6/8/12 Texas Leffler 18 6 167/167 0 Running
 
Notes of Interest:

Joey Coulter: Iowa Speedway:
• In three NCWTS starts, has compiled one top-five and two top-10 finishes
• Best Start: Second (2011)/Best Finish: Fifth (2011)
• Completed 99.8% of laps attempted (599 of 600)
• Average Start: 8.3/Average Finish: 8.7
• Has two ARCA Racing Series starts, including one pole (2009)
• According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Coulter has the following stats at Iowa:
? Ranked sixth in Average Running Position (8.483)
? Has a Driver Rating of 95.7 – ranked seventh overall
? Sixth among Fastest Laps Run with 26
? Ranked eighth in Laps in the Top 15 with 553

Joey Coulter NCWTS Performance Profile-Iowa Speedway:
Series Date Start Finish Laps Laps Led Status
NCWTS 9/15/12 14 13 199/200 0 Running
NCWTS 7/14/12 12 8 200/200 0 Running
NCWTS 7/16/11 2 5 200/200 0 Running
ARCA 7/10/10 4 14 198/200 0 Running
ARCA 7/11/09 1 3 200/200 47 Running

Notes of Interest:
Joey Coulter 2013
• Ranks 12th in the NCWTS driver point standings with 220 points; 14 markers behind 10th-place Timothy Peters, 52 points behind fifth-place Johnny Sauter and 99 points behind series point leader Matt Crafton
• Recorded a season-best second-place finish at Kansas Speedway (4/20/13)
• Recorded a season-best fifth-place start in the UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway (6/27/13)
• In eight starts in 2013, Coulter has led 15 laps en route to one top-five and two top-10 finishes
• Has completed 90.24% of laps attempted (1239/1373) and has an average start of 13.75 and an average finish of 16.63
• Third full-time season in the NCWTS

Notes of Interest:
Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 18 Toyota Tundra: 
• In four starts at Iowa since 2010, has collected two top-10 finishes
• Has registered an average start of 9.25 and an average finish of 10.0 across four starts at Iowa
• Has completed 100% of laps attempted (805 of 805)
• In 2013 has an average start of 13.75, an average finish of 16.63 and has led 15 laps en route to one top-five (second, Kansas) and two top-10 finishes
• 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 58 top-10’s across 80 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-UNOH 225 at Kentucky:
Following a two-day Kyle Busch Motorsports test in preparation for the UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway, two solid practice sessions of fourth and sixth quick, respectively, and a season-best starting position of fifth, Coulter was confident that he would be a solid contender in the eighth race on the 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule. However, an ill-handling Tundra in traffic and a last-lap spin would relegate the Miami Springs, Fla. driver to a 16th-place finish in the Bluegrass State.

Fast & Fun Facts:
• Although the No. 18 Toyota Tundra team has had some tough luck in 2013 including two mid-race accidents that forced them behind the wall at Charlotte Motor Speedway (N.C.) and Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth, the KBM team has been running at the finish of all eight races in 2013.