KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY PUT JOEY COULTER THROUGH HIS PACES FINISHING IN 12TH PLACE

6/27/2014 KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY PUT JOEY COULTER THROUGH HIS PACES FINISHING IN 12TH PLACE

Kentucky Speedway Put Joey Coulter through his Paces Finishing in 12th place

 

After competing in the top ten for the majority of the UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway on June 26, Joey Coulter drove the GMS Racing No. 21 Allegiant Travel / Vertx Chevrolet Silverado to a 12th-place finish at the 1.5-mile speedway. Coulter started the No. 21 Allegiant Travel / Vertx Chevrolet Silverado from the ninth position and charged to the seventh spot by Lap 20 before settling in to that position. Coulter focused on hitting his marks and keeping the team informed of how his No. 21 Silverado was handling – reporting that the track was greasy. The six caution periods throughout the 150-lap event prevented the 24-year-old driver from advancing through the ranks as the truck suffered in traffic but was fast in clean air. Coulter battled handling issues that shifted from loose on entry to tight in the center, so crew chief Jeff Stankiewicz called for routine two and four-tire pit stops with chassis adjustments to combat the handling issues Coulter was facing. While in 13th position, he and Stankiewicz chose to pit on Lap 78 during the fourth caution for left-side tires with an air pressure adjustment and fuel, a strategic move designed to allow Coulter to stay out longer in the event of a lengthy green flag. With teams opting for various strategies of two-tire stops and staying on track, Coulter restarted the race from the 10th position. The Stankiewicz-led team was called to pit road for their final stop of the night on Lap 100, servicing the Miami Springs, Fla., native with four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. Coulter restarted from the eighth position on Lap 104, and he had enough fuel to go the distance. Coulter regained the seventh position with 10 laps remaining in the event, but the dirty air plaguing the GMS Racing machine in the final stages of the race drug him down to a 12th-place finish.

 

Start – 9          Finish – 12         Laps Led – 0

 

Joey Coulter Quote:

“Even though we were disappointed with our finish, we made even more gains on our mile and a half program. For the fourth week in a row our No. 21 Allegiant Travel / Vertx Chevrolet Silverado has been fast off the trailer and ran inside the top 10 most of the night. Track position hurt us bad Thursday night but we still had plenty of good speed. We also have a good balance we can work from and continue to get better each week.”