Catchfence

BROOKLYN, MI (6/12/10) – Coming into the Racing for Wildlife 200 at Michigan International Speedway, ARCA driver Joey Coulter set his sights on the front while trying to capitalize on his intermediate racetrack experience. The sophomore racer from Miami Springs, FL did just that, as he practiced his “patiently aggressive” approach, to bring his No. 16 Rip It Energy Fuel, Darrell Gwynn Foundation Chevrolet home second.

“Coming into Michigan, I knew we had to get our luck turned around once and for all, and set our sights on the front of the field,” said Coulter. “Harold (Holly) and I sat down and went over our game plan for the race, and he preached patience all day long. They gave me a great car and his calls on pit road proved monumental all day long.”

ARCA started the race weekend off with a mid-morning practice session on Thursday at the 2-mile track. Coulter and his crew used the baseline they gained earlier in the year at the ARCA open test (5/25/10), and began working from there. The first time out in practice, Coulter would tell Holly that the car was “good around the track, requiring little brake.” He would turn the ninth fastest time of the session with a 39.434 second lap at 182.584 MPH. Coulter would follow that time up with a 39.322 second lap of 183.104 MPH in Menards Pole qualifying later in the afternoon, securing him an eighth place starting spot for Friday’s race.

A mixture of the setting sun, and the Goodyear rubber laid down from the earlier Cup qualifying session, proved to create a tight situation for Coulter almost immediately following the drop of the green flag. But remembering Holly’s words of wisdom, “patience”, Coulter kept his cool and battled side by side with his competitors. He would radio Holly that the car was “sliding the front tires a lot through the center of one and two, feeling greasy.”

A lap 27 caution would allow the Coulter Motorsports crew to bring the No. 16 Rip It Energy Fuel, Darrell Gwynn Foundation Chevrolet down pit road for some much needed adjustments. On top of four fresh Hoosier tires and two cans of Sunoco racing fuel, Holly would have the crew make an air pressure, trackbar and wedge adjustment. After a speedy pit stop, Coulter would gain two spots and rejoin the field in the fifth position.

Coulter would spend the ensuing 40-lap green flag run jostling positions and fighting his way towards the front. After radioing Holly that his car “has become a one groove car,” Coulter worked his way into third, as the caution was displayed for a spun car on lap 76. Holly would immediately tell Coulter to “baby the throttle, we’re going to cut it real close on fuel.” As soon as pit road was opened, Coulter would come down for routine service of four tires, fuel and a trackbar adjustment.

Another fast stop would allow Coulter to gain yet another spot on pit road, and he would restart second on lap 82, 18 laps shy of the finish. Those 18 laps saw Coulter lay down some of the fastest times of the day as he worked his way in and out of lap down traffic on his charge to the front. Unfortunately the laps would expire before he could get through all of the traffic, and Coulter would bring his No. 16 Rip It Energy Fuel, Darrell Gwynn Foundation, Chevrolet across the finish line in second.

“First off, I would like to thank Rip It Energy Fuel, the Darrell Gwynn Foundation and my parents for making this all possible,” said an ecstatic Coulter. “We didn’t have the best car in the beginning of the race, but Harold (Holly) and my crew did a phenomenal job of working on it all day. We found ourselves in a one groove situation, which made it hard to get around the lap traffic at the end, but regardless I am very happy with this second and can’t wait to get to Iowa.”

While ARCA has a few rare weeks off, Coulter and his Coulter Motorsports team will be staying busy getting cars ready and testing for the upcoming races. Coulter will also be running several super late model races as well as making some special appearances.

The ARCA Racing Series Presented by RE/MAX and Menards returns to action Saturday, July 10 at Iowa Speedway, with live television coverage provided by SPEED at 9 p.m. Eastern. Live audio coverage will be available via the ARCA Racing Network on ARCARacing.com.

- Coulter Motorsports Press Release