Catchfence

TOLEDO, OH (9/13/10) – Heading into another short track showdown at the infamous Toledo Speedway, ARCA racing ace Joey Coulter had success on his side. The 20-year old Miami Springs, FL native put his short track skills to work during the Northwestern Ohio Ford Dealers 200 this past Sunday (9/12/10), meticulously working his way to the lead. Unfortunately lady luck wasn’t on his side, and his No. 16 Darrell Gwynn Foundation, Rip It Energy Fuel Chevrolet, experienced a late race tire failure, that would take him from contention.

“Toledo Speedway has been a very good track to us in the past, but has also proved to be a challenge when trying to capture the checkered flag,” commented Coulter. “It (Toledo Speedway) is a great short track that allows the drivers to beat and bang, while providing a great show for the fans.”

Kicking off the action packed weekend, was the sole practice session on Saturday afternoon. With weather surrounding the area, Coulter Motorsports crew chief Harold Holly set out to use every minute of valuable track time. By the time the rain finally halted it had forced ARCA to cancel practice, and Coulter recorded the sixth fastest time at 16.537 seconds at 108.847 MPH. Following practice, Coulter diligently watched the radar waiting for the scheduled start of Menards Pole Qualifying. ARCA officials where forced to call off qualifying as the rain intensified, and thus set the North Western Ohio Ford Dealers 200 by current owners points. Coulter was set to roll off eighth in Sunday afternoon’s race in his No. 16 Darrell Gwynn Foundation, Rip It Energy Fuel Chevrolet.

“Unfortunately rain shortened our day at Toledo, Harold (Holly) gave me a great car in practice and I know with a few minor adjustments we would have been at the top of the board,” said Coulter. “I am looking forward to racing these 200 laps tomorrow and trying to get our car back to victory lane.”

With the field set and the ARCA fan fest autograph session complete, where Coulter visited with 200 plus fans handing out Rip It Energy Fuel gear, the green flag dropped over the 32-car field shortly after 2:00 PM ET. Coulter wasted no time maneuvering his car to the front, and by lap 29 he was scored in the fifth position.

During the lap 40 caution, Coulter radioed Holly telling him he was “snug in the center of 1 and 2 (turns), but pretty good in 3 and 4.” Holly chose to keep the valuable track position and stay out, but let Coulter know they would fix his tight issue on the first pit stop. The green flag was waved on lap 45 with Coulter still locked in fifth. He once again started working through traffic towards the front, and by lap 64 was up to third. Another caution flag flew on lap 76, where Holly brought the No. 16 Darrell Gwynn Foundation, Rip It Energy Fuel Chevrolet down pit road for their first scheduled stop. The NASCAR veteran crew chief gave Coulter two fresh right side Hoosier tires, a tank full of Sunoco fuel and a needed wedge adjustment.

After coming into the pits in third, the Coulter Motorsports crew won the race off pit road, and Coulter restarted in first on lap 84. Coulter began battling side by side for the lead, swapping first and second place, putting on a great show for the large crowd on hand. With the yellow flag displayed again on lap 127 with Coulter in second, Holly had one simple question for Coulter, “What’s your car need hotrod?” Coulter quickly keyed the radio asking for “more forward bite!” Holly decided to give up the coveted track position, bringing Coulter down pit road for four fresh Hoosier tires and a slight air pressure adjustment.

With the green flag back out on lap 133, Coulter restarted in fifth, but immediately took his car to the front. In just over ten laps, on lap 146, Coulter regained the lead in dominating fashion. Making sure to keep his competitors at bay, Coulter put a sizeable cushion between his car and second place, while pushing the car at 85%. As the laps ticked down, Coulter kept his No. 16 machine clean working through lapped traffic. Unfortunately on lap 173 while coming out of turn four, Coulter reported the right front tire had exploded. Dipping straight to pit road, his Coulter Motorsports crew gave him two fresh right side tires, and got him back on track only two laps down before a lap 176 caution froze the field.

Coulter, being shown in sixth, could only gain one more position. With green flag racing resuming on lap 182, he passed for fifth, laying down times faster than the leader. Coulter rode out the ensuing laps hoping to earn the coveted lucky dog award, but with no more cautions, brought home his No. 16 Darrell Gwynn Foundation, Rip It Energy Fuel Chevrolet fifth on lap 200.

“We had an amazing car here today, it was hooked up all around the track,” said Coulter. “It is unfortunate we had the tire problem while leading but my team (Coulter Motorsports) rallied 110% and got me back out on track fast. I am happy with a top five and I have already set my sights on Salem (Speedway) this weekend. I want to thank Rip It, Darrell Gwynn Foundation and all of my family and fans for their support!”

Coulter’s next ARCA Racing Series stop comes this weekend at the historic Salem Speedway in Salem, IN. Catch Coulter in his No. 16 Darrell Gwynn Foundation, Rip It Energy Fuel Chevrolet in the ARCA Fall Classic 200 on Saturday, September 18 at 7:15 PM ET. LIVE timing/scoring and audio will be broadcast at www.ARCAracing.com

- Coulter Motorsports Press Release