Richard Childress Racing Event Preview:
Kansas Speedway
Race: STP 400
Location: Kansas Speedway
Richard Childress Racing
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Notes:
RCR in the NSCS … In 2,186 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, Richard Childress Racing has amassed 100 wins, 430 top-five finishes, 890 top-10 finishes and 42 pole awards, with an average starting position of 17.9 and an average finishing position of 15.8 among all races contested. RCR has earned six Sprint Cup Series championships with Dale Earnhardt (1986, ’87, ’90,’91, ’93, ’94), 14 total championships (five NASCAR Nationwide Series titles, two NASCAR Camping World Series titles and one ARCA Racing Series title) and was the first organization to win titles in NASCAR’s three national series.
RCR in the Sunflower State … In 38 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has three top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. RCR’s best finish at Kansas was second in 2007. The Welcome, N.C.-based organization holds a 22.6 average starting position, a 16.2 average finishing position, has completed 9,862 of the 9,995 contested laps (98.7 percent) and collectively led for 130 laps around at the 1.5-mile race track.
Missing on the Shelf … The only race tracks on the current schedule where RCR hasn’t earned Sprint Cup Series victories are Kansas Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kentucky Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The Collective RCR … Over the season’s first seven races, RCR’s Sprint Cup Series entries have notched three top-five and nine top-10 finishes. RCR teams have completed 7,983 out of 8,187 total laps (97.51 percent) with drivers Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, Paul Menard, Elliott Sadler and Brendan Gaughan. The group has led a combined 146 laps.
Get to the Points … Following the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, Harvick remained fifth in the driver championship point standings. Menard gained two positions, to 12th, while Burton fell one position, to 16th.
Place Your Vote … Fan voting for the 2012 Sprint All-Star Race is underway and while Burton hopes to qualify by winning a race prior to the event or finishing first or second in the Sprint Showdown, he also has the opportunity to be voted in by race fans. Fans can vote by using the NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile application on their Android-powered Sprint devices or by texting “VOTE” to 229466 on any wireless carrier. Voting also is open at www.NASCAR.com/AllStar or by visiting the Sprint Experience at Sprint Cup Series races. Votes cast on a Sprint, Nextel, Boost or Virgin Mobile device count double towards a driver’s total.
Interactive RCR …To keep up-to-date with the latest news and to view exclusive content, visit RCR’s Twitter page – @RCRracing – along with the RCR Sprint Cup Series team Twitter pages – @RCR27PMenard, @RCR29KHarvick and @RCR31JeffBurton. Information about the 14-time championship winning organization can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardChildressRacing and at www.RCRracing.com.
Catch the Action … FOX’s live coverage of the STP 400 begins Sunday, April 22 at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The race will also be broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and SIRIUS XM NASCAR Radio. Qualifying for the eighth points-paying event on the Sprint Cup Series calendar will air live on SPEED on Saturday, April 21 at 12 p.m. ET.
Paul Menard
No. 27 Zecol/Menards Chevrolet
Event Preview Fact Sheet
This Week’s Zecol/Menards Chevrolet at Kansas Speedway … Paul Menard will pilot Chassis No. 279 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This No. 27 Chevrolet was last seen on track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March, where Menard earned a seventh-place finish. This chassis was also utilized in 2011 competition at Texas Motor Speedway in November and at Kansas Speedway in October, where the Brickyard 400 winner finished 15th and 12th, respectively.
By the Numbers at Kansas … In his six career Sprint Cup Series starts at Kansas, Menard has finished each of his contested races and completed 99.7 percent of his laps (1,546 of 1,550), leading for 11 circuits. He has an 11th-place average starting position and an average finishing position of 20.5. Menard made his best start of second and logged his best finish of eighth in his October 2008 appearance. He holds three top-10 finishes in five NASCAR Nationwide Series starts, claiming the pole position in his first visit to the 1.5-mile oval (October 2004) and made one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start in July 2003.
Getting Loopy in 2012 … With the first six points-paying events in the books, Menard sits 12th in the Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings, 27points out of the final Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup spot. In his sophomore year with RCR, Menard has an average starting position of 20.4, an average finishing position of 16.7 and maintains an 18.736 average running position. The Eau Claire, Wis., native ranks third in the NASCAR Loop Data category of Closers, advancing an average of 2.3 positions in the final 10 percent of the seven contested races, and has completed 99.3 percent of his laps (2,243 of 2,259).
Race Rewind … At Kansas Speedway in June 2011, Menard started ninth but battled handling issues throughout the 267-lap event to finish 19th.
In the Rearview Mirror: Texas … Menard drove the No. 27 Quaker State/Menards Chevrolet to an 18th-place finish in Saturday night’s Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway after starting the “Quaker State green” and “Menards yellow” entry from the 11th position. A loose-handling condition developed during the first green-flag run and plagued the team throughout the 501-mile event.
About Zecol … Zecol offers the most innovative automotive chemical line in the industry. Their unique product mix offers competitively priced, high quality additives, cleaners and functional fluids along with winter commodities and bulk sizes to meet the needs of the professional mechanic and retail consumer. For more information, please visit www.twincoromax.com.
PAUL MENARD QUOTES:
Kansas Speedway is a 1.5-mile race track, but every track presents its own special challenges. What are you faced with when you race there?
“At Kansas (Speedway) you are usually faced with the wind there. It’s what some people call a ‘cookie cutter’ track, but it has a lot of character. Every time we go back there, the track has more bumps. As the track wears out a little more, it really opens up the groove. It’s really racy; you can run all over it. They’re going to repave it after our next race, so it will be interesting to see what it is like in the fall. Right now, I think it’s a great race track. I know they had some surface problems so they have to repave it. It’s not overly fast, but it’s enough to get a good aero platform, but it’s also mechanically driven to get grip.”
Why do you think you and Slugger Labbe (crew chief) are so consistent on the mile and a half tracks?
“Slugger (Labbe) and I have always been able to put together a package that works on the mile and a half tracks. We’re constantly trying to fine-tune it and make it better. We feel good about our intermediate track program. From the way the bodies are hung, to the way we run our springs, shocks and sway bars – we feel confident going to those tracks.”
You’ve been around racing a long time. Are you amazed to see the changes that have been made on the outside of the race tracks that cater to the fans?
“Kansas Speedway is a perfect example. The first time I was there was about 2001 as an IndyCar race fan and there was nothing there – just the track and fields. Every time we go back there, there’s something new that is being built or has been built in the off-season. It’s become its own little city.”
Kevin Harvick
No. 29 Rheem Chevrolet
Event Preview Fact Sheet
This Week’s Rheem Chevrolet at Kansas Speedway … The No. 29 Rheem team will unload Chassis No. 378 prepared from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This chassis was used during the 2011 season when Kevin Harvick earned a second-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway in September and a sixth-place finish at Kansas Speedway in October.
Greetings Mr. President … On Tuesday afternoon, NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France, Harvick and the rest of the 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field will travel to Washington, D.C., where President Barack Obama will honor 2011 NSCS champion Tony Stewart. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 4:50 p.m. ET and will be live-streamed at www.whitehouse.gov/live.
Holding Strong … The STP 400 at Kansas Speedway marks the eighth event of the 36-race NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. With seven races in the books, Harvick sits in the fifth position in the overall driver championship point standings, only 24 points out of the lead.
Statistically Speaking … Since 2001, Harvick has made 12 Sprint Cup Series starts at the Kansas City, Kan.-based facility and has collected one top-five and five top-10 finishes. He has completed 3,042 laps of the 3,152 run at the intermediate-style track (96.5 percent), with 83 laps led. The 36-year-old driver has an average starting position of 22.2 and an average finishing position of 13.6.
Looking Back … Last June, Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser team finished 11th at Kansas Speedway. The veteran driver battled handling issues during the majority of the race, but managed to remain within the top-10. In the end, the team’s fuel mileage strategy played against them. Harvick and his crew found better results during the October race at the Midwest facility, finishing sixth.
Seeking Victory in the Midwest … A Sprint Cup Series victory at Kansas Speedway still eludes Harvick, but the Bakersfield, Calif., native has been victorious in Nationwide Series competition at the track, collecting his sole win at the 1.5-mile facility in 2006.
Loop Data … Harvick has competed in eight Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway since the inception of NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics in 2006, and fairs well in several categories at the track, including: second in Green-Flag Passes (599 – tied with Earnhardt Jr.), ninth in Quality Passes (270) and ninth in Average Running Position (13.545).
In the Rearview Mirror … Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser team started from the 15th position in the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway last Saturday night. The team battled pit-stop and handling issues during the event, but brought home a ninth-place finish.
Gotta Have a Rheem … This weekend in Kansas, Rheem will join the No. 29 Chevrolet team for the second of 10 races. Rheem is privately held with headquarters in Atlanta and U.S. operations in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Indiana, Minnesota and North Carolina. In its 86th year of operation, the company manufactures a full-line of eco-friendly, technologically advanced residential and commercial heating and cooling systems; tank, tankless, solar and hybrid heat pump water heaters; whole-home standby generators, controls, swimming pool and spa heaters; indoor air-purification products; and commercial boilers throughout North America and world markets. The company’s premium brands, including Rheem, Raypak, Ruud and Richmond have been recognized with countless industry and consumer awards for reliability, innovative design and high quality. Rheem is the official heating, cooling and water heating supplier to Richard Childress Racing.
Media Availability … Harvick will be available to members of the media at 11:50 a.m. CT on Friday, April 20 behind the No. 29 hauler in the Sprint Cup Series garage.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
You have done really well at Kansas Speedway. What do you need to do in order to get a win there?
“A lot of the same things that we have done should work on our Rheem Chevrolet this weekend in Kansas. It’s a fun race track because it is so wore out and the cars slide around. We just have to put a whole day together. We have to get a little bit of a momentum rolling with all the things that we are supposed to be doing right and not make the little mistakes. Whether it is in the seat, in the garage or wherever it may be. The speed has been there. We just have to put it all together and it’s just a matter of time.”
They’re repaving Kansas Speedway after this race, but what do you think of the track’s surface as it is now?
“It has been a fairly good race track for us performance-wise. The track has aged to the point to where the tires fall off. You can move up the race track, run in the middle and the bottom of the track. You still have to carry a lot of speed at the beginning, but there’s a lot less throttle time than some of the other tracks we go to. As far as them repaving the track, in my opinion, any time you repave a race track you’re in trouble because it’s going to take a long time for the surface to get to the point where you can race all over it.”
Jeff Burton
No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet
Event Preview Fact Sheet
This Week’s Caterpillar Chevrolet at Kansas Speedway … Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 367 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This No. 31 Chevrolet, originally built in 2011, has seen significant track time including visits to Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July 2011 (started-13th, finished-35th), Atlanta Motor Speedway in September 2011 (started-27th, finished-13th) and Kansas Speedway in October 2011 (started-31st, finished-21st). Burton also tallied a top-10 finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway last November, finishing 10th after starting 31st with this car.
Chat with Jeff … Burton will participate in a NASCAR.COM Chat with Miss Sprint Cup, Kim Coon, which will be streamed live to the NASCAR.COMhomepage on Friday, April 20 at 11 a.m. CT. Viewers will have the ability to log-in during the chat and ask Burton questions.
Anything with Wheels … On April 26, Burton and six other NASCAR drivers will face some of the Southeast’s best Late Model drivers in the Denny Hamlin Showdown at Richmond International Raceway. The fifth-annual event in benefits the Denny Hamlin Foundation, which supports victims of cystic fibrosis and donates to the Children’s Hospital of Richmond, St. Jude’s Hospital and the Victory Junction Gang Camp. Additional Sprint Cup Series drivers expected to drive include Hamlin, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Michael Waltrip, Joey Logano and Aric Almirola. Nationwide, Camping World and K&N Pro Series drivers Jason White, Timothy Peters, Chase Elliott and Darrell Wallace Jr. also are expected, along with former Virginia short-track star Curtis Markham. This year’s race is the second to share the Thursday spotlight with the K&N Series at RIR.
Building a Legacy … During his 20-year Sprint Cup Series career, the veteran RCR driver has earned 21 wins, 131 top-five and 244 top-10 finishes in 626 starts. Burton has also tallied six pole awards and led 6,506 laps.
Race Rewind … Burton and the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet team finished 29th in the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway after suffering an issue during a mid-race green-flag pit stop.
Points Racing … Burton sits 16th in the Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings, just 40 points out of the final Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup spot.
JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
What do you think of the term “cookie cutter” track? A term many people normally use to describe Kansas Speedway.
“There are no such things as ‘cookie cutter’ tracks. I know that Atlanta Motor Speedway looks like Charlotte Motor Speedway which looks like Kansas Speedway which looks like Chicagoland Speedway. However, they are all different. They all have their own personalities and are unique to themselves. If you look at the tracks from the grandstands, they will look similar, but when you get on the race track and try to beat someone by a tenth of a second, it is different on every track. They get called ‘cookie cutter’ tracks, but there are no two tracks alike.”
Talk about Kansas Speedway as a race track.
“I actually like the track itself. It’s a cool race track and a lot of fun. I know they are getting ready to repave it and I wish that they weren’t. It’s really slick and typically slick tracks are good for me. Typically, tracks get better as they get older. I think Kansas Speedway is a good example of that. You see a lot of different options and drivers running different grooves. I think that’s a good thing.”
Talk about the amount of speed you carry into the corners at Kansas Speedway.
“Kansas Speedway isn’t a fast-feeling type of race track. Texas Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway feel quite a bit faster than Kansas. Kansas is more of a rhythm-hailing race track, whereas the other ones are too, but they have more grip.”
Race: SFP 250
Location: Kansas Speedway
Richard Childress Racing
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Notes
RCR’s NCWTS History … In 217 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts, Richard Childress Racing has earned 25 wins, 83 top-five finishes, 135 top-10 finishes and 29 pole positions, along with the inaugural series championship in 1995 with Mike Skinner and again with Austin Dillon in 2011. The organization has an average starting position of 9.9 and an average finishing position of 10.2.
Truck Line-up … Tim George Jr. will pilot the No. 2 Applebee’s Chevrolet at Kansas Speedway in the SFP 250. The No. 2 team will join Ty Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet team and Joey Coulter and the No. 22 Husky Liners Chevrolet team for the 167-lap affair on Saturday.
RCR at Kansas … RCR has three previous Camping World Truck Series starts at the Kansas City, Kan.-based facility, earning one top-five and two top-10 finishes at the 1.5-mile race track. Austin Dillon claimed a pole award for the organization in the 2011 June event. RCR boasts a 4.7 average starting position combined with a 7.7 average finishing position at the intermediate-style track. Collectively, the Welcome, N.C., race team has completed 100 percent of the contested laps at Kansas Speedway.
To the Points … With three races 2012 Camping World Truck Series races in the books, Dillon sits third in the driver’s championship point standings seven markers behind the leader, while Coulter climbed to 12th in the standings after a sixth-place showing at Rockingham Speedway, 43 points outside the top spot. RCR’s No. 2 team is sixth in the owner’s point standings utilizing three different drivers so far this season (Brendan Gaughan, Kevin Harvick and George).
Social Media … To keep up-to-date with the latest news and information and to view exclusive content, visit RCR’s Twitter page – @RCRracing, RCR’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team Twitter pages – @RCR3TDillon, @RCR22JCoulter and @RCR2CWTS. RCR’s NCWTS driver Twitter pages – @tydillon, @JoeyCoulter, @timgeorgejr, @Brendan62 and @kevinharvick.
Catch the Action … Flag-to-flag coverage of this weekend’s SFP 250 will be televised live on Saturday, April 21, beginning at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on SPEED and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
Tim George Jr
No. 2 Applebee’s Chevrolet Silverado
Event Preview Fact Sheet
This Week’s Applebee’s Chevrolet at Kansas Speedway … Tim George Jr. will pilot Chassis No. 021 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Camping World Truck Series stable in this weekend’s SFP 250. This Chevrolet Silverado was last driven by Austin Dillon at Pocono Raceway in 2010, where he finished seventh after starting fourth. Dillon drove this No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet at Iowa Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2009, finishing 12th and 15th, respectively.
Kansas Stats … George Jr. will make his first Camping World Truck Series start at Kansas Speedway this weekend but has three previous starts at the Kansas City, Kan.-based facility in the ARCA Racing Series. The 31-year-old driver acquired an average starting position of 11.3 coupled with an average finishing position of 15.3 while completing 99 percent (299 of 302) of the laps contested at the 1.5-mile race track. George Jr. earned his best starting position of ninth last October in the Kansas Lottery 98.9.
Owner’s Points … After three races, the No. 2 Chevrolet team currently sits sixth in Camping World Truck Series owner’s point standings courtesy of drivers Kevin Harvick, Brendan Gaughan and George Jr.
Sponsor’s Background … Applebee’s, the sponsor that adorns the hood of the No. 2 Chevrolet Silverado, is based in Lenexa, Kan., approximately 20 miles from Kansas Speedway. Since the inception in 1980, Applebee’s has opened over 2,000 restaurants in neighborhoods across the United States. Applebee’s has become one of the most popular family restaurants winning the award for Chain of the Year multiple times throughout its history.
Bringing Smiles … George Jr. is scheduled to visit the Children’s Mercy Hospital on his way to Kansas Speedway Thursday, April 19. He will visit with children in both the inpatient and outpatient portions of the hospital. The New York City native is slated to visit other children’s hospitals throughout the 2012 Camping World Truck Series season.
Rearview Mirror: Rockingham Speedway … George Jr. started the Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 at “The Rock” from the 29th position and began to work his way toward the front of the field, climbing into the top-20 within the first 50 laps. The 31-year-old driver continued to work his way up the leader board, settling into the 13th-position when NASCAR penalized the team for an uncontrolled tire during a pit stop, sending the No. 2 machine back on track in the 15th position for the lap 130 restart. George Jr. slipped to the 16th position in the remaining laps where he would eventually cross the finish line.
TIM GEORGE JR. QUOTES:
What are your thoughts heading into this weekend’s SFP 250 at Kansas Speedway?
“I’m looking forward to getting back to Kansas Speedway. It will be for the first time in a truck at that track. RCR’s intermediate package has always been strong for Ty and me in the ARCA Racing Series, and I’m looking forward to driving the Applebee’s Chevy this weekend in the Camping World Truck Series. Kansas is the home of the Applebee’s headquarters, so this is an important race for us.”
You finished 16th at Rockingham Speedway last weekend, did you learn anything there that will help you this weekend at Kansas Speedway?
“Rockingham was a good way for our No. 2 team to gain some experience as a group. That was my first time working with Marcus (Richmond, crew chief). I think he gained some confidence with me, and I certainly gained some confidence with him.”
Ty Dillon
No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Silverado
Event Preview Fact Sheet
This Week’s Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet at Kansas Speedway … Ty Dillon will pilot chassis No. 023 from the Richard Childress Racing stable in Saturday’s SFP 250 at Kansas Speedway. Prior to a makeover during the off season, this truck was frequently used by Dillon’s older brother, Austin throughout the 2011 season. In its most recent appearance, the elder Dillon earned a 10th-place result in the season finale race at Homestead-Miami Speedway en route to the 2011 Camping World Truck Series championship title.
Victory Number One … Dillon will return to the site of his first ARCA Racing Series victory this weekend as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to Kansas Speedway. The 20-year-old rookie driver started the 2010 100-lap affair from the fourth position and began his trek to the front of the field. With five laps remaining in the event, Dillon surged passed Steve Arpin to take the lead and went on to win his first ARCA victory in only his second start.
Kansas City Stats … Dillon has two previous starts at the 1.5-mile race track in the ARCA Racing Series. The 2012 Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender earned one win, one top-five and two top-10 finishes to go along with an average starting position of 3.5 coupled with an average finishing position of fourth-place. Dillon has completed 100 percent of the contested laps at the Kansas City, Kan.-based facility.
Points Racing … After Dillon’s eighth-place showing at Rockingham Speedway, he gained one position, advancing to third, in the Camping World Truck Series driver’s championship point standings just seven markers behind the leader Timothy Peters.
Sunoco Rookie of the Year Update … Dillon took over the lead for the 2012 Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors after last weekend’s finish at “The Rock.” He is 12 points ahead of driver John King after four races on the Camping World Truck Series schedule.
Rockingham Speedway Rewind … In the inaugural Camping World Truck Series race at Rockingham Speedway, Dillon finished in the eighth position after starting 12th for the 200-lap affair. Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet team worked on the handling of the black and orange machine throughout the majority of the race. Difficult handling persisted in the closing laps of the Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 relegating the 2012 Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate to an eighth-place result.
Meet Ty Dillon … Dillon is scheduled to sign autographs at the Bass Pro Shops in Olathe, Kan., starting at 6 p.m. local time on Friday, April 20. Fans will have the opportunity to win tickets to the SFP 250 at Kansas Speedway during the autograph session by participating in a “hide-n-tweet” at the Bass Pro Shops located at 12051 Bass Pro Shops Drive.
TY DILLON QUOTES:
You earned your first ARCA Racing Series victory at Kansas Speedway. Does that give you confidence for this weekend?
“I think the experience that we gained at Kansas Speedway in the ARCA Racing Series will definitely help us this weekend in the Camping World Truck Series race. We’ll use the practice sessions the get the truck tuned in and try to work our way to another victory there.”
Your brother, Austin, won the pole at Kansas Speedwqay in the June event there last year. Does that put more pressure on you to do well?
“I don’t think it adds pressure but it does drive me to work harder. We’ll go there with notes from Austin’s team. That will give us a good starting point. I’m excited to get to a track that I’ve raced at before.”
Joey Coulter
No. 22 Husky Liners Chevrolet Silverado
Event Preview Fact Sheet
This Week’s Husky Liners Chevrolet at Kansas Speedway … Joey Coulter will pilot Chassis No. 022 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Camping World Truck Series stable in this weekend’s SFP 250. This Chevrolet Silverado is the same truck Coulter drove to clinch the Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in the season finale race at Homestead-Miami Speedway last November. Coulter started in the 10th position and drove this RCR racer to a fifth-place finish in that event.
Sunflower State Stats … Coulter competed at Kansas Speedway once before in the Camping World Truck Series in June last year where he earned a fifth-place finish in the 2011 race at the intermediate-style race track. The 2011 Sunoco Rookie of the Year also has two ARCA Racing Series starts at the 1.5-mile track, finishing eighth in 2010 and seventh in 2009 after starting fifth in both races.
Get to the Points … With Coulter’s sixth place finish at Rockingham Speedway last weekend, the 21-year-old driver gained 12 positions in the driver championship point standings catapulting him to the 12th position from the 24th position. He is 43 markers behind the leader.
Season-to-Date … According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics Coulter ranks fourth in the Fastest Driver Early in a Run category and ninth in the Green-Flag Speed category. The 2011 Sunoco Rookie of the Year has made 154 quality passes, putting him third in that category and has spent 300 of his contested laps this season running in the top 15.
Welcome, Husky Liners … Husky Liners® will serve as the primary sponsor on Coulter’s No. 22 Chevrolet on two occasions this season, this weekend at Kansas Speedway and at Talladega Superspeedway in October. Husky Liners®, founded by Bob Tyler in 1988 is among today’s most successful automotive accessory companies. Tyler’s love for hunting and fishing sparked his interest to develop the original custom fit cargo line which has now expanded into a line of various items including custom fit Front and Back Seat Floor Liners, Heavy Duty Floor Mats, Custom Molded Mud Guards, Aluminum Tailgates and Contractor Racks, Husky Gear Box® Under Seat Storage Systems, Husky Shield® paint and headlight protection film, Husky Quad Cap™ Bed Rail Caps and a variety of other products to serve the automotive aftermarket. In the past 20 years, Husky Liners has grown to a 197,000 sq. foot manufacturing and distribution operation and become one of the automotive aftermarket’s leading sources for custom fit floor and cargo liners as well as many other automotive aftermarket accessories.
Last Time Around … In his first career Camping World Truck Series start at Kansas Speedway, Coulter powered his way to a career-best finish bringing the No. 22 RCR Chevrolet home in the top five. Coulter restarted 15th with 30 laps to go and went on a tear through the field, passing six trucks in seven laps and eventually working his way up to sixth with 10 remaining. After hard side-by-side racing with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular Kyle Busch on the final laps, the 21-year-old driver made a dramatic last-lap pass in turn four to secure a fifth-place result.
Rockingham Speedway Recap … Coulter earned a top-10 finish at Rockingham Speedway last weekend as the Camping World Truck Series visited the one-mile race track for the first time in the series’ history. Coulter started the 200-lap event from the 17th position and quickly climbed into the top-10 before the race reached the halfway mark. Battling a loose-handling No. 22 STRUTMASTERS.COM Chevrolet in the closing laps of the event, Coulter was able to gain additional positions and post a sixth-place finish.
JOEY COULTER QUOTES:
What are your thoughts about going to Kansas Speedway this weekend?
“I’m excited to race Kansas Speedway again. RCR has a really strong 1.5-mile program, especially with ECR power under the hood. The track is pretty fast-paced. You really have to pay attention and not make mistakes in order to get a good finish. I have full confidence that we can do well this weekend in the Husky Liners Chevrolet.”
You finished fifth at Kansas Speedway last June. That must give you some confidence going back there this weekend.
“It was a pretty wild race. Harold (Holly, crew chief) and the guys played great pit strategy and we earned our first top five of my NASCAR career there. I learned a lot and had fun at the end of the race running with Kyle Busch. It was a great learning experience for me, and I hope we can repeat that again this weekend and contend for the win.”
