Sherrills Ford, N.C. (August 17, 2012)-Third generation NASCAR driver, Jesse Little, has been signed to drive for Coulter Motorsports in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. The high school sophomore will make his debut on Labor Day weekend at the historic Greenville-Pickens Speedway as the half-mile hosts the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 140.
Little has made selected starts in the series in 2012 including Richmond International Raceway in April where he became the youngest driver to ever take the green flag in NASCAR’s premier development series. Posting an 11th place finish in the Blue Ox 100 gave Little his highest finish in his brief K&N Pro Series career.
While the focus will be on the upcoming Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 140 at Greenville-Pickens, Little will be building for a run towards the 2013 K&N Pro Series East championship and Rookie of the Year honors, he explained.
“I like to set high goals for myself. I feel personal goals should be difficult to attain, something you have to work very hard for. My goals next year are to qualify well for each race, top-10 at most races and on the pole at two events. In addition my goals are to finish every race, including the top-10 at most events and the top-five in five of the races on the schedule. We will also focus as a team on building towards winning my first K&N Pro Series event in my first full-season of competition.”
Leading Little’s team at Coulter Motorsports is Kris Bowen, a veteran crew member of the organization.
“Jesse Little is a proven racer who I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with,” Bowen said. “He has excelled at every level to date and I know with our (Coulter Motorsports) guidance and mentoring Jesse will be a strong force in the NASCAR K&N Series. Our racing family grew with the addition of Jesse and his family and we look forward to developing his young career.”
Little has had Bowen’s leadership in the past and sees a reuniting of the pair as a positive step towards his entry into full-time K&N Pro Series competition, he added.
“I’ve known Kris Bowen for many years. He helped me when I first started Limited Late Models and he works closely with Harold Holly, who has also been a big part of my growth as a NASCAR driver. This is a good opportunity for me and I’m excited to run all of the K&N Series East events the remainder of this season and into the future with this team. Coulter Motorsports have won on many racing circuits including the ARCA Racing Series and I want to bring them a victory on NASCAR’s K&N Pro Series.”
With confidence in the team and his ability to compete at any level, Little was a natural choice to join Coulter Motorsports, according to team owner Joe Coulter.
“Coulter Motorsports is pleased to welcome Jesse Little into our driver development program,” Coulter said. “Jesse is an esteemed young racer who has proven to deliver himself maturely not only on the track but in life itself. He and his family are a natural fit and a welcomed addition to our NASCAR K&N Pro Series stable. We look forward to taking Jesse to the track and the success that follows.”
Little will continue to race out of the Team Little Racing shop with his NASCAR Whelen All-American Series late model as time allows. The late model experience gained since joining the series in 2010 has been beneficial to Little’s approach to racing on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, he explained.
“Racing on the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series has given me experience in the heavier and bigger cars from where I started in Legends and Midgets. This year I’ve learned a lot about how to save a car and how to make sure you’re around at the end of a race to finish strong. I’ve also learned that if the car’s handling is off on a given day then take what the car will give you, try different lines and see if it helps. Most importantly I have gained the knowledge that you need to finish races to learn and be better for the next event.”
Fans can get the latest news on Jesse Little Racing through the world-wide web at jesselittle.com or at Jesse Little Racing on Facebook. Follow Jesse’s progress throughout the weekend @jesselittle97 on Twitter. Learn more about Coulter Motorsports by logging onto coultermotorsports.com or through Coulter Motorsports page on Facebook and by following @CoulterMtrsprts
