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DLP HDTV Team Race Report: Michigan

Rookie Coleman Gains Valuable Experience at Michigan

Date: Aug. 17, 2008
Event: 3M Performance 400 (Round 23 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn (2-mile oval)
Start/Finish: 43rd / 38th (Running, completed 197 of 200 laps)
Winner: Carl Edwards of Roush Fenway Racing (Ford)

The goal for rookie Brad Coleman was to stay out of trouble, gain valuable experience and complete as many laps as possible in his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut in the 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

That goal was accomplished, as Coleman brought the No. 96 DLP HDTV Toyota Camry back to the garage with no damage, a 38th-place finish and a boatload of experience gained.

“Don’t let anyone tell you that it’s easy, because it’s not,” said Coleman, who completed 197 of the 200 laps in his debut race. “Those are all world-class race car drivers out there. I’ve just got such limited time in this (Sprint Cup) car, I didn’t know what would happen when I got around other cars aerodynamically. I didn’t know on the restarts how hard I could drive it, so basically that’s what today was. I was trying to get to the finish and learn all those things, and I felt I got better and better as the race went on.”

It was continued improvement throughout the 400-mile race that was most important to Coleman and the DLP HDTV team.

“I saw his lap times improve gradually and I think by the end of the day his lap times got a lot better,” said Steve Boyer, crew chief of the No. 96 DLP HDTV Toyota. “I saw his pit stops get better and better. So, there are a lot of little things he got better at and we’ll build on them and get better from here on out.”

For Coleman, his first Sprint Cup start showed him first-hand the difference between the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the elite NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

“The biggest thing I told him that I couldn’t prepare him for, no matter how many times we talked, was the difference between a Nationwide Series race and a Sprint Cup Series race,” Boyer said. “The biggest difference is intensity. When they drop the green in (Sprint) Cup, those guys are out for blood, where in the Nationwide Series, it isn’t that way. They don’t really run as hard as they do in Cup. In Cup, these guys – all 43 of them – run 99 percent every single lap. In Nationwide, it’s not that way, and so the intensity level is hugely different and how hard these guys push these cars. It’s what makes it the Sprint Cup Series.”

With nearly 400 miles of Sprint Cup race experience now with him, Coleman, along with Boyer and the rest of the DLP team head to Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway next weekend.

“It was an honor to drive this DLP Toyota and I think I can build on this,” Coleman said. “I’ve got to learn to help the team set up the car the way I want it. I still don’t know what I want. It’s still a learning process and the rest of the year I’m going to be learning a lot.”

With the 38th-place finish, the No. 96 Hall of Fame Racing entry is now 40th in the series’ owner standings with 1,482 points, 279 markers behind the 35th-place No. 66 team of Haas/CNC Racing.

Carl Edwards won the 3M Performance 400 to score his 12th career Sprint Cup victory, his fifth of the season and his second at Michigan. Finishing .947 of a second behind Edwards was Kyle Busch, while David Ragan, Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top-five. Mark Martin, Brian Vickers, Kevin Harvick, Elliott Sadler and Jamie McMurray comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were seven caution periods for 27 laps, with five drivers failing to finish the 200-lap race.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Aug. 23 Sharpie 500 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. The race begins at 8 p.m. EDT with live, high-definition coverage provided by ESPN beginning with its pre-race show at 7 p.m. The race will also be broadcast live on SIRIUS Satellite Radio Channel 128.

Houston: Brad’s Embarking on His Maiden Voyage

CORNELIUS, N.C. – Every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver had to start his first race somewhere. Jeff Gordon debuted at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Bobby Labonte did it at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. His brother Terry started at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway was the site of Jimmie Johnson’s first Sprint Cup Series start. And Tony Stewart’s first race with the big boys came at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

For 20-year old Brad Coleman, historic Michigan International Speedway (MIS) in Brooklyn, the 2-mile D-shaped oval nestled in the scenic Irish Hills region, will serve as the setting for his Sprint Cup Series debut.

Coleman, who will drive the No. 96 DLP HDTV Toyota Camry in Sunday’s 3M Performance 400 at MIS, has built a solid resume as he’s risen through the racing ranks. In 43 Nationwide Series starts, he’s scored three top-five and seven top-10 finishes. He won his first career Nationwide Series pole in April 2007 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway and scored his best Nationwide Series result in June 2007, when he finished second at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta.

In addition to his experience in the Nationwide Series, the Houston-born Coleman also has nine starts in the ARCA RE/MAX Series, with two top-five finishes at MIS among his eight total top-fives, three poles and a win at Kentucky Speedway, all of which came in 2006. In 2005, Coleman competed in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series and finished fourth in the track championship at Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, N.C., while earning the most points of any rookie driver that season.

At age 16, Coleman teamed with fellow 16-year-olds Colin Braun and Adrian Carrio to finish seventh in the GT class at the prestigious 24 Hours At Daytona on the 3.56-mile, 12-turn road course at Daytona International Speedway. The trio was the youngest ever to compete in the endurance classic.

Coleman’s racing career began when he was 12 after being discovered at a Houston-area indoor karting center by fellow Texan Price Cobb, the veteran racer who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1990 with co-drivers John Nielson and Martin Brundle. While working as a crew member on Cobb’s Toyota Atlantic Series team, Coleman continued to compete in karts. He advanced through open wheel’s Fran-Am 1600 Series and the Star Mazda Championship Series before turning his attention to stock cars in 2005.

Everyone starts somewhere. For Coleman, it was a Houston-area karting center. And the latest phase is about to begin at Michigan.


BRAD COLEMAN, driver of the No. 96 DLP HDTV Toyota Camry:

What are your thoughts heading into the 3M Performance 400 and your NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut?

“It’s my lifetime dream coming true. I’m just really excited to do my first race for Hall of Fame Racing, DLP and Toyota. After the year of testing I’ve done, I feel prepared and I’m ready to get in the car.”

What are your emotions as you take to the track in the Sprint Cup Series against some of the best drivers in the world?

“My goal when I first got to the Nationwide Series was to gain the respect of all the other drivers – race them hard, but race them clean and give them room. I accomplished that goal. In the Sprint Cup Series, I want to do the same thing. I want to finish races without any damage and gain the respect of the Sprint Cup guys. I want to race them hard, but race them clean.”

You’ve tested the new Sprint Cup Series car, but obviously you never raced with it. What are your thoughts on the new car?

“I’ve had fun testing the new car for Hall of Fame Racing. I’ve tested at a variety of tracks – Pocono, Nashville, Kentucky and Road Atlanta – so I’ve had the chance to drive it on different types of tracks. It’s a challenging car to drive – more of a challenge than a Nationwide Series car. It’s got a lot more horsepower and it’s a lot more top-heavy and it doesn’t handle as well in the corners. You have to drive it a lot harder, but it’s fun with that rear wing because you can lay it out on the line and that rear wing will catch you a little bit.”

What are your thoughts on doing longer race distances that are 400 and 500 miles in length?

“I’ve been working out really hard for about the last year-and-a-half. The races are long races and they’re very tough. Not many people know how difficult it is to drive these stock cars on an oval. It’s very physical. I’ve been working out very hard these last couple of weeks. I’ve really stepped up my program and my hydration and I’m just stepping it up to get ready for these Sprint Cup races.”

What are your thoughts on Michigan International Speedway?

“From the past experience I’ve had at Michigan, I’ve loved it. I’ve done two ARCA races there and my worst finish was fifth. I did the Nationwide Series race there last year and finished 15th. We should have had a top-10, but we had a little struggle in the pits. It’s just a really fun race track, really wide, and you can easily go three-wide there. I’m really looking forward to getting out there.”

Hall of Fame Racing Makes Driver Change

Brad Coleman to Make NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Debut in No. 96 DLP® HDTV Toyota Next Week at Michigan

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Aug. 6, 2008) – Hall of Fame Racing officials announced Wednesday that NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Brad Coleman, who has been under contract as a test driver for Hall of Fame Racing since November 2007, will make his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut by piloting the No. 96 DLP HDTV Toyota Camry in the Aug. 17 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

Coleman will replace J.J. Yeley who has been released by the team.

Road racing veteran P.J. Jones will drive the No. 96 DLP HDTV Toyota in the Sprint Cup race this weekend at the Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International road course.

“J.J. is a talented race car driver and a great person and this was a difficult decision to make,” said Tom Garfinkel, co-owner of Hall of Fame Racing. “We all share responsibility that our performance hasn’t been what it needs to be, but we concluded it was time to make a change. This is a performance-based industry and we need to perform better. We’re confident J.J. will be successful in this sport in whatever his next challenge is.”

The 20-year-old Coleman has 42 Nationwide Series starts, compiling three top-fives and five top-10 finishes in his first 15 races with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2007. In that same year he also won his first career Nationwide Series pole in April at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway and scored his best Nationwide Series result in June when he finished second at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. Coleman currently ranks 16th in the Nationwide Series championship point standings driving full-time for Nashville, Tenn.-based Baker Curb Racing.

“I really appreciate Jeff Moorad (co-owner of Hall of Fame Racing) and Tom for giving me this opportunity,” said Coleman, a native of Houston who now resides in Charlotte. “I have really enjoyed my time testing with the people on the team and I’m looking forward to having a successful weekend at Michigan in the DLP HDTV Toyota and helping Hall of Fame Racing finish out the season as strong as possible. It is truly an honor to be a part of this organization.”

In addition to his experience in the Nationwide Series, Coleman also has nine starts in the ARCA RE/MAX Series, with eight top-five finishes, three poles and a win at Kentucky Speedway, all of which came in 2006. While running in the Grand-Am Series in 2005, Coleman’s cross-training approach to development provided him the opportunity to compete in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series. He finished fourth in the track championship at Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, N.C., while earning the most points of any rookie driver that season.

At age 16, Coleman teamed with fellow 16-year-olds Colin Braun and Adrian Carrio to form Team16, where they finished seventh in the GT class at the prestigious 24 Hours At Daytona on the 3.56-mile, 12-turn road course at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. In doing so, the trio set a Grand-Am record by becoming the youngest drivers ever to compete in the race.

Coleman’s racing career began when he was 12 after being discovered at a Houston-area indoor karting center by Price Cobb, the veteran racer who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1990 with co-drivers John Nielson and Martin Brundle. While working as a crew member on Cobbs’ Toyota Atlantic team, Coleman began his career in karting by competing in 64 races across the country. In his first and only year of karting, he won 42 percent of his races and finished on the podium at a rate of 65 percent. His success earned him an opportunity to become the youngest American driver to receive a professional open-wheel license at age 14 and advance to such open-wheel divisions as the Fran-Am 1600 Series and the Star Mazda Championship Series before turning his attention to stock cars in 2005.

Coleman Signs Full Nationwide Series Ride for 2008

19 Year-Old Set to Run Kleenex Car for Championship at Brewco Motorsports

Charlotte, NC (October 17, 2007) – After a successful rookie season in the NASCAR Busch Series, teenage driving sensation Brad Coleman has decided to leave Joe Gibbs Racing to pilot a full-time ride in the No. 27 Kleenex Ford Fusion with the new owners of Brewco Motorsports.

In only 15 races to date for JGR in 2007, Coleman has posted three Top 5’s, five Top 10’s, seven Top 15’s, and nine Top 20’s, winning the Pole at Talladega and posting the highest finishing average of any non-Cup experienced driver in the series. Extraordinary statistics considering he was the youngest driver in the series for most of the season, seeing many of the race tracks for the very first time, and competing against a host of Nextel Cup drivers.

Brewco Motorsports’ new owner and CEO Gary Baker feels fortunate to have Coleman on his roster.

“We believe Brad is one of the hottest young prospects on the circuit and when we found out he was not going to be in a full ride at Gibbs, we made a run for him,” stated Baker. “He is an impressive young man with a bright future ahead of him and is the kind of guy we want to build our organization around. He is not only talented on the track, but off the track as well and will add significant value to our sponsors. We think he can contend for the Nationwide Championship next year and the guys on the team are already excited about 2008.”

In the move, Coleman will reunite with his former Crew Chief, Shawn Parker. Running Brewco’s development program in 2006, Parker guided Coleman to a successful ARCA debut, posting eight Top 5’s in just nine races and garnering a win at Kentucky in a double green-white-checker restart against nine time series champion Frank Kimmel. He knows his young driver is destined for a successful career in NASCAR and is enthusiastic about the 2008 outlook for Brewco.

“Brad is one of the most naturally gifted talents I have ever worked with, and I have worked with some good ones,” said Parker, who has worked with Mark Martin and Dale Jarrett and served on the original Rainbow Warriors crew with Jeff Gordon. “He proved at Gibbs this year that he knows how to run up front without overdriving the equipment and he has a remarkable sense of track awareness. Brad is a future Sprint Cup star and I am looking forward to winning the Nationwide Championship with him for Brewco.”

Coleman is equally optimistic in his assessment for 2008.

“I came to Brewco to drive full-time and win the Nationwide Championship,” stated Coleman. “The new owners of Brewco have promised to do whatever it takes to put this team back into championship contention and I can guarantee you I will do my part to lead that effort. Besides, I think it will be fun putting an independent team at the top of the charts.”

When asked about leaving Joe Gibbs Racing, Coleman talked about wanting to run a full season for a championship and paid tribute to the people at JGR.

“When I signed with them last year in New York City I said it was a blessing and I still feel the same way a year later,” stated Coleman. “It looked like things were shaping up for a full-time run for the championship with JGR in 2008, but after the Gibbs Cup drivers had filled the sponsored Nationwide seats there was no room left for a full season. It would have been difficult for me to run another partial season in 2008 because I want to be in the race car every weekend and I am thankful for Brewco and Kleenex providing me that opportunity.”

“As for leaving my teammates, it is hard when you feel like you are leaving family,” Coleman continued. “The people in the Gibbs organization are the best and I will miss them very much. I also want to publicly thank my Crew Chief, Jason Ratcliff, and all the guys that run the No. 18 Carino’s Italian Grill Chevrolet for me. They always give it everything they have on and off the track to build a very successful program.”

Looking forward, the native Texan added, “I know a lot of the guys at Brewco and am confident we will have great teamwork and relationships as well, and I am really impressed with the new ownership team. Mr. Baker and his guys are excited about the future and I am looking forward to being part of it.”

Coleman will now drive a car full-time that has been shared throughout the past two seasons by accomplished Nextel Cup drivers Greg Biffle, Robbie Gordon, Jamie McMurray and Ward Burton. The new owners’ strategy will shift from weekly driver changes to one driver, lending their sponsor partners the opportunity to build consistency with their brands and the team a chance to run for the championship.

Kimberly-Clark Corporations’ (NYSE: KMB) National Customer Marketing Manager, Jean Maurice Boyer, is looking forward to having Coleman represent their well-trusted brands.

“Brad will be a great representative of all our brands and we are pleased to have him drive our car as we extend our sponsorship of the Brewco Motorsports team. We are already putting together some very innovative brand promotions for Kleenex, Scott, Viva, Cottonelle, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Depend and others for what we believe will be a fantastic 2008 season.”

Associate sponsors have been secured for the 2008 effort and will be announced in coming weeks. Coleman still has two races to run for Joe Gibbs Racing, one at Memphis on October 27 and the final at Phoenix on November 10. Plans are underway to try and run Coleman in additional races this season under the Brewco banner and will be announced soon.

Joe Gibbs Racing Fall FanFest

Come say hi this Friday at the Joe Gibbs Racing Fall FanFest - I am scheduled to sign autographs from 9a.m. till 11a.m. and would love to meet you out there.

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The sixth annual Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) Fall FanFest will be held on Friday, Oct. 12, where from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. EDT, drivers from JGR’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, NASCAR Busch Series and driver development teams will be available for autographs at the team’s headquarters in Huntersville.

Funds raised from JGR Fall FanFest will be donated to the Cabarrus Victims Assistance Network (CVAN). The Concord, N.C.-area charity is a non-profit organization that provides safety, shelter and support for battered women and their children while also raising community awareness about domestic violence.

In addition to supporting CVAN, JGR Fall FanFest will also benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina through a canned food drive. Donors can drop off canned items at the team’s headquarters in Huntersville from Tuesday, Sept. 5 to Friday, Nov. 2.

Donation lines will open at 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 12, where fans already in the line may request an autograph from Stewart, Hamlin or Yeley. The first 250 fans requesting a Stewart autograph will be given a bracelet and directed to the appropriate line. The same process will follow for Hamlin and Yeley.

In order to receive an autograph from Stewart, Hamlin or Yeley, one must bring at least one canned food item and also make a $20 cash donation. Fans wishing to receive an autograph from all three Nextel Cup drivers will be required to make three separate canned food donations and three $20 cash donations. Fans may only receive one wristband per person, per driver. No credit card or check payments will be accepted.

Each driver will be seated at different locations with staggered autograph session times, allowing fans making multiple donations the time to receive multiple autographs.

Yeley’s session is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Hamlin’s will begin at 10:30 a.m. Stewart’s will start 11:30 a.m. No donation is required for the 9 a.m. autograph session featuring Almirola, Coleman, Conway, Davis and Logano.

In the event of on-track rescheduling due to weather or other uncontrollable proceedings during the Bank of America 500 race weekend at Charlotte, the JGR Fall FanFest is subject to change or cancellation.

Several activities will exist for younger race fans attending the JGR Fall FanFest. The Home Depot Kids Workshop will be open, along with a gaming station, a climbing wall and a moon bounce. Other activities include a silent auction from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. featuring special items donated by JGR and other NASCAR teams, while a day-long raffle with NASCAR-related items will run parallel to the silent auction. The NEXTEL Racing Experience race simulator will also be on hand. Hot dogs, chips and snacks will be available, along with plenty of ice-cold Coca-Cola.

Heading to Dover

I am leaving this afternoon for Dover with my Gibbs teammates – I love weekends like this when I actually get to be in the car. Some of you may have seen me at the racetrack on weekends where I am not scheduled in the #18 Carino’s Chevrolet – I do that to stay in constant contact with my team and to learn as much as I can from whomever is driving the car. Going to the races on my “off” weekends also prepares me mentally to compete in a full schedule by being gone each weekend and constantly interacting with everyone in the NASCAR garages. August 24th at Bristol was the last time I was in the car, but I will be able to get back in this weekend and instantly feel comfortable because of the work my team and I have continued to do over the off weekends.

Dover is going to be a Monster, but I am not afraid of Monsters. As the youngest driver in the NASCAR Busch Series for most of this season I have had to face a lot of challenges and a lot of new tracks. For many of the races, it has been the first time I have ever laid eyes on the track, yet I am competing against Cup drivers with hundreds and sometimes thousands of laps at these places. Even with the “trial by fire” it usually ends up going great because I seem to have a natural ability to adjust to the track. I am not sure why, but after just a lap or two I am tuned in and ready to go. I think my time in my BRD Racing simulator plays a big role in adapting quickly to the track as does my great race team at JGR. Every race track and every weekend is a learning experience for me and Dover will be the same. I only have two races left on my schedule after Dover (Memphis and Phoenix) but lots of stuff is in the works. Thanks for checking in and stay tuned…