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…