Joey Coulter, last year’s top rookie in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, will give a different circuit a try this weekend. Now only if team owner Richard Childress is able to keep his roster of drivers in order with radio communications.
Coulter, 21, will make his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut in Saturday’s History 300 (ABC, 2:30 p.m. ET) at Charlotte Motor Speedway, joining a roster of budding young talent climbing the racing ladder for Richard Childress Racing.
Coulter explained to the media Thursday how reassuring it was to have Childress, winner of multiple NASCAR titles as a car owner, on the other side of the headset as he cuts his teeth in stock-car racing. That’s when Austin Dillon, Childress’ grandson and Nationwide rookie of the year candidate, chimed in.
“Joey forgot to tell you how many times he’s been called Austin, or Ty (Dillon) or Elliott (Sadler),” Austin Dillon said. “My grandfather came on and called me Elliott last week. It’s really nice to have him on the radio and helping you out; he’s got so much experience, but there is actually a funny point where he comes over (the radio) and calls you someone else’s name. It kind of lightens the situation.”
Whatever he’s called, Coulter has begun to make a name for himself in the truck series, where he currently ranks 10th five races into his second full season. His mindset for his maiden voyage in Nationwide is to keep learning from RCR’s depth of talented teammates.
“I’m definitely going to lean on them this weekend,” Coulter said. “I’ve got a bunch of great teammates and they’ve been super-fast pretty much everywhere. I think it’s a good shoulder to lean on.”
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. continues to lead the Nationwide Series standings, having posted three wins this season. Save for his crash-related 19th-place result in the season opener at Daytona, Stenhouse has finished no worse than sixth in the other nine races in 2012.
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