Joe Gibbs Racing expects Brad Coleman to return to Nationwide ride
By Lee Montgomery - Associate Editor
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Team owner Joe Gibbs (right) of Joe Gibbs Racing and JGR president J.D. Gibbs pose with the NASCAR Nationwide owners championship trophy.
David Griffin
NASCAR Scene
ORLANDO, Fla. – Joe Gibbs Racing President J.D. Gibbs said Saturday he hopes to bring driver Brad Coleman back to the team’s Nationwide Series operation in 2009.
Coleman was a part-time Gibbs driver in 2007 but left for a full-time ride with Baker Curb Racing this season. Coleman left Baker Curb for a shot at Hall of Fame Racing’s Sprint Cup ride, but that deal didn’t work out, and Coleman was on the sidelines for the latter stages of 2008.
“All the non-combo events, we would love to have Brad,” Gibbs said. “We’re kinda working with [Brad’s father] Brandon, and hopefully we can work something out.
“Brad’s awesome to work with. We wish we could’ve kept working with him. It just didn’t work out.”
Coleman ran 17 races for JGR in 2007, winning a pole and posting five top-10 finishes, including a career-best second at Kentucky that year.
Gibbs said the deal is pending sponsorship for the Nationwide standalone events on the No. 20 Toyota. He would share the car with Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano next year.
“We’ve got some stuff working,” Gibbs said. “It’s not the easiest economy, but we’ve got some stuff we think will work out because it will fit well so we can run two full programs.”
Sprint Cup driver Kyle Busch is slated to run the full Nationwide schedule in the team’s No. 18 Toyota next year.
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5 responses to "Joe Gibbs Racing expects Brad Coleman to return to Nationwide ride ". Post a Comment.
Sheila Hawley said:
Nov 23, 2008 at 2:52 PMWhy does a Sprint Cup driver need to win the Nationwide Championship? Why not have Brad Coleman be your man? And run only in Nationwide? What a revolutionary idea! Trying to win a Nationwide Title with a Nationwide driver!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportPitFrog said:
Nov 23, 2008 at 3:36 PMI like the fit with Coleman and the Gibbs team. I would like to see Brad go out there and prove himself and take over that Nationwide ride full time in 2010.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportTom Meier said:
Nov 23, 2008 at 5:16 PMJoey Logano has many years of racing ahead of him. It seems he would greatly benefit from a couple years in the Nationwide Series, where he could have some success before moving up to the Cup Series.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportPat Draper said:
Nov 24, 2008 at 4:20 PMI'm glad someone agrees with me about drivers having to run a full season or more in nationwide before going to cup. I liked Brad but all of a sudden he was gone. I wondered a few times what happen to him. Let him run nationwide for a championship. Thats the way it should be done. If not next year then the year after. There is no hurry he's still young.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportMr Galvan said:
Nov 25, 2008 at 2:58 PMI agree let him have the car full time! i can see cup drivers run SOME nationwide races BUT running full-time and for a championship is dumb! its a slap in the face to the nationwide drivers, they are struggling to run the series cuz of full time drivers! i hope it changes!
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