Just days after Hall of Fame Racing announced it had released driver Brad Coleman, Joe Gibbs Racing President J.D. Gibbs told Scene Daily he wants to bring Coleman back to JGR’s Nationwide team. Coleman drove part time for JGR in the Busch Series in 2007, and after leaving to pursue other opportunities that didn’t work out, he’s getting a rare opportunity to return to a very good team.
In his first stint with JGR in 2007, Coleman ran 17 Busch races and had an average finish of 20.0. He earned the pole at Talladega and had a career best finish of second at Kentucky. But coming into 2008, Coleman wanted more then just a part time ride, so he moved on to the #27 Kimberly Clark Ford at Baker Curb Racing. He also signed a driver development contract with Hall of Fame Racing.
Following the second Pocono race, J.J. Yeley was released from Hall of Fame Racing, and Coleman appeared to be on his way to the Cup Series. P.J. Jones ran the #96 Cup car at Watkins Glen and Coleman took over at Michigan the next week. But, because of manufacturer conflicts between his rides in the Cup and Nationwide Series, Coleman was forced to give up the #27 NNS car after Watkins Glen. Hall of Fame planned on running the young driver in 7-10 Cup races toward the end of 2008 in preparation for a full time ride in 2009. But those plans never materialized. After finishing 38th at Michigan in his first start, Coleman didn’t return to the seat of a racecar for the rest of 2008. We have since witnessed the implosion of the #96 team.
A very important lesson to learn in racing is that when opportunity knocks, you better be smart enough to not only recognize it but also take advantage. But along with that, one also needs to be smart about which opportunities they pursue. Had Coleman stayed at JGR, depending on his performance, we may instead be talking about him taking over for Tony Stewart instead of Joey Logano. But Coleman saw a chance to get more races elsewhere and made the decision to leave JGR for Baker Curb and Hall of Fame. Looking back its easy to say Coleman screwed up, but I think even at the time staying at JGR should have been a no-brainer. The quality of people and equipment that Gibbs has put together is far superior to anything Baker Curb and Hall of Fame could offer.
If J.D. Gibbs and his race team are able to put together sponsorship to run Coleman part time in 2009, it will definitely be a rare instance of a young driver getting a second chance at a good ride. The racing gods don’t normally smile on drivers in these types of situations, and given the tough NASCAR economy, its even more surprising Coleman might be coming back. And while I do believe Coleman may have a small amount of financial backing, I think this shows how high of an opinion Joe and J.D. have of this young man and his talent. They have both shown a knack for picking good drivers and this may bode well for Coleman.
Just a word of advice though, don’t screw it up this time Brad.
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on Nov 25th, 2008 at 4:21 am
If you study it, Coleman never really left Gibbs. He was just on loan to Baker Curb so he could get the weekly seat time in the NNS that Gibbs did not have sponsorship for last season. So they sign him to Baker Curb AND to Hall of Fame (Gibbs satellite team)at the same time. He gets a ton of NNS experience while also testing Cup cars and learning the COT all while Gibbs launches Logano. Now it’s time for Coleman. Brilliant plan J.D.
on Nov 25th, 2008 at 6:55 am
I’m glad this kid is getting asecond chance. He’s got a ton of raw talent, and in a JGR ride, he will be successful.
on Nov 25th, 2008 at 9:37 am
Honestly, I don’t think staying at JGR was a no-brainer. Coleman did a great job in his ride for JGR and still wasn’t getting a chance at a full schedule. There was also the knowledge that Joey Logano was coming up - and believe me, it was known that Logano was in a Nationwide car as soon as he was old enough. Add in the Aric Almirola situation (being yanked from the car as he was leading the race for Denny Hamlin who couldn’t get there on time from Sonoma) and the writing on the wall regarding JGR is that the Cup guys get major opportunities and the Nationwide “regulars” are just filler when the Cup guys are tired. Yes, the cars are good and the Nationwide Series is a no man’s land right now where real opportunities are down to exactly one or two. So running in even a few races is something. But these kids need quality seat time, not to be shoved in a Cup car as soon as possible where they’ll nine times out of ten fail before their 21st birthday.
I’m glad he’s getting a chance somewhere, because the kid’s good. But I don’t think there’s a quality system in place to help him grow and actually be successful at JGR.
on Nov 25th, 2008 at 9:39 am
It is absurd to think that Coleman would have had a shot ahead of Joey Logano to get the #20 Cup ride for 2009. There was no way that was going to happen. Gibbs had been grooming Logano for years, had a small fortune invested in him, and Logano responded by winning at every level he was at.
Coleman was in line behind Logano and that was not going to change. There was no way of knowing before the 2008 season that Tony Stewart would be leaving the organization, and Gibbs was flailing in their attempt to get a fourth Cup team going.
While things didn’t go as well as hoped at Baker Curb Racing, and the Hall of Fame deal was a total mess, Coleman was racing every weekend up until Hall of Fame messed it up, and Coleman felt that was important. I agree.
20-year-old developmental drivers are not developing if they let weekends pass without driving in a race. These Cup teams need to get these kids in a car every weekend, be it Nationwide, Trucks, ARCA, Camping World East, Hooters, etc.
Perhaps Gibbs and other organizations can learn from this. If the sponsorship isn’t there for a full-time Nationwide ride, then get the driver into a lower series on those off weekends - whatever they can get into cheaply (relatively speaking) so even if the car is unsponsored in a Hooters or ARCA race, they are still developing their investment.
Results from those races wouldn’t be important. It may even be helpful to put these kids in non-competitive cars in these series and see how they do. A kid like Logano has driven nothing but top-notch equipment since he was 14. But if these kids could take a 25th-place car and finish in the top 15 in an ARCA race, that might be beneficial in their development.
on Nov 26th, 2008 at 8:56 am
Money is tight, JGR needs it, Coleman’s dad brings it. That simple.
Eat at Carino’s.