Fontana: Brad Coleman preview

Brad Coleman to Finally Experience a "Last"
19 year-old driver looking forward to last race as a teenager

(Nashville, TN) Feb, 19, 2008 - Brad Coleman is used to "firsts". Whether it be the first time he sees a track, the first time he pulled into Victory Lane to being the first American to receive a professional open-wheel racing license at the young age of 14, Coleman knows how it feels to be first.

This weekend in the Stater Brothers 300, Coleman will finally experience another "first" and finally a "last". When he climbs into the No. 27 Cottonelle Ford Fusion on Saturday, it will be his first race at the California Speedway in a stock car.

However, the race on Saturday will also be a last. Next Tuesday, on February 26, Coleman will turn 20 leaving Saturday's competition his last as a teenager.

"I'm really just focusing on the race," said Coleman. "I've got to prove myself out there on the track and that is what is most important. Having my birthday coming up is a perk, it is always great to get a few presents and eat some cake!"

While it will be Coleman's first time in a stock car in California, it will not be his first time on the Fontana track. In March 2005, Coleman and his Team16 Grand Am teammate, NCTS driver Colin Braun, drove a Porsche 911 GT3 in the Grand American 400 on the California Speedway roval, the sports car configuration that includes half of the oval tied into the infield road course.

"I know what it takes at this track to make a car run well," stated Coleman. "It will be different in a stock car, but I think my past experience here coupled with my team's history at California will give us a good starting point. My pit crew had some great stops in Daytona and I know they've been working hard this week at the shop to get us ready."

While Coleman is getting ready for the race and celebrating his upcoming birthday, the race is also a homecoming of sorts for team owner Mike Curb. Curb is from nearby Los Angeles and looks to Coleman as another success on his impressive motorsports resume.

With an upcoming birthday and a homecoming, both Curb and Coleman would like to be doing a little celebrating on Saturday.

-credit: cr