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NASCAR Notebook
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Published: August 17, 2008
Coleman, 20, to make Sprint Cup debut today
■ If Brad Coleman could get away with it, he would wear his new NASCAR Sprint Cup uniform a whole lot more.
"It's a good-looking suit," said Coleman, 20, yesterday, just more than 24 hours before he was to make his Cup debut in the No. 96 Hall of Fame Racing Toyota. "I want to wear it all the time, but I don't want to look like an idiot."
Coleman, who has 43 starts since 2006 in the Nationwide Series, is replacing veteran J.J. Yeley, fired last week. Coleman is 16th in the Nationwide points with two top-10s, driving for Baker Curb Racing.
A year ago, Coleman drove part-time for Joe Gibbs Racing and had three top fives, including a runner-up finish at Kentucky, and five top 10s in 15 races.
Today will be a pretty heady moment in Coleman's young life. But he knows a lot is expected of him, beginning with the 3M Performance 400.
"There's always pressure on a driver to perform," Coleman said. "I don't want to go out there and make any mistakes. I don't want to look like an idiot. My biggest goal is to just be smooth and gain as much respect as I can."
■ Jeff Gordon, a four-time Cup champion, is winless and an undistinguished sixth so far this season, and crew chief Steve Letarte has drawn the brunt of the criticism from Gordon's fans.
"We focus on everything, from how internal communication is, how people are doing their jobs," Gordon said. "If making a change was going to fix it then there might have been changes. But that's not the issue.
"I think Steve Letarte is doing an awesome job.... It's just been one of those years. I believe in what we have. There's areas where we're looking to getting stronger and better. The fans have to just be patient, and I remind everybody of what we did last year."
A year ago, Gordon won six races, ran away with the regular season and wound up second to Jimmie Johnson, a Hendrick Motorsports teammate, in the Chase for the championship.
"We were an awesome race team last year, had one of the best years that I've ever had," Gordon said. "And Steve was the guy that was guiding that ship, so I believe 100 percent in him."
■ Elliott Sadler, starting third today, has a lot of reasons he'd like to win the race.
First, the last of his three Cup victories came almost four years ago -- September 2004 in California when Sadler was driving for Robert Yates.
Beyond that, though, Stanley Tools and Ace Hardware Foundation will donate $1 million to the Children's Miracle Network if Sadler's No. 19 Gillett Evernham Motorsports Dodge wins.
■ Austin Irwin, 12, will act as grand marshal today, thanks to race sponsor 3M and the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Irwin suffers from Wilm's Tumor, a type of cancer. His wish was to come to a NASCAR race and meet some drivers.... Mark Martin will make a record 72nd Michigan start today on a track where he has eight race wins, including four in Cup, two in Nationwide, one in IROC and one in ARCA.... Sixty-two of 78 Cup races at MIS have been won from a top-10 starting spot.
Tony Stewart's victory from 28th in 2001 was the farthest a driver has come for a win.
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