Coleman returning to Nationwide gig with JGR

Brad Coleman is returning to Joe Gibbs Racing to compete in the Nationwide Series in 2009. He will run a partial schedule alongside Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin in the No. 20 car.

Coleman is back with the team with which he has enjoyed his most success in NASCAR's No. 2 series, having posted three top-fives and five top-10s while driving JGR's No. 18 car on a part-time basis in 2007.

Coleman

"I never would have left Gibbs in the first place, but the team just didn't have the sponsorship available to put me in a full-time Nationwide ride in 2008 and we felt like I needed the seat time," Coleman said in a release.

Coleman left JGR after the 2007 season to accept a full-time ride with Baker Curb Racing and the No. 27 Ford. In November of that year Coleman also agreed to a Cup Series deal with Hall of Fame Racing. The plan was for Coleman to be a full-time test driver in 2008, run a limited amount of races late in the season in a second HoF car, and compete full time as a teammate to the No. 96 Toyota in '09.

Coleman made one start this past season, at Michigan, but it was in the 96 after Hall of Fame fired J.J. Yeley. Coleman was the last qualifier in and finished 38th, three laps off the lead. HoF turned to veteran Ken Schrader and Logano for the rest of the year, and Coleman eventually was released.

"I am grateful for both of the opportunities I had this year and appreciative to the owners and sponsors of each team," Coleman said. "But I can tell you I have never been so happy in my life as when I got the call from Gibbs to come back. This is not only a world-class race team with great equipment, but it is the finest group of people I have ever worked with."

Coleman made 24 starts this year in the Nationwide Series for Baker Curb, with two top-10s. He left that ride after a 10th-place finish at Watkins Glen to concentrate on his Cup debut the following week.

"Brad showed us a lot of natural talent when we launched his Nationwide career here in 2007 and has matured a great deal by going through some tough challenges since then," team president J.D. Gibbs said.

In three years of limited racing in the Nationwide Series, Coleman, who turns 21 in February, has seven top-five finishes and three top-10s in 43 starts, 17 for JGR. He earned his only pole in the No. 18 car at Talladega in April 2007.

"I feel like I got two years of experience all rolled into one in 2008," Coleman said. "Not only racing experience at the top two levels of the sport, but life experiences as well. I can promise you this, you will be hard pressed to find a harder working, more focused driver in the garage next year. I am incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to be coming home for Christmas."