NASCAR Driver Brad Coleman
From LoveToKnow Celebrity
At the tender age of 18, Brad Coleman has already taken NASCAR and the sport of auto racing by storm. At a time of life when most people are having fun at the beach, Brad is rubbing elbows with the likes of Price Cobb and Jeff Gordon and focusing on his racing career.
Born a NASCAR Driver
Brad Coleman had a love of cars long before he was old enough to drive. "When I was a little boy I used to play with Hot Wheels on the floor all day," he says. "If a race was on TV, I would get on the floor with my little cars and line them up like I was in the race." He also enjoyed driving his battery-operated Jeep outside the family's home. One time, his parents left the toddler in the driveway for a moment. "They came out to find me asleep with my foot on the accelerator going around in circles with my head on the steering wheel!" He laughs, "I guess they should have known then I was going to be a NASCAR driver!"
Growing up in Houston, Texas, Brad Coleman looked up to racing greats, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. He explains, "The maturity with which they have both handled their success has really been an inspiration to me."
Young Brad also looked up to his grandfather and father, two men with long basketball histories. "My grandfather is a Hall of Fame high school basketball coach in Texas, and my dad played, so I had really great coaching growing up," he says. "I thought for sure that I would either be a professional football or basketball player."
Things changed rather abruptly when Brad was just 12-years-old. "One day when I came off the basketball court after a middle school game I told my dad that I had made the decision to be a racecar driver." Thinking this was a passing phase, Brad's dad quickly agreed.
An Unexpected Mentor
In an effort to support his son's racing dreams, Mr. Coleman took 12-year-old Brad to an indoor karting center. In a stroke of luck, legendary racer Price Cobb spotted Brad and was impressed with his kart handling. "Price said that I had the skill to race karts professionally," Brad explains. "A couple of months later I moved out with Price to his race shop in Colorado and went to all the races with his Toyota Atlantic team for the summer while he was also training me in a go-kart."
Although Brad missed his home and family terribly, he thrived under the leadership of Price Cobb. He elaborates, "I know that I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for the Cobbs. Living with them was the total immersion my dad said it would take to succeed."
Media Attention
Brad then moved to Virginia with the Cobbs, and attended a private school. "It was nice being able to go to school everyday and just hang out with my friends like a normal kid, even though I was getting a lot of national media attention in my Junior and Senior years," he says.
In the course of his young career, Brad Coleman has appeared on many major television networks, including:
- ESPN
- Fox
- CBS
- ABC
- Speed
- NBC
Brad has appeared on Cold Pizza, and has even met Katie Couric.
Youthful Energy
Because of his age, Brad found that he had to work hard to prove himself in racing circles. "When [my team and I] were preparing to set the World Record as the youngest team ever in the Rolex 24 Hour of Daytona at 16-years-old, there were definitely some sneers. One journalist said we wouldn’t even need to know where the light switch in the car was because we wouldn’t last long enough in the race to need it," he explains. "I asked him to kindly join us at the finish line the next day. Sure enough, we finished the race in 7th place and set the record, but he was nowhere in sight!" Brad calls that recordbreaking finish one of his proudest moments.
Over time, Brad earned the acceptance of both the media and the other drivers. He says, "You earn the respect of fellow drivers by driving clean, honoring the traditions and legacies of the sport, being a tough competitor on the track, and a humble person off the track. I believe I have done a good job in each of those areas and many of the best drivers in the world have offered me their support and encouragement."
Graduation and a NASCAR Debut
Another proud moment came recently, when Brad received his high school diploma. That same week, he competed in his first NASCAR Busch race. "Think about it," he exclaims. "Prom... finals... graduation... NASCAR Busch race at 190 mph! It was a crazy week, but it was really cool to line up against many of my childhood idols."
That race was a culmination of a lifetime of dreams and work for the young driver. He says the experience was "unbelievable." He elaborates, "Just walking out onto the driver introduction stage in front of 75,000 people gave me the rush of a lifetime. It was so fun being out there with those guys because when you’re racing against them door to door, you know that they will race you hard and clean."
The youngest NASCAR driver in history had a strong showing, once again making his family proud. "We ran a super race with a solid finish, avoiding any wrecks and finishing in a respectable 29th position," he says.
Looking to the Future
He has a full schedule planned, "The racing plan for the rest of this year is to do as many ARCA and NASCAR Busch races as we can to continue gaining a lot of experience for next year. In 2007, we plan on running the full NASCAR Busch series schedule and contending for the Rookie of the Year Championship. I could not have dreamed up a better year than the year we have had so far with all of our successes in the ARCA and Busch series and we plan on carrying that success into next year."
Brad Coleman has already found his place in the world, something many people twice his age haven't yet accomplished. "Racing is just such a great atmosphere that once you are in it you don’t really want to get out," he says. "You get to see so many of your friends every weekend so everyone at the track is like a giant family. I can't imagine a better place to be."
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