Cole Whitt and Joey Coulter have matched Sunoco Rookie of the Year points through the schedule’s first 14 races. The pair left Pocono Raceway each having scored 160 points toward the prestigious award.
Call it a tale of two seasons within a season.
Whitt, who led the overall standings after finishing third at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, was a whopping 44 points ahead of Coulter seven races into the schedule.
Whitt, a 20-year-old USAC midget champion from Alpine, Calif., seemingly could do no wrong finishing outside the top 10 – 12th and 14th – just twice in the season’s first seven races. Coulter, on the other hand, looked more like the rookie driver he was: three finishes of 24th or worse and just three top-10 performances over the same period. Then, the tables literally turned.
Coulter, who finished sixth last weekend at Pocono, has finished seven consecutive races among the top 10. The 21-year-old from Miami Springs, Fla., has gone from 16th in overall points to seventh.
Whitt’s fortunes have turned 180 degrees. His most recent seven races have produced just two top 10s, a pair of finishes of 26th or worse and completed only two of his last six starts on the lead lap. Whitt has managed to retain fifth overall in points but Coulter’s gaining there as well. The two freshmen are separated by 12 points.
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