One Race Stand: Coleman Out of HoF Racing

Brad Coleman's entry and exit to and from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Hall of Fame Racing came to an abrupt halt after just one race, ESPN says.

[Brad] Coleman's fortunes changed quickly [...] According to Hall of Fame Racing, Coleman is now a free agent. He is no longer under contract to Hall of Fame.

Coleman's lone Sprint Cup race came at Michigan International Speedway in August when the 20-year-old driver replaced a fired J.J. Yeley in the No. 96 DLP Toyota. In that event, he started 37th and finished 43rd.

For giggles, I think I'll cite my previous post on Coleman's quick turn up to NASCAR's top division:

Hall of Fame sure isn't a place where a driver is going to go win championships, and knowing that Coleman just might be making a career mistake of jumping in a car that races in the Sprint Cup Series but doesn't compete.

Now I get that "just might be making a career mistake" isn't a "Coleman will be cut after one race"-type prediction, but come on, the writing was on the wall for this kid and his move to a team I wouldn't even drive for if offered the chance.

Yeah, Hall of ~~Shame~~ Fame Racing is just that bad, but this certainly leaves plenty of questions as to why it took so long for word to come out about Coleman.

Why did HoF only give him a one-race tryout when the original press release seemed to indicate he'd be finishing out the year? Was there some kind of strife between young Texas driver (or, perhaps his handlers) and the leadership at HoF? And do you think Coleman regrets giving up his Nationwide Series ride (manufacturer conflict) just to sit in the No. 96 for one race and a few testing sessions?

My answers? Who knows, probably, and definitely.

Like I pondered in the original post, I see this as a big setback for Coleman's potential Sprint Cup career. He's out of a Nationwide Series ride, out a Sprint Cup Series ride and appears to be back in the same situation he was at the beginning of 2008 -- trying to climb the rungs of the NASCAR ladder.

It's unfortunate for Coleman because the guy has a good level of talent and has an interesting background story, but he's just the latest example of how it is possible to jump too quickly in NASCAR before you've really set a name for yourself.

Is the youth boom over in NASCAR? Hardly. But it is sure showing signs of weakness.