COBY HEADS TO JENNERSTOWN SPEEDWAY FOR Memorial Day BATTLE WITH WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR

Photo: Dick Ayers Racing Images

Story by Souza Media/Kyle Souza

MILFORD, Conn. -- Celebrating Memorial Day weekend with a special event at Jennerstown Speedway, Doug Coby will look to make it two straight wins in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour competition this Saturday, May 29.

As part of a partnership between NASCAR, JDV Productions and Operation Vet NOW Inc. (OVN), all cars in the field will carry the name of a fallen hero on their roof decals for the Jennerstown Salutes 150 presented by DGV. Coby will carry the name of Air Force Master Sergeant John Chapman, who was killed in 2002, in Afghanistan. Chapman is credited with saving the lives of his entire rescue team during a mission, however, he lost his own life in the process. Coby is excited to carry Chapman’s name and hopefully wheel the No. 10 Mayhew Tools entry back into Victory Lane in his honor.

“On Memorial Day, we should be realizing that we are doing what we enjoy in life because there are people around the world that are protecting our freedoms,” Coby said. “To honor the people we have lost, especially Air Force Master Sergeant John Chapman… when NASCAR sent out the list of service members… he jumped out at me because he was originally from Connecticut. What he sacrificed that day for his entire team, I knew it was a remarkable story that I wanted to get out there.”

Last year at Jennerstown, Coby finished seventh and fourth in the two stops at the Pennsylvania oval, and is hoping to improve on those runs.

“We can go hard during the race pretty much the whole time and then try to fine-tune the car at the pit stop,” Coby said. “When we were up front in the first race there last year, we pitted and over-adjusted on the car -- trying to get better. We are all building notebooks -- the track puts on a good race and it gives us a lot of options. It’s important that we put on a show in front of those fans -- most of them are new to us and what we offer.”

Coby is coming off a victory at Riverhead Raceway on May 15, and also finished sixth in the season-opener at Martinsville Speedway and 12th at Stafford Motor Speedway. The six-time Whelen Modified Tour champion enters the race third in the championship standings.

Practice begins at 3:30 p.m. and will be one, 60-minute session, for the day. Mayhew Tools qualifying will take the green flag at 5:45 p.m., followed by the drop of the green flag in the Jennerstown Salutes 150 presented by DGV at 7:30 p.m. For those who can’t make it to the track, the race will also air live via TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold.

For more information on Doug Coby Racing, visit the team on Facebook.

​About Mayhew Tools

Founded in 1856, Mayhew Tools is the oldest punch and chisel manufacturer in the United States, growing their extensive professional grade, American made product line to include pry bars, pneumatics, cable ties, and more. In 2020, the company extended their product line to include a complete line of dual drive and socket bits and sets. Serving the Industrial, Automotive, Hardware, and Construction industries, Mayhew’s premium hand tools are sold globally through an extensive distributor network. For more information, contact Mayhew Tools at 800.872.0037 or visit Mayhew.com.

About Doug Coby

Racing for more than 25 years, Doug Coby is a six-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion and one of the top short-track drivers to come from the state of Connecticut. Coby is a two-time champion at Stafford Motor Speedway, where he built his resume competing in the Late Models, Pro Stocks and SK Modifieds. Coby won his first tour championship in 2012, and followed it up by scoring four straight titles between 2014-2017, and another in 2019. In 2020, Coby opened his own team — Doug Coby Racing — scoring his first win as owner/driver.