New Year, New Number, New Team & New Quest for Coughlin Begins at Daytona
DELAWARE, OHIO – Cody Coughlin’s rookie campaign in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will kick-off in one week when he takes on the legendary high-banks of Daytona International Speedway (FL) on Friday, February 24 in the NextEra Energy Resources 250. It will be Coughlin’s second trip to 2.5-mile tri-oval in the NCWTS, but the race will be the first for Coughlin in the JEGS.com/RIDE TV number-13 Toyota Tundra for ThorSport Racing.
The 21-year-old driver said he cannot to wait to head back to Daytona.
“I’m really excited. It’s always exciting to go to Daytona because the energy level is so high among every body in the garage and all of the fans. You can feel the excitement. I like Daytona. It’s a cool place. I had a good run there in an ARCA car (2015) and I felt comfortable there in the Truck race too last year.”
Overall, Coughlin has two prior starts at Daytona. In 2015, Coughlin started second, led laps and finished fourth in an ARCA Racing Series event. In 2016, he started ninth, but finished 31st after getting caught up in an early crash.
The dual Champion Racing Association champion in 2016 has been able to visit the ThorSport Racing shop in Sandusky, Ohio on a frequent basis this offseason. Coughlin, from Delaware, Ohio, said that his close proximity to the shop and ability to be there as much as possible has helped him quickly develop relationships with his crew chief, Michael Shelton, and his whole team.
“Michael is a great guy and we get along really well, ever since we first met. I think that’ll make it a lot easier going forward for sure. It’s been a great atmosphere and it feels like family. It’s going to be a good year. It’s a great feeling to work with people who are as excited to work with me as I am with them. I’m just ready to go racing.”
Coughlin said that he and Shelton have discussed goals for the year and for each race. While Coughlin is always hoping to pick up a win, that wouldn’t be the only way Coughlin leaves Daytona happy.
“We want to, for sure, run in the top 10 and get the season started right,” Coughlin said. “It would be cool to sneak a win out of there, but one of our goals this year is to top-10 and top-five them to death and if you keep being consistent like that you’ll get wins.
“Hopefully we’ll get off to a great start in Daytona and I can make Michael and the team proud. I’m blessed to be working with Michael and all of the guys at ThorsSport and really appreciative of the opportunity that Duke and Rhonda Thorson have given me. I cannot thank them enough.”
Coughlin will hit the track in his No. 13 JEGS.com/RIDE TV Toyota Tundra for the first time on Thursday, February 23 with two practice sessions. The first session will begin at 2 p.m. ET and will conclude at 2:55 p.m. ET. Final practice will run from 4 – 4:55 p.m. ET.
On Friday, February 24, Coughlin will hit the track for the first time at 4:30 p.m. ET for qualifying. Green flag for the NextEra Energy Resources 250 will be at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The NextEra Energy Resources 250 is a 250-mile/100-lap race. It will be broken up into three segments. The first two segments will be 20 laps in distance. The final segment will be 60 laps. The race will air live on Fox Sports 1 (TV) and MRN (radio).
For more information on Cody Coughlin and Team JEGS, visit codycoughlin.com and follow Cody on Twitter, @Cody_Coughlin. Follow Team JEGS on Twitter, @TeamJEGS, and “Like”JEGS Performance on Facebook. Follow ThorSport Racing on Twitter, @ThorSportRacing, and visit them online at ThorSport.com. If you need more information regarding ThorSport please contact Kate Fegley via email at kate.fegley@gmail.com. Any other inquiries for Cody Coughlin can be sent to Bob Dillner via email at bd51sports@gmail.com.
About JEGS Automotive, Inc.
In 1960, Jeg Coughlin Sr. founded JEGS as a small speed shop. It has grown into a high-performance powerhouse that includes a race team (Team JEGS), 250,000 square foot warehouse, retail store, mail order and website. The 350+ employees at JEGS still strongly believe and practice our simply business philosophy: Customer Care is #1. For more information about JEGS Automotive, Inc. visit JEGS.com.
About Ride Television Network, Inc.
Ride Television Network, Inc. is a privately held corporation based in Fort Worth, Texas. The company was formed in 2011 for the purpose of launching a 24-hour, high definition, television network. RIDE TV launched on October 1, 2014 in the United States and is now available internationally. The network features high-quality television programming showcasing both English and Western disciplines and lifestyles and includes live events, reality shows, talk shows, children’s programming, documentaries and more. For more information about RIDE TV, please visit www.ridetv.com.
About ThorSport Racing
ThorSport Racing, based in Sandusky, Ohio, is the longest-tenured NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team. ThorSport Racing, which has competed in the NCWTS since 1996, will run the No. 88 Menards Toyota Tundra driven by two-time NCWTS drivers’ champion Matt Crafton, the No. 13 JEGS/RIDE TV Toyota Tundra driven by Cody Coughlin, the No. 27 Tundra driven by Ben Rhodes, and the No. 98 RIDE TV/Champion Power Equipment/Jive Communications/Curb Records Toyota Tundra driven by Grant Enfinger. For more information visit www.ThorSport.com.
Sources: Bob Dillner/Cody Coughlin Racing PR