Coughlin Follows the Yellow Brick Road to Help Kids & Go Fast in Kansas
DELAWARE, OH – The long hiatus is finally at an end for Cody Coughlin and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Coughlin will get back behind the wheel of his JEGS.com/RIDE TV No. 13 Toyota Tundra for ThorSport Racing for the first time in five weeks this Friday (May 12) in the Toyota Tundra 250 at Kansas Speedway.
For just the second time this season Coughlin is racing at a track that he’s already been to. The only other time that happened was at the season opener at Daytona International Speedway. While Coughlin’s first race at Kansas last year didn’t exactly go according to plan, the 21-year-old driver said already having laps under his belt helps his confidence a lot heading into this weekend.
“I’m excited to head to Kansas this weekend,” said Coughlin. “I’m glad that when I get there I don’t have to spend any time in practice trying to learn the line of the track. I already know that from last year. Now I can just work with Michael (Shelton, crew chief) to dial in our Toyota Tundra for the race.”
Coughlin and Shelton worked on intermediate track setups together last week at a different intermediate track, Charlotte Motor Speedway (NC), during an open test session.
“We had a good test. I think we hit on some things that will hopefully work in our favor. We tested at night and it’s a night race (at Kansas). Each track is different, but I think we learned some things that we can take there.”
Before the race weekend really gets underway Coughlin will have the chance to speak with school children in Kansas about the effects of aerodynamics and energy in racing. Coughlin will appear in front of 490 children at the Prairie Star Elementary School in Leawood, Kansas.
“That’s something that should be really cool,” said Coughlin. “I was really young when I got interested in racing, so hopefully Ben and I will be able to inspire some of those kids to try to become race car drivers when we meet with them.”
Coughlin will also be working with Toyota Racing to support the efforts of WorldVision, an organization that helps communities in need. Coughlin and his fellow Toyota Racing drivers will be in victory lane on Thursday assembling kits to go to disaster relief victims and women in need in honor of Mother’s Day. The kits will then be delivered to several local charities who help women in need, including the City Union Mission and Rose Brooks center located in the Kansas City area.
Race fans hoping to meet Coughlin will have multiple chances this weekend. Coughlin will appear at the Toyota Pit Pass display in the fan zone, as well as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series autograph session and the RIDE TV display throughout the weekend.
Coughlin’s race weekend in Kansas kicks off on Thursday, May 11 with two practice sessions. The first session will take run from 2 p.m. ET to 2:55 p.m., and the final practice will start at 4 p.m. ETand end at 4:55 p.m. ET.
Friday, May 12 is Toyota Tundra 250 race day in Kansas. Coughlin will qualify his Toyota Tundra at 3:35 p.m. ET with the race to follow at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The Toyota Tundra 250 is a 167-lap race broken into three stages of 40 laps, 40 laps, and 87 laps.
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