(Press release from Doug Coby Racing)
For the first time this year, Doug Coby is heading to the high-banks of Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park for the return of a special event. The Thompson 300 lap race will be back in action this Sunday, October 10, as the headliner of the 59th annual Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing.
Coby and the Doug Coby Racing team will be heading to the Connecticut oval to chase a $20,000 winning prize, as the historic event returns for the first time in over one decade.
Coby does have previous experience in the Thompson 300 — nearly winning the event in his last effort — before being collected in an accident racing at the front late in the race. Since the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour did not visit Thompson this year, Coby and the team will be looking to get up to speed quickly in practice, and be prepared for a variety of different strategies that could play out over 300 laps. Teams will be allowed 12 change tires in the race, plus the four they start the race on — in a race that is green flag laps only.
Coby knows the strategy could make the difference at the end.
“I usually like to think that I think five steps ahead of everyone else,” Coby said. “I think you can find yourself in a position to capitalize on someone else’s mistakes. I think I over-strategize sometimes. But I have some guys on my team that are good thinkers and come up with good plans.”
Coby isn’t concerned about not racing at Thompson so far this year, as the Milford, Connecticut, native is a six-time winner on the high-banks in Whelen Modified Tour action and has been running the track for two decades. It’s just the second Open Modified event of the year for the Doug Coby Racing team, but Coby is hoping it ends with a trophy for the entire Mayhew Tools team.
“We don’t do too many open races with our team,” Coby said. “We’re going to go there and I’m excited for it. It’s always a race I wished could come back. Hopefully it has a good response and it’s a good race and it becomes the new World Series tradition. The evolution of racing is people coming up with new ideas and we’re going to try and support it.”
There are two optional practice sessions on Friday and Saturday, followed by all qualifying and feature racing for the Thompson 300 on Sunday, October 10. Qualifying begins around 1 p.m. with the drop of the green flag in the 300-lap race scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Tickets will be available at the track for a full weekend of racing, which includes 17 different divisions. The Thompson 300 will wrap the show in style.
For more information on Doug Coby Racing, visit DougCobyRacing.com and follow the team on Facebook for the latest updates.
I’m not exactly clear on the crew chief situation. Is Moran doing this one last race or have they moved on. And if Moran is gone will he be helping Silk if in fact they are in the 300?
Doug,
Phil Moran will be the crew chief on the No. 10 Doug Coby Racing entry at the Thompson 300. It will be their last race together.
Thanks and that’s good to read. The happy talk about splitting we hear so much but may or may not be true is the norm. This shows they are simpatico as well they should be with all that success together adorning the record books.