Coby To Carry Mayhew Tools Sponsorship For TBR In 2023
Tommy Baldwin Racing made the news official Friday that most had been expecting for weeks.
Tommy Baldwin Racing announced that six-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Doug Coby will run full-time for the team on the series in 2023.
RaceDayCT reported last week that Coby would likely be running full-time for the team in 2023.
The team will carry primary sponsorship from Mayhew Tools. The Whelen Modified Tour will kick off its 19-event 2023 season on Feb. 11 at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway.
The 43-year old Coby started 12 of 16 events on the Whelen Modified Tour in 2022, making nine starts for Baldwin and three starts for his personally owned team. He had three victories, all coming in Baldwin’s cars. Despite only starting 75 percent of the series events, Coby ended up ninth in the series standings in ’22
“We worked together for the first time last year and it sparked success right from the first laps we had together on the track,” team owner Tommy Baldwin Jr. said. “Doug is a proven champion who knows how to be there at the end of races and the end of the year when it comes time to crown a champion. His record speaks for itself. With the year we had in 2022, we are looking forward to building on all of our success and putting ourselves back at the front again in 2023. Having Doug pilot the 7NY with the assistance of Mayhew Tools is a great opportunity for us.”
Baldwin won the 2022 Whelen Modified Tour Owner’s Championship with the stable of Coby, Jimmy Blewett and Mike Christopher Jr. running for the team. Blewett and Christopher also recorded victories for the team in 2022. It was announced previosly that Blewett will compete in select Whelen Modified Tour events in 2023 for Tommy Baldwin Racing.
Coby has had a relationship with Mayhew Tools as a sponsor since 2017.
“Mayhew Tools and I have a great relationship, with the goal being to bring brand awareness to the Mayhew name through our partnership on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. I’ve been fortunate to have them with me at Mike Smeriglio Racing, my own team Doug Coby Racing, and now next season with Tommy Baldwin Racing,” Coby said. “Tommy’s family history in the Modifieds and his notoriety in NASCAR gives us a chance to get even more eyes on the Mayhew logo, and right now Tommy’s preparing the fastest cars in the pit area, so teaming up with Tommy full time on the Tour in 2023 is a huge opportunity for us. Chasing my seventh NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship behind the wheel of the 7NY is a pretty neat story and I can’t wait to build on the success we already found together last season.”
Coby’s 573 laps led in 2022 led the Whelen Modified Tour by far (Matt Hirschman was second with 384 laps led). Coby and 2022 Driver’s Championship winner Jon McKennedy each had an average finish of 7.2 in 2022, to top the series last season.
Coby will be looking to match the late Mike Stefanik for the most series titles with seven. Coby and Stefanik are the only drivers in series history with six or more championships.
Coby won Whelen Modified Tour titles in 2012 for team owner Wayne Darling and in 2014, ’15, ’16, 17 and ’19 for team owner Mike Smeriglio III. He has 34 career Whelen Modified Tour victories over 270 starts since 2002. Coby finished in the top-five of the series standings for 11 consecutive seasons from 2011 to 2021, and in the top three for nine of those seasons.
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Are Jimmy Blewett and Caleb Heady both still expected to race for TBR at New Smyrna?
Ken Hall,
Nothing has changed on that front as far as I know.
Well, if Tommy finds the performance and reliability he had in his cars last year, I feel sorry for the competition. This combination may very well earn Tommy his second car owners championship and Coby his seventh Drivers Championship. Time will tell
Instant Contenders for the Title….Love or Hate Him, Coby……. is a Fantastic Driver in Top Notch Equipment …This pairing would have to be considered the new favorite to Win the Championship …
So you say Coby’s an instant contender do you? I should think so. TBR won the owner championship by 36 points while McKennedy squeeked out a 6 point drivers championship. Coby full time on paper as opposed to musical drivers should make them even stronger. That and the fact Coby won’t be in his car to take out the 7ny like he did in 2022.
But hold on a minute are we sure about annointing a favorite this early. That rarely works out. The 51 is likely not to have two catastrophic equipment failures in 2023 and should be as tough as ever. HYR Haydt Yannone Racing with Silk driving is all in for 2023. Does anyone want to bet they won’t win a NWMT race in 2023 like in 2022? The LFR backed 2022 champs seem pretty quiet so far but if they’re back they’ll surely be in the hunt. How about the 58 team? They made a jump last year, were in it at the end of 2022 so why not them in 2023? Then there is the X factor. Another team that makes a jump we don’t see coming before everything starts.
14 days to the opener. Let the marathon begin.
All good stuff for this year.
But what I really hope for, is to see “ole’ blue back In victory lane at least once this year.
That Would be nice.
Well said Bobf >>>> OLD BLUE IN VICTORY LANE…. would be Excellent…. Mike has a Young Stable of very Capable Drivers this Year ..
I think Jake Johnson has the Best Shot of a Win with the most starts on the 2023 schedule ….Also having Won a Tour Type Win under His belt already …
Gluckhici has a Ton of Talent along with Narducchi .. Maybe the YOUNG GUNS can deliver a long OVERDUE WIN…
As long as TBR fields cars as good as the last season or so, it has a good chance at winning a title.