Doug Coby (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
Reigning NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Doug Coby celebrated happily following his victory in the Budweiser 150 Wednesday at Thompson Speedway, though just below the surface there was some anger bubbling from the Milford driver.
Coby’s drive to his third series victory at Thompson Speedway Wednesday came thanks to a frantic rally through the field over the final 50 laps following a debatable penalty by NASCAR officials.
After the race Coby questioned the penalty call against and also some other calls he’s seen this year in the midst of a tight championship race between he, Woody Pitkat and Ryan Preece.
On Wednesday the penalty came for Coby when NASCAR officials deemed he jumped a restart on rookie Chase Dowling on lap 93.
When the leaders all pitted on lap 88, Dowling stayed out on track. On the ensuing restart, Coby got a massive jump past Dowling coming to the green flag, leading to the black flag penalty from NASCAR.
“It’s just so questionable,” Coby said. “At the driver’s meeting they say the restarts are in the area of the double red line. I was in the area of the double red line and then [Dowling] fell way back. Everybody went by him. It wasn’t just me. It’s a shame for the fans that they get confused by that kind of stuff. There’s no way to explain it. It’s judgment call and you’ve got people sitting in the tower making a judgment against a fresh tire leader who was a straightaway ahead everybody, who gets a jump on a rookie with 95 laps on his tires. No [crap] I’m going to get a jump on him. I was going to be clear in turn one, no matter if he had the restart of his life, I was going to be clear in turn one.
“So that’s why I think it looks bad for the series. It’s not like I came from nowhere. Maybe if somebody had done that to me and got a restart of their life and got me by five car lengths because I led the whole race.”
The restart raised some interesting questions about NASCAR sort of secret rule that if a driver jumps a restart, if he can pull back and let the person that got jumped get the lead back there won’t be a penalty. Dowling, who seemed to bring the field out of turn four extremely slowly, got passed by numerous cars on the restart and it would have been virtually impossible for Coby to put him back to the lead.
And if you penalize Coby for “jumping” the leader on the restart, how do you not penalize the other cars that jumped the leader with him?
For Coby, he’s seen a pattern in 2015 from NASCAR officials taking him to task.
“When we ask the questions at the driver’s meeting we get shut off,” Coby said.
“I just don’t know how to win with these guys. It seems like we’re the judgment call every time. We’re the first one to get penalized every time. At Stafford [Motor Speedway], the second race of the season, when I hit Keith Rocco and knocked him up the track and there was a wreck three or four cars behind us, that’s the first time in probably five years that anybody’s gotten penalized for causing a wreck behind them because they turned somebody sideways. I’ve been sideways in five out of nine races this year, it’s documented on camera, and because I didn’t wreck there’s no penalty. The line is only drawn in this series when there’s a wreck or when it seems like I do something for the first time. I’m being outspoken right now, but I keep my mouth shut all the time and it just seems like it’s so inconsistent and I have no understanding of what I can do.”
THIS.
Can’t speak for the rest of the year as I haven’t been to many races but the officiating last night was as bad as I’ve seen in many years. On almost every restart someone jumped the start, not just Coby, then Pitkat sends Christopher for a ride and nothing happens. After the penalty to Coby, they must have posted his #2 on the starters stand at least 10 times once the race got back underway as if they were going to black flag him again, definitely confusing for the fans when they keep seeing his number posted and I’m sure that it doesn’t help the driver either. Then they wasted several laps on the last caution when laps were winding down and also totally forgot to give the two laps to go signal on lap 148 along with a few other questionable calls or omission of calls. Great race, great show by Coby coming from behind but a bad night for the officials.
show some humility .you won the race .moved pitkat to pass on one of the widest tracks on the tour. shut up and drive.. I say take the nerf bars off and see if they can make a lap without a wreck .LOL. this isnt racing anymore
NASCAR touring series officials do not give a “2-to-go” signal in any series, it wasn’t forgot, it just isn’t what that do. (Cup series thru Mods)
NWAAS officials do give a “2-to-go” signal however and obviously there are two different officiating staffs
Nascar has their forthright I didn’t think would come to the home track . but if you get caught illegal at a home track you don’t get the money or the the win .how is that fair
I didn’t like the call. Especially if the officials had to debate it. Then not penalizing Woody made it worse. The Coby penalty was potentially a championship altering call at the time. Dowling had no chance on that restart even if he didn’t spin the tires. That said, Dowling had actually gotten tires a little earlier and was one of the fastest cars on the track. He passed just about everybody and was all over the back of TC for fifth when the caution came out. He was by far the most exciting car out there for a stretch. The kid looks like the real deal. He was just caught up in an impossible situation with all the leaders on top of him with new tires. Making the penalty seem all that more questionable. Then again, after having the 01 spin right in front of him earlier a penalty may have been the lesser of two evils at that stage of the race.
He’s lucky they didn’t black flag him for his “pass” on Pitkat.
Didn’t make it to the race but the 01 was going fast enough to spin out? Guess they haven’t fixed that “handling” problem they always have when they don’t finish a race.
Coby, you can always come over to the Empire State and run with the ROC, they would welcome your rinky-dink antics (you’d fit right in). You just haven’t changed over the years. Why they put you in that car, alot of us will never know.
Yeah why did they put Coby in the 2 car – won the championship last year – 4 wins so far this year – drives as clean as anyone on tour (including his pass on Pitkat which was not his finest moment), and acts & speaks as a professional with class – why did they put him in that car?
Hey jim McG he does alot better in that then car todd did the man can drive better than most of them out on the track.Look what he did in the 52 afew years ago he is atop shoe out there
To Doug Cosby , WAH , WAH , WAH , I should have punched you when I had the chance the night you did the crybaby burn out in the pits and littered me with stones . Dam that MO for holding me back !
I will answer that for you! Doug Coby is in that car because he is good and I’ve never seen him drive dirty he is allot cleaner than Woody for sure! Pitkat hits everything but the pace car every race!
Patrick take the blinders off before you trip and fall and do more brain damage
Well Velenti Modified Racing Series officials, competitors, and fans.I wouldn’t feel to bad about the recent uproar about your officiating and rules interpretation. Seems mother Nascar has a few problems of their own. Lot of complaining and criticizing calls made or not made during the NWMT race at Thompson Wednesday night. All this controversy and Jack Bateman had nothin to do with any of it. It just goes to show no series is perfect and calls, wether we agree or disagree, must be made. As an owner of a modified and also a fan I understand the disappointment when the race is altered by officiating. Do officials make bad calls. Sure. But a bad call for one is a good call for another. Those were two great races Saturday and Wednesday. Let’s concentrate on the positives
Jim, I remember that moment in the pits when Coby shot rocks every where because I was behind the wall too but you’re nor better for whining about something that happened years ago. Suck it up buttercup!
Just A Fan, I HAD always thought that Doug Coby acted and spoke as a professional with class, that all changed on Wednesday, the Doug Coby that got out of his car and started running off at the mouth is not the Doug Coby I have known for years. I was at the race, yes Doug you did jump the start, and yes it would have been difficult to give Chase Dowling back the spot. You may not like the call, but it was the right one according to the rules, you are lucky the caution came out and you got to serve your drive thru under yellow flag instead of green flag conditions. You won the race, why not be happy about it and move on to the next one? Why would you even comment on the TC and Pitkat incident? If I remember correctly, you did not have a birdseye view of the incident, you were coming through the field after your penalty. It is my understanding that NASCAR replayed both incidents before making the calls, I have seen footage of the TC / Pitkat incident and feel NASCAR made the right call, TC was trying to pinch down on Pitkat and ended up spinning himself out. I didn’t need to see any footage of your restart, saw it with my own eyes, spouting off about the calls made by NASCAR Officials may make you feel better, but you are not doing your team or yourself any favors. And your statement that TC never spins out on his own, where have you been the last few years, living in the twi-light zone? I am not saying TC spins out by himself every week, but many times his own actions lead to a spin or a wreck. Get over it and move on, if you don’t like the officiating in the Series you race in you could always move on from that also. Again, Just my thoughts…
i want to modify my statement.probably feeling like coby after the restart call. he has shown humility in the past .. I dont like this NEW coby. he is a very good driver and shouldn`t have to move someone to make the pass. the LFR car WORKS at thompson.. just wish there was less dive bombing and more clean passing especially on a large track.. no excuse… hopefully better racing the remainder of the season
Nascar screwed up and threw the black because someone was sleeping on the restart and didn’t throw the yellow they have done a poor job all season. We saw that Doug jump the restart from the grandstands and nothing was done till laps later this is poor officiating get your head out of butt nascar and do your job. Doug is a great drive and races clean I hope he goes on to win it all .Nascar you should be ashame of the way you have handled this season.
a clean racer will go to the bottom and stay there until the pass is made, even if it takes 5 laps to do it.
should work just like an outside pass…Loved watching The Reg do it all the time… Freddy , Bugs, Richie all the great ones
As soon as they told Coby he was being penalized for jumping the restart he said ” THIS IS MY LAST NASCAR RACE”, granted I think the leader must be first to line on restarts is terrible as has cost many guys most memorable Elliot Sadler at first Brickyard Nationwide race, but crying like he did was very unprofessional and he has RUN INTO JUST AS MANY GUYS AS ANYONE this year making passes. SO will he be at BRISTOL NOW? BE A MAN OF YOUR WORD DOUG!!!
I don’t recall Geoff Bodine & Jimmy Spencer being referred to as clean racers very often.
Oh yeah, if my eyes didn’t deceive me in 1981, I think that was Richie Evans who won Martinsville riding the catch fence. Normally race cars don’t ride catch fences.
Andy I have seen it all just like you many more names can be added The idol The REG
mister clean passer REALLY?
Well first off even woody apologized about the crash to tc he knew he drove it in a lil hard and as for the reg he was probably on of the cleanest drivers out there and he only moved u if u moved him
NASCAR = WWF on Wheels!
Youhavenoidea, What crash are you talking about? At Thompson TC did not crash, he spun out, something he does just about every week at Stafford. If you view the footage of the incident at Thompson, it was TC’s wheel that is turned ever so slightly towards Pitkat, making contact with Pitkat and causing himself to spin out. Do you really think that NASCAR did not review this footage before deciding on a black flag or not? I do believe Pitkat may have discussed the incident with TC but I was not present for this conversation. Did Dan Avery apologize to TC friday night, as I believe it was him that sent TC spinning, collecting several other cars a well, now that could probably be considered a crash! Again, Just my thoughts…
Same restart situation in today’s cup race. Nascar did not penalize Carl Edwards because they determined the leader had spun the tires. So what gives? This makes Wednesday’s call look even worse.
Try 2 years ago at Waterford when Ryan Preece crossed the line ahead of the leader never was called back
on the restart guess who was leading?