Coughlin to Build on Momentum at the Atlanta Motor Speedway
STATESVILLE, N.C. (February 21, 2018)—Cody Coughlin is ready to return to the ATL (Atlanta) and break some records. The No. 2 JEGS Chevrolet Silverado driver for GMS Racing is heading to the Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway for this Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) Active Pest Control 200 benefiting Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta looking to improve on the previous effort and put on a strong showing with GMS Racing.
This weekend marks Coughlin’s second Atlanta Motor Speedway appearance with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. In 2017, he qualified for the 130-lap event in the 16th place and held that position to finish in the 16th-place. But Coughlin knows he can do better.
"GMS Racing has had really fast Chevrolet Silverados at the mile-and-a-half tracks over the last couple of years,” Coughlin said. “Our No. 2 JEGS Chevrolet team is using the same chassis this weekend that we used at the Charlotte Motor Speedway test in January, and that test went well for us.”
Coughlin will pilot Chassis No. 118 in the Active Pest Control 200 benefiting Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Jerry Baxter-led team last unloaded this GMS Racing prepared chassis at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series open test at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway on January 24. The chassis’ five appearances of the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, with teammate Johnny Sauter, included one victory (Dover (Del.) International Speedway), four top-five and five top-10 finishes.
Coughlin and GMS Racing’s No. 2 JEGS Chevrolet team hope to improve upon their 17th-place finish posted at the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on February 16, where challenges throughout the 100-lap NASCAR Camping World Truck Series NextEra Energy Resources 250 resulted in a lower finish than where his potential was – running as high as fourth-place. Despite the difficulties, Coughlin scored playoff points towards the championship in Stages 1 and 2, and is currently 10th in the driver point standings and 11th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series owner points.
As the second race of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, and the first non-restrictor plate race in 2018, many consider Atlanta Motor Speedway the real start to the season, and Coughlin is up for the challenge. The 1.54-mile facility was last repaved in 1997, so the worn, abrasive pavement creates tremendous tire falloff, and the slick surface typically provides some of the most exciting racing on the NASCAR schedule.
The 22-year old driver relishes the chance to put the No. 2 JEGS Chevrolet Silverado through the paces and secure a solid finish at the track.
"Atlanta Motor Speedway is a challenging track, and it kicks-off the traditional part of our NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season,” the Delaware, Ohio, native said. “You have to have good maneuverability around the track, and be able to move from lane to lane. It's about finding where your truck works best and hopefully have some compliance to use both lanes throughout the race."
Since entering the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2013, the Statesville, N.C.,-based GMS Racing team has logged nine starts at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, resulting in four top-five finishes and six top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 9.6 and an average finishing position of 9.7.
Coughlin is surrounded by a team who have the knowledge and experience to excel at the track, which opened in 1960. Baxter, crew chief for the No. 2 JEGS Chevrolet, has one top-five and one top-ten finish in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at the Hampton, Ga.,-facility. In addition, he has one top-five in five NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) starts.
As well, Kevin Hamlin, the Cody Coughlin Racing team manager and former Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) crew chief, can boast of two victories at the 1.5-mile track with Dale Earnhardt (2000), and Kevin Harvick (2001) in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, as well as one top-ten finish in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Terry Cook, former NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver, spotter for Coughlin, has 10 starts at the Atlanta Motor Speedway with two top-five, and five top-ten finishes.
Atlanta Motor Speedway is a homecoming to communications director Courtney McGarry. Raised in Hampton, she grew up around the local short tracks and her lifelong passion for motorsports started at the 1/4-Mile "Thunder Ring" at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The Active Pest Control 200 benefiting Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta will be broadcast live on FS1 on Saturday, February 24 starting at 4:30 p.m. (ET). It will also broadcast live at 4:00 p.m. (ET) on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Qualifying for the second event of the 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule will air on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. (ET) on FS1. In addition, the practice session on Friday, February 23 will be televised live on FS1 at 2:00 p.m. (ET) and final practice for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at 4:00 p.m. (ET).
The Active Pest Control 200 benefiting Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at the Atlanta Motor Speedway will re-air on Sunday, February 25 at 4:00 a.m. (ET) on FS1.
To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, visit Cody Coughlin on his personal Twitter and Instagram page – @Cody_Coughlin. For more information on Cody Coughlin visit CodyCoughlin.com. Also, follow Team JEGS’ Twitter page – @TeamJEGS, and on Instagram at @team_jegs. You can also “like” JEGS Performance on the official Facebook page at /Jegsperformance.
For media relations / public relations, contact Courtney McGarry at Courtney.McGarry@JEGS.com.
ABOUT GMS RACING
GMS Racing competes full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with drivers Johnny Sauter, Dalton Sargeant, Justin Haley and Cody Coughlin, and also in the NASCAR XFINITY Series with Spencer Gallagher. Since the team's start in 2014, GMS Racing has grown to occupy several buildings located in Statesville, N.C. The campus also includes operations for GMS Fabrication. More information can be found at https://gmsracing.net/.
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