Date: Saturday, June 16, 2018
Event: M&M’s 200 presented by Casey’s General Store (Round 9 of 23)
Series: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Location: Iowa Speedway (7/8-mile D-shaped oval)
Start/Finish: 14th/7th (Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
Cody Coughlin’s Perseverance Pays Off with a Seventh-Place Finish at the Iowa Speedway
Fifth top-ten finish for Coughlin of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Season
STATESVILLE, N.C. (June 17, 2018)—Cody Coughlin, driver of the GMS Racing No. 2 JEGS Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, finished in the seventh-place in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series M&M’s 200 presented by Casey’s General Store at the Iowa Speedway on Saturday, June 16.
Coughlin was able to transform the speed he had at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice session, where he placed an impressive second on the speed chart, into the race. Running as high as fifth place, Coughlin eventually finishing in the seventh place to score his career-best finish at the Iowa Speedway, adding another consecutive top-ten finish.
Even when Coughlin was challenged with falling outside of the top-10, as low as 18th place on Lap 124 due to varying pit strategy, Coughlin’s grit and perseverance drove the recovery and made up the deficit for a race back inside the top-10, where he remained for much of the race.
“It was a good points day for our No. 2 JEGS Chevrolet Silverado team,” Coughlin said. “As a team, we are doing a good job and proving consistency by producing top-10 finishes practically every week. Our goal is to run consistently in top-five and we are confident we will capture our first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory of the season.
“I cannot thank crew chief Jerry Baxter and my entire GMS Racing team enough for all of their hard work and determination at the Iowa Speedway.”
While it is clear there is still a little more work to do with Coughlin’s No. 2 JEGS Chevrolet Silverado to dial in the performance to be consistent enough to compete for wins, the execution on Saturday at the Iowa Speedway was definitely a step in the right direction.
The team continues to gain momentum with consecutive top-ten finishes.
The seventh-place finish also helped Coughlin in his quest to enter the top-10 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver point standings with the aim that that consistency will propel him into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs standings in only his second full-time season.
The Ohio-native remained 11th in the standings with 234 points.
Coughlin, part of the four-truck GMS Racing contingent, set the 14th-fastest lap in qualifying for 175-mile race, and turned a lap of 23.970 seconds at 131.414 mph around the .875-mile track in the second qualifying round.
The Delaware, Ohio, native started in the 14th-place in the 32-truck field and quickly gained a position in the session’s opening laps. Under caution on Lap 26, Coughlin radioed to crew chief Jerry Baxter that his No. 2 JEGS Chevrolet Silverado needed more maneuverability, but even so he entered the top-ten on Lap 47. At the end of Stage 1 on Lap 60, Coughlin was scored in the 11th-place. Under caution Baxter had the first opportunity to bring Coughlin down pit road for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment on Lap 64. An outstanding pit stop by the GMS Racing No. 2 JEGS Chevrolet Silverado crew placed Coughlin in the 10th-place for the ensuing Lap 68 restart for Stage 2, improving their position from pit road.
As the race resumed, Coughlin was quickly on the move and scored his fastest lap of the race on Lap 71. The 22-year old was scored in the seventh-place, battling with GMS Racing teammates for position on Lap 83. Coughlin began moving his racing line around the track to find out where his Chevrolet Silverado was the most comfortable, a tactic that paid off as he wheeled his fastest times on the track. Coughlin was able to keep his yellow and black Chevrolet Silverado inside the top-eight at the halfway marker on Lap 100 even as he reported loose-handling conditions to Baxter. The JEGS team entered the top-five after the caution flag waved on Lap 111. Due to varying pit strategies and a restart with competitors on fresh tires, Coughlin was regulated to the 15th-place on Lap 120 for the end of Stage 2. Under caution on Lap 125 Baxter pulled Coughlin to the pit for four fresh Goodyear tires and fuel, and to make more chassis adjustments.
Coughlin returned to the top-10 on Lap 136, and maintained position inside the top-10 as the laps wound down with one of the fastest trucks on the track. The GMS Racing driver had to battle intense pressure and heat in the waning laps to pick-up a seventh-place finish.
The finish was Coughlin’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series-best fifth top-10 finish of the 2018 season.
The next event on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule is the Villa Lighting delivers the Eaton 200 presented by CK Power on Saturday, June 23, at the Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Ill. The FS1 and Motor Racing Network (MRN) will broadcast the race starting at 8:30 p.m. (ET).
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, and on the official Facebook page at /CodyCoughlin2/. 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” Team JEGS on the official Facebook page at /TeamJEGS/.
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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