When Cody Coughlin took part in filming for RIDE TV’s “From Stock Cars to Stock Yards” he learned how to do a Texas Two-Step with co-host Paige Duke. On Friday night, Coughlin is hoping to take that same step to success in his ThorSport Racing RIDE TV/JEGS.com No. 13 Toyota Tundra in the Winstar Online Gaming 400 for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at the Texas Motor Speedway.
Friday night’s race is the third time Coughlin will take on the fast 1.5-mile oval in Fort Worth, Texas. His best finish there came in his Texas debut one year ago when he finished 12th.
During the offseason, the track has undergone a facelift. The track was repaved, and turns one and two were reconfigured. Those turns now have less banking, and are also wider. With this Friday’s race being the first of two on the schedule for the trucks at Texas, this is Coughlin’s first time on the newly reconfigured and repaved racing surface.
“I’m expecting track position will be very important which will mean qualifying will be very important,” said Coughlin. “Practice on Thursday will also be very important because I’ll kind of be learning a new race track again. I like Texas a lot, though, and I’m very interested to see how the track will be when I get to make my first laps on Thursday.”
Coughlin and his ThorSport Racing team have been steadily improving on the race track, but luck hasn’t always given them the finishes they have deserved. Coughlin raced inside the top five for much of his last race at Dover International Speedway (DE), but an issue with another competitor during a green flag pit stop robbed him of a chance at a finish in the top five.
Nevertheless, Coughlin said he’s feeling very positive about the performances of late by he and his team.
“I feel like Michael (Shelton, crew chief) and I are really starting to click and it’s starting to show. We’re finding speed and we’re running where we should be running. Now it’s just a matter of getting the finishes to reflect how well we’ve been running. The Lord has blessed me with this opportunity and I really want to give Duke and Rhonda Thorson and all of our supporters something to be proud of.”
Coughlin will hit the track on Thursday, June 8th for two practice sessions. He will qualify and race on Friday night. The Winstar Online Gaming 400 will take place at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT live on Fox Sports 1.
Friday’s race is 250 miles and 167 laps. The race will be broken into three stages of 40, 40 and 87 laps each.
For more information on Cody Coughlin and Team JEGS, visit codycoughlin.com and follow Cody on Twitter, @Cody_Coughlin. Follow Team JEGS on Twitter, @TeamJEGS, and “Like”JEGS Performance on Facebook. Follow ThorSport Racing on Twitter, @ThorSportRacing, and visit them online at ThorSport.com. If you need more information regarding ThorSport please contact Jessica O’Brien via email at jessica@edgehillmanagement.com. Any other inquiries for Cody Coughlin can be sent to Bob Dillner via email at bd51sports@gmail.com.
About JEGS Automotive, Inc.
In 1960, Jeg Coughlin Sr. founded JEGS as a small speed shop. It has grown into a high-performance powerhouse that includes a race team (Team JEGS), 250,000 square foot warehouse, retail store, mail order and website. The 350+ employees at JEGS still strongly believe and practice our simply business philosophy: Customer Care is #1. For more information about JEGS Automotive, Inc. visit JEGS.com.
About Ride Television Network, Inc.
Ride Television Network, Inc. is a privately held corporation based in Fort Worth, Texas. The company was formed in 2011 for the purpose of launching a 24-hour, high definition, television network. RIDE TV launched on October 1, 2014 in the United States and is now available internationally. The network features high-quality television programming showcasing both English and Western disciplines and lifestyles and includes live events, reality shows, talk shows, children’s programming, documentaries and more. For more information about RIDE TV, please visit www.ridetv.com.
About ThorSport Racing
ThorSport Racing, based in Sandusky, Ohio, is the longest-tenured NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team. ThorSport Racing, which has competed in the NCWTS since 1996, will run the No. 88 Menards Toyota Tundra driven by two-time NCWTS drivers’ champion Matt Crafton, the No. 13 JEGS/RIDE TV Toyota Tundra driven by Cody Coughlin, the No. 27 Tundra driven by Ben Rhodes, and the No. 98 RIDE TV/Champion Power Equipment/Jive Communications/Curb Records Toyota Tundra driven by Grant Enfinger. For more information visit www.ThorSport.com.