Cody Coughlin took his first laps around Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky on Wednesday in his Venturini Motorsports-prepared No. 55 JEGS Toyota Camry. Those laps were quick ones, as the 18-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing development driver was at or near the top of the speed charts throughout Wednesday's ARCA Racing Series test.
Coughlin finished the afternoon-long shakedown seventh out of the nearly 30 cars in attendance. The strength of the No. 55 Toyota has the Delaware, Ohio driver ready to aim for his first ARCA victory in Friday's ZLOOP 150.
“We had a good test session and I think we are in a good spot with our setup for this Friday,” Coughlin said. “We picked up our speed throughout the day and were in the top-five most of the day, sometimes at the top of the chart. I am looking forward to Friday night.”
Coughlin also took a quick liking to the 1.5-mile oval.
“Kentucky Speedway is a pretty cool place. It has a unique character and pretty wild to drive around,” Coughlin said. “It has some bumps around the track that could upset the nose of the car, but this will be a good learning experience for me and I hope to be a strong contender on Friday night.”
The 18-year-old from Delaware, Ohio is coming to Kentucky Speedway after recently recording a big Super Late Model win earlier this month at the famous Winchester Speedway in Winchester, Indiana.
“It felt great to get into victory lane at Winchester Speedway,” Coughlin said. “Things are really coming along well with both our ARCA Racing Series and Super Late Model program. Our goal is to end our year on a high note and we are going in the right direction.”
Coughlin will have the support of the Venturini Motorsports team this Friday night with Crew Chief Dave Leiner calling the shots from the pit box. He will have support from Kevin Hamlin, Team JEGS Manager and Scott Wimmer, his spotter.
His family will also be there to support him. This includes his parents, John and Di, and his sister Kennedi.
“My parents continue to be very supportive with my racing career and it was great to have them in victory lane at Winchester Speedway,” Coughlin said. “It would be awesome to celebrate an ARCA Racing Series with them soon.
“I also have to thank God for keeping us safe so far this season, not only behind the wheel but for the traveling from track to track all year long. We are very blessed do what we are doing.”
Friday’s schedule includes practice from 1:00-2:30pm Eastern. Menards Pole Qualifying takes place at 5:00pm. The green flag for the ZLOOP 150 is scheduled for 8:00pm.
The race will air live on FOX Sports 1.
For more information on Cody Coughlin and Team JEGS, visit www.teamjegs.com and follow Cody on Twitter, @cody_coughlin. Follow Team JEGS on Twitter, @TeamJEGS and “Like” JEGS Performance on Facebook.