Cody Coughlin Eager for the Martinsville Speedway
STATESVILLE, N.C. (March 21, 2018)—Relying on his short track background, Cody Coughlin is coming to the Martinsville Speedway for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) Alpha Energy Solutions 250 on Saturday, March 24 is a refreshing change of pace. It has been three weeks since the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has been in action, so Coughlin will be using the weekend to build on his performances at the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway and the Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway.
The driver of the No. 2 JEGS Chevrolet Silverado will be in his comfort zone when he takes to the track on Friday, March 23 for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ first practice: short tracks are his wheelhouse, though the Martinsville Speedway has been a welcome task.
This weekend marks Coughlin’s third appearance at the track in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
“Last year at the Martinsville Speedway it proved to be very challenging,” the 22-year old said. “I am hoping to rely on my short-track experience and my great team, GMS Racing, to have a different result this year.”
Coughlin’s many years of short-track experience, success and knowledge in the Late Model ranks have given him a familiar, veteran’s mindset that will make him a contender in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 250-lap event at the Martinsville Speedway. Coughlin made Champion Racing Association (CRA) history as the first driver to ever win both the ARCA/CRA Super Series, and the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour championships in the same season. He finished the seasons with four posted wins in the ARCA/CRA Super Series, and two wins in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour.
And for him, that short track knowledge is power.
“Martinsville Speedway is one of the most mentally draining race tracks we go to,” Coughlin said. “You have to be almost perfect every single lap, hitting your marks on track with errorless braking and throttle control. One mistake can cost you a lot quickly.”
Coughlin has added to his knowledge base, and his preparations, when he went to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie test at the Martinsville Speedway on March 14. After studying the test session, Coughlin feels like the No. 2 JEGS Chevrolet Silverado team already has an advantage on team strategy and what kind of setup he will need to stay near the top of the leader-board.
“Being able to attend the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series test session with Jerry (Baxter), and seeing how the trucks were handling on-track this year gave some added insight on my approach to this weekend at the Martinsville Speedway,” Coughlin said.
Coughlin can say this with confidence; he will pilot Chassis No. 026, a GMS Racing-prepared machine that last participated at the paperclip-shaped venue on October 28, 2017, where Kaz Grala finished in the seventh-place after starting in the eighth-place.
Coupled with the well performing chassis is a team backed by success; since entering the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2013, the Statesville, N.C.,-based GMS Racing team has logged 24 starts at the Martinsville Speedway, resulting in two victories (2016 Johnny Sauter, 2017 Chase Elliott), five top-five finishes and eight top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 12.7 and an average finishing position of 16.6.
The Alpha Energy Solutions 250 will be broadcast live on FS1 on Saturday, March 24 starting at 2:00 p.m. (ET). It will also broadcast live at 1:30 p.m. (ET) on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Qualifying for the fourth event of the 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule will air on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. (ET) on FS1. In addition, the practice session on Friday, March 23 will be televised live on FS1 at 1:00 p.m. (ET) and final practice for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at 3:00 p.m. (ET).
On FS2 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice will re-air at 9:00 p.m. (ET) and final practice for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will re-air at 10:00 p.m. (ET). Another re-air of the practice sessions will be on FS1 at 8:00 a.m. (ET) and at 9:00 a.m. (ET). The Alpha Energy Solutions 250 at the Martinsville Speedway will re-air on Sunday, March 25 at 7:00 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, 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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