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03/06/2014 |
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DOUG COBY
HEADING INTO NAPA AUTO PARTS SPRING SIZZLER
AT STAFFORD SPEEDWAY WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE |
With
the 43rd Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler less
than two months away from taking the green flag,
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour teams are busy gearing
up for "The Greatest Race in the History of Spring."
One team that will have a definite spring to their
step in preparation for the Sizzler is the new
owner-driver combination of Mike Smeriglio, III and
Doug Coby, who will move over to the #2 Dunleavy
Truck Truck and Trailer Repair team after driving
the last several seasons for Wayne Darling's #52
team. The Coby/Smeriglio combination got their
relationship off to a great start with a victory in
the Battle at the Beach in Daytona last month and
Coby is hoping to carry that momentum over to the
Sizzler.
"I hope it goes well," said Coby. "Daytona was a
great start for team morale and it was a good
starting point for us. We were missing a few guys
who couldn't make it down there, but we got to work
together for a couple of days and we ran the
100-lapper at New Smyrna, so it was a good
experience for us getting the new team jitters out
of the way."
If past performance is any indication, then the new
combination should be a formidable force at
Stafford. Coby has won 5 of his 9 career NWMT races
at Stafford and Smeriglio's team recorded 2 wins, 14
top-5, and 18 top-10 finishes from 2006-2013 with
Todd Szegedy behind the wheel of the #2 car.
"I'm really excited and I think we're both a bit
nervous," said Coby. "They know that when I drove
the 52 I won a lot of races at Stafford and they
want to provide me with a car that can do that again
and I want to make sure that I'm giving them the
right feedback based on whatever I'm feeling in the
car. I think we're both kind of targeting Stafford
as a benchmark to see how far along we are as a team
and how well we're going to work together. I think
we're going to test a couple of times at Stafford
once the weather breaks and I'm hoping that will
help us come up with a package that will work really
well for the Sizzler. I would expect to be a
contender for all 4 races at Stafford but of course
that might not happen. If it doesn't happen, we'll
work on it. It might not be instant, I'm prepared
for that and I think the team is prepared for that
if we're not as fast as we want to be right out of
the box. I think we could come out and win right
away but it won't be the end of the world if we
don't."
Coby has two victories in the Spring Sizzler on his
resume, and a third victory would go a long way
towards setting Coby and his new team up for making
a run at the 2014 NWMT Championship.
"I think that it's been proven the past couple of
years that you have to start the season strong to
survive the summer stretch and be there at the end,"
said Coby. "If you start the season off slow with a
couple of wrecks or mechanical failures, it really
puts you in a hole that is almost impossible to dig
out of. Last year it was Ryan [Preece], the year
before it was me, and the year before that it was
[Ronnie] Silk. There is always somebody who puts
together a string of top-5 finishes and a win or two
that makes it tough to catch up to if you have a
couple of finishes in the 20's in the first couple
of races."
Coby's driving efforts won't be limited to just the
Whelen Modified Tour during NAPA Auto Parts Spring
Sizzler weekend. Coby will also be trying to reach
victory lane behind the wheel of Glenn Johnson's #15
SK Modified® machine. Coby and Johnson reunited last
year after several seasons apart and although they
finished third in the points standings, they did not
win a feature. Coby is looking to rectify that
during the 2014 season.
"I feel really good, we should have the car done a
little sooner that we normally do," said Coby.
"Glenn [Johnson] is working really hard on the car
and we have some new things going on sponsorship
wise and we're looking to upgrade the program and
make it so we're contending a little better than we
did last year. We had a solid year last year but
Glenn is hungry to win some races and contend for
the championship. We ended up third in points but I
think that was more a case of us not wrecking as
much as some of the other guys and that left us
towards the top of the standings. I felt last year
we had a better opportunity than the last time I
drove for Glenn. I was surprised that we didn't end
up winning a race last season. There were a few
nights last year where the car was really good and
probably should have won. With the way the SK
division is now, when you have a fast car you have
to capitalize. You can't just sit there and run
second. I think this year you'll see me be a little
more aggressive to get that monkey off our back and
win a race on the nights where we have the car
really good. There are 10 or 12 really fast cars in
the SK's and if you're the fast car on a given
night, you really have to make it happen."
As Coby chases after a victory lane appearance in
the SK Modified® division, he will also be seeking
to become the first driver to win a Stafford track
championship in three different divisions. Coby won
the Late Model track title in 1998 and he was the
ProStock champion in 2000.
"It would mean more to me to win the SK championship
for Glenn than for myself with all the effort Glenn
has put in over the years with his sons and everyone
that has worked with Glenn," said Coby. "It would be
cool to be the first driver to win a Late Model,
ProStock and SK Modified® championship at Stafford.
I'd be happy if we could win a couple of races and
be in a position to wrap up the championship at the
end of the year. We just have to see how it goes and
capitalize on the good nights and not let the bad
nights get you down."
The 43rd Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler gets
underway Friday, April 25 with a practice session
for Stafford's weekly divisions. The practice
session will be open to the public at no charge. The
run for the Coors Light Pole position gets underway
on Saturday, April 26 with time trials for the
Whelen Modified Tour cars, along with heat and
consolation races for Stafford's weekly divisions.
In the 34 Spring Sizzler events run since 1980, the
fast qualifier has gone on to win the race only 8
times. Saturday will conclude with feature events
for the SK Light, Limited Late Model, and DARE Stock
divisions as well as a feature event for the
Northeast Mini Stocks. The Sizzler concludes on
Sunday, April 27 with the NAPA Auto Parts Pit Party
followed by Stafford's SK Modifieds® and Late Models
joining the Whelen Modified Tour in feature action.
Tickets for the "Greatest Race in the History of
Spring" are on sale now at the Speedway Box Office.
Tickets are priced at $38.50 for adult general
admission tickets, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, and
children ages 5 and under are admitted free of
charge when accompanied by an adult. Reserved
seating is priced at $42.00 for all ages. As always,
Stafford Motor Speedway offers free parking with
overnight parking available. All tickets are good
for both Saturday and Sunday admission. All ticket
prices include 10% CT Admission Tax.
For more information on the 43rd annual NAPA Auto
Parts Spring Sizzler, or to order tickets, contact
the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at
860-684-2783 or visit us on the web at
www.staffordspeedway.com. |
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Source: Scott Running / Stafford Motor Speedway
Posted:
March 6, 2014 |
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