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LFR CHASSIS
SCORES FIRST WIN IN NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR
Doug Coby Dominates Thompson Speedway in LFR Chassis
Equipment |
LFR Chassis earned its first win in the NASCAR
Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) after dominating the
field this past weekend at Thompson Speedway.
Between Doug Coby and Ron Silk, LFR Chassis was
fastest in practice, won the pole and led every lap
of the Icebreaker 150.
“All
of the LFR teams worked great together and we’re
trying to build one big team,” said Rob Fuller, LFR
Chassis owner. “We’re collecting as much data to
help everyone. Everyone had the same setup package
and just fine-tuned it to their driver. It was a
basic shock package and spring package and each team
tuned their set-up.”
Race winner Doug Coby, running in an LFR Chassis,
was the class of the field at the Icebreaker 150.
The driver of the No. 2 Dunleavy’s Repair/HEX
Performance Chevrolet was the fastest in practice
with a lap time of 18.470 seconds at 120.064 mph.
Coby went on to win the pole and lead 127 of 150
before taking home the win.
Coby was thrilled to be able to provide Fuller with
his first win in the series.
“It’s actually a big relief because I wanted to be
the first to do it,” said Coby. “We were really the
first team to commit to going with them. I saw the
success down south with the car and wanted to do
that for the northern series. This is a part of
history for their company and it’s great to be a
part of that.”
“I could tell he was excited – he was standing
outside and taking pictures – and Phil (Moran) went
over and grabbed him and told him to get in the
pictures with us,” Coby said of Fuller. “He’s a huge
part of this. He’s growing a business and making
sacrifices. I saw a little bit of relief in his face
and that sense of pride. I was proud that our team
was able to dominate the first time out and give him
that solid win. It’s just going to make him want to
go that extra step and push extra hard to do this
and put more cars out there. Ultimately, that’s what
we’re here to help with.”
Coby’s crew chief, Phil Moran, also acknowledged the
role LFR Chassis and its teams played in their
success.
“The Thursday before the race we tested with the LFR
teams and I felt we had a really good car – the only
thing I was nervous about – was that my team
personally hadn’t raced these cars yet. So I didn’t
know if the adjustments that we normally make would
work on this chassis. The good thing is that they
did. All the LFR teams had the same setup on their
cars. They just fine-tuned it for driver preference
and driver feel. Everyone was pretty close and in
the same boat.”
Coby, Moran and their team made the switch from
Troyer Chassis to LFR Chassis during the off-season
despite winning a championship with them the year
before. The Icebreaker 150 was the team’s first time
racing in LFR equipment.
“I think a lot of people were surprised we would do
that – especially some of the people who don’t
follow the series that closely,” said Coby. “We had
zero personnel changes and huge equipment changes.
We were going with something that was unproven and
that was calculated into our decision. But this was
the best decision for long-term growth of the No. 2
team. I think a lot of people thought we’d start the
season with mechanical disasters. Now we’ve set the
bar high with this first race and we have to make
sure we are good at every track.”
Moran echoed his driver’s thoughts.
“It’s a brand new start but we knew as a team that
it had potential. Mike (Smeriglio, team owner) told
me this is my area and I could make the decision,”
Moran explained. “I’ve known Robbie for a long time
– we are good friends off the race track. We’ve been
talking about this for over a year now. It was big
undertaking. To get him the first win in the way
that we did – dominating the weekend – being the
fastest in practice, getting the pole and leading
127 of 150 lap race – that was awesome!”
“Rob was a kid in a candy store with the win,”
continued Moran. “He was really happy and I can’t
blame him. He has worked really hard on this deal
and so have all the guys at LFR. Ryan Stone (LFR
modified director) has been really great in helping
us get our cars and the parts we need. It’s been
great.”
When Coby wasn’t leading, fellow LFR Chassis team
member, Ron Silk was up front. Silk led for a total
of 23 laps before Coby regained the lead for the
final time that day. Overall, it was a dominant
performance for the team.
“I’ll always remember this first win. You never
forget your first time!” said Fuller. “At the end of
the day we are going to keep working hard and moving
forward. But, it’s nice to know that we have proven
that we have a winning package!”
LFR Chassis also drove to Victory Lane in the NASCAR
Whelen Southern Modified Tour (NWSMT) this weekend
when Burt Myers won the Pepsi 150 at Langley
Speedway.
Looking forward, Fuller plans to build upon this
success and continues to improve the team’s chassis
models.
“I’m hoping to have the GEN 2 car out early this
year,” said Fuller. “Now that we have this first win
we will be working even harder knowing that the
other guys will be coming after us.”
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Source:
Nealie Stufflet /
Rob
Fuller Motorsports
Posted:
April 13, 2015 |
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