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COBY LOOKS TO
ADD TO
OPEN WHEEL WEDNESDAY WIN TALLY |
Doug
Coby of Milford, CT, the defending race winner, will
head to the Tri-Track Open Modified Series (TTOMS)
season opener at Seekonk Speedway on Wednesday with
a vengeance. Coby is not only looking to defend his
title and pocket the $10K winner’s share but also
for his first win of the 2017 season.
And, Coby’s chances on Wednesday are pretty
favorable. He has three wins in just six starts at
Open Wheel Wednesday. This, of course, should not
come as any surprise as Coby is a four-time and
defending NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (WMT)
champion.
Coby is one of only two drivers to win multiple Open
Wheel Wednesday Modified events at Seekonk; joining
Matt Hirschman of Northampton, PA (who has two).
“Seekonk was always one of my least favorite race
tracks,” said Coby. “But when I raced for Wayne
[Darling], crew chief Jon McKenna helped me learn
the race track. He actually made me understand the
track. He literally told me what do to. I owe my
success at Seekonk to him.”
Piloting the Wayne Darling owned #52, Coby found
victory in 2011 and 2013. A car he also drove to a
WMT championship. His most recent win in 2016 came
aboard his current ride, the Mike Smeriglio III #2.
The same team has helped Coby secure his last three
WMT championships.
“Last year was probably my most memorable win here,”
said Coby, when asked. “It was unexpected really.”
“We brought our new LFR car-a car that had never run
at Seekonk,” reflected Coby. “The car wasn’t that
good when we unloaded. But, we dialed it in during
practice, found something in the heat race and
turned it into a winning car.”
This should come as no surprise either with the
talents of both Coby and his champion crew chief
Phil Moran.
Seekonk Speedway has always been known as a ‘racer’s
track”.
“What a lot people don’t realize -and you certainly
can’t tell from the stands-is that we are really
more like half-throttle at Seekonk,” said Coby.
“You’re not using all the cars have to offer as far
as horsepower.”
Which could also be another reason that Coby, a
driver who often shows patience and finesse, has
achieved success at Seekonk.
“As a driver that is a hard thing to wrap your brain
around,” added Coby. “We want to use the
horsepower.”
In Coby’s estimation the event could be a bit
different this year, acknowledging that it could be
interesting as “the big bump into turn three was
removed”.
Like his Modified counterpart Anthony Nocella, Coby
will be also be doing double-duty on Open Wheel
Wednesday competing in the prestigious Boston Louie
Memorial for the Northeastern Midget Association for
car owner Tim Bertrand. And, like Nocella, Coby has
a couple of Boston Louie wins as well.
“There has been a bit of a swap, Randy [Cabral] has
been driving the #74 this season, so I will be in
the #47,” said Coby. “It is the car that Justin won
with at Riverhead.”
Practice for the Modifieds and Midgets will begin at
2:30pm this Wednesday, June 28. Pit gates open at
10am with grandstands opening at 4pm. Racing is
scheduled to go green at 6:30pm. Entry to Seekonk
Speedway’s pit area is $35. Grandstand admission is
only $25. Tickets are available online by visiting
SeekonkSpeedway.com or by calling the Speedway
office at 508.336.9959 Monday through Friday from
9:00am to 5:00pm. A rain date has been set for
Thursday, June 29.
The event promises plenty of excitement with $10,000
on the line and a roster that features some of the
best Modified racers in the country, like Coby, in
100-laps of green flag racing.
“There is always a good field of cars that is what
makes it fun,” added Coby. .
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Source:
Dale Wolbrink / Tri-Track Open Modified Series
Posted:
June 24, 2017 |
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