With five races remaining in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season, Doug Coby might be on his way to capturing a sixth championship. In his first five title seasons, Coby managed to score titles in various different ways — including dominating years that left no doubt and points chases that went down to the final turn in the season finale.
As of now, he holds a 47-point advantage in the standings over Justin Bonsignore and Ron Silk, which is just one-point shy of what a driver could earn in one race. Short Track Scene analyzed his five title runs against what he’s accomplished so far this season through the first 11 races.
Coby has four victories, with top five finishes in eight races — but he’s finished inside the top 10 in all of the events. Prior to this season, he only did that once in his five title seasons. He’s led a total of 728 laps, which is the highest of the statistical comparison.
Some highlights from his previous title seasons:
2017:
- 1 win, 7 top fives, 7 top 10s, 1 DNF, 517 laps led
2016:
- 3 wins, 6 top fives, 9 top 10s, 1 DNF, 667 laps led
2015:
- 4 wins, 7 top fives, 8 top 10s, 2 DNF’s, 515 laps led
2014:
- 1 win, 9 top fives, 11 top 10s, 0 DNF’s, 144 laps led
2012:
- 4 wins, 7 top fives, 8 top 10s, 1 DNF, 318 laps led
After putting all the stats in perspective, many of them look similar across seasons. At this pace, Coby has matched his win total from 2015, a year where he only won by 11 points over current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece. In 2014, the only other year where he finished in the top 10 in the first 11, Coby won by 22 points. If he keeps up the current pace, he’ll beat those two numbers combined in this year’s tally.
READ MORE: Doug Coby cements championship favorite status with Thompson win
He will also be in search of a little bit more history going down the stretch. No driver in the modern era of the Whelen Modified Tour has accomplished top 10 finishes in all of the races in one season, and that’s a mark Coby will definitely want to hit.
He’s added seven Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole Awards this season. In 2016, he won nine poles en route to the title. Other than that, his 2019 number is already the second highest of his career. His seven poles has moved him from ninth into a tie for third with Reggie Ruggerio with 29 career, while the two of them trail Mike Stefanik by 19. He can pass Ruggerio, but won’t be able to catch the top two.
With his four wins, Coby’s moved into a tie for sixth-place on the all-time wins list with Mike Ewanitsko with a total of 28. If he can earn three more in the final five races, he would tie Jeff Fuller, who is fifth with 31.
He is just 287 laps led away from matching his own high, which was a total of 1015 in 2016. His average finish is also over two positions higher than any other year in his career.
More history awaits Coby if he seals the deal. Currently, he’s tied with seven other drivers with five NASCAR national series, regional series or local series national titles. Included in that group are NASCAR Hall of Famers Bobby Allison – a two-time Modified and two-time Modified Special champion in addition to his Cup title — and Jack Ingram.
Six titles would tie him with NASCAR Hall of Famer Jerry Cook and make him one of just 15 drivers in NASCAR history to win six or more titles. With no signs of slowing down, he would be two-thirds of the way toward the immortal mark set by Richie Evans and Mike Stefanik.
Don’t quite give the title to Coby yet, though. With five races on the calendar, including what Coby points out are considered wild cards, he’s not counting on anything until he’s crowned champion.
“We won at Oswego (Speedway) and finished in the top five both other times, and I’ve taken a liking to it, so I expect us to be good there,” Coby said last week. “The Musket 250 (at New Hampshire Motor Speedway) is going to be a wild card for us, and so is Riverhead.”
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