You might be able to forgive Doug Coby had he exuded a little cockiness after winning his fourth consecutive Whelen NASCAR Modified Tour championship and fifth in six years last season.
After all, what Coby is doing has only been accomplished by the likes of Mike Stefanik and Tony Hirschman.
The Milford, Connecticut-native, however, comes into the Icebreaker 150 at Thompson not only thankful for what he’s accomplished, but also focused on the future.
“It’s getting harder and harder every year,” Coby told Short Track Scene when asked about his remarkable run since 2012, the year he claimed his first Tour title. “There’s definitely a lot of teams who have put in a lot of effort to get faster, especially at places like Thompson. It doesn’t make it any easier on us, but it’s a new season and you’ve just got to chip away.”
Coby comes into this year’s Icebreaker having struggled at Myrtle Beach for the second consecutive year. In the 2017 edition of the race, Coby was wrecked on the opening circuit as the field checked up for a caution flag. But that doesn’t bother him much. After all, he is the defending champion.
“We didn’t run that great at Myrtle Beach, but we also didn’t run that great at Myrtle Beach last year,” said Coby. “Last year we were wrecked here on the first lap, so a top-five would be really good. But I think we’ve got a good enough car to contend for the win.”
That he does. Coby was third-fastest in both of the practice sessions Saturday. While he did not win at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in 2017, and hasn’t since 2015, Coby finished in the top-five in the three races he finished at the ⅝ mile oval last season. If bad luck doesn’t get in the way, the 38-year-old is likely to be up front at the finish.
“It’s important to have a good finish,” said Coby. “I’ll put it that way… We have to make sure we make the right decisions and don’t put ourselves behind the eight-ball.”
Don’t be surprised to see Doug Coby celebrating in Victory Lane at the conclusion of Icebreaker weekend.
Read more Short Track Scene:
