After an offseason filled with anticipation, Doug Coby’s quest for his sixth NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship will roll off from the front row on Saturday night.
Coby picked up his 23rd career pole award, and his first at Myrtle Beach Speedway, topping the group qualifying session with a time of 19.668 seconds (98.475 mph).
Coby, the driver of the No. 2 Mayhew Tools Chevrolet, was the winner of the first Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole Award.
His crew chief, Phil Moran, was the first recipient of the “Big Stick,” a pry-bar awarded to the pole-winning crew chief at each Whelen Modified Tour event for 2019.
In two previous Myrtle Beach starts, Coby’s results haven’t been up to his liking. He’s finished 14th and 13th the last two years — and has led just one lap at the South Carolina oval.
Defending race winner Jon McKennedy was second, driving the No. 7NY Sahlen’s Chevrolet for Tommy Baldwin Racing. McKennedy posted a time of 19.669 seconds, coming up just short of Coby’s top speed. In his first and only start at Myrtle Beach, which came last year, McKennedy led 12 laps en route to victory after picking the right tire strategy.
Defending Sunoco Rookie of the Year Tommy Catalano was third, followed by Eric Goodale and Rob Summers.
Matt Hirschman was sixth, followed by Chris Pasteryak, Andy Seuss, defending champion Justin Bonsignore and Dave Sapienza. Bonsignore was fastest in the lone practice session earlier in the day.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to the track for the Performance Plus 150 presented by Safety Kleen at 5:30 p.m. The race will air via a live stream on FansChoice.TV.
The starting lineup and the results of qualifying can be found below.
Doug Coby 19.668
Jon McKennedy 19.669
Tommy Catalano 19.704
Eric Goodale 19.737
Rob Summers 19.745
Matt Hirschman 19.778
Chris Pasteryak 19.783
Andy Seuss 19.802
Justin Bonsignore 19.804
Dave Sapienza 19.836
Timmy Solomito 19.841
Ron Silk 19.842
Matt Swanson 19.864
Calvin Carroll 19.874
Jimmy Blewett 19.902
Ken Heagy 19.902
Anthony Nocella 19.927
Blake Barney 19.965
Kyle Ebersole 19.990
Sam Rameau 19.990
Kyle Bonsignore 20.011
Burt Myers 20.082
Craig Lutz 20.104
Woody Pitkat 20.160
Patrick Emerling 20.185
Frank Fleming 20.267
Walter Sutcliffe, Jr 20.351
Jamie Tomaino 20.392
Wade Cole 20.486
Timmy Catalano 20.844
Melissa Fifield 20.317
Gary Putnam 20.654
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