MILFORD, Conn. — Doug Coby and Tommy Baldwin Racing jointly announced today that Coby will pilot the historic No. 7NY for a full-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour campaign in 2023.
Set to compete in the 19-race schedule that begins in February at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway, the team will carry primary sponsorship from Mayhew Tools, a sponsor that has been with Coby since 2017 and is happy to make the move with him to TBR.
The partnership between team owner Tommy Baldwin Jr. and Coby will allow the six-time series champion to chase a seventh championship while also allowing Baldwin to try and continue his incredible run of success with his team. In 2022, Baldwin won the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour owners championship with three different drivers, including Coby. The Milford, Connecticut, veteran won three races with Baldwin in 2022, including two straight early in the season at Lee USA Speedway and Riverhead Raceway, and another at Langley Speedway.
Baldwin is excited to get work with Coby again, this time on a full-time basis.
“We worked together for the first time last year, and it sparked success right from the first laps we had together on the track,” Baldwin said. “Doug is a proven champion who knows how to be there at the end of races and the end of the year when it comes time to crown a champion. His record speaks for itself. With the year we had in 2022, we are looking forward to building on all of our success and putting ourselves back at the front again in 2023. Having Doug pilot the 7NY with the assistance of Mayhew Tools is a great opportunity for us.”
Coby sits inside the top six on the all-time wins on the Tour with 34 victories to go along with his six titles. He has finished inside the top 10 in points in 12 consecutive seasons including in 2022, when he competed in 12 of the series‘ 16 events driving nine races for Baldwin and three for his own team.
Mayhew Tools has been a major supporter of Coby in the last five years, including sponsoring his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2021. Mayhew also sponsors the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour pole award at each event during the season.
“Mayhew Tools and I have a great relationship, with the goal being to bring brand awareness to the Mayhew name through our partnership on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour,” Coby said. “I‘ve been fortunate to have them with me at Mike Smeriglio Racing, my own team Doug Coby Racing, and now next season with Tommy Baldwin Racing.
“Tommy‘s family history in the Modifieds and his notoriety in NASCAR gives us a chance to get even more eyes on the Mayhew logo, and right now Tommy‘s preparing the fastest cars in the pit area, so teaming up with Tommy full-time on the Tour in 2023 is a huge opportunity for us. Chasing my seventh NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship behind the wheel of the 7NY is a pretty neat story, and I can‘t wait to build on the success we already found together last season.”
The 2023 Whelen Modified Tour season will begin at New Smyrna Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 11. Spread across eight states, the season will end in Virginia at Martinsville Speedway on Thursday, Oct. 26. The series will visit many of New England‘s staple race tracks, including Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, Seekonk Speedway, Monadnock Speedway and more, while also helping to headline weekends with NASCAR National Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Richmond Raceway and Martinsville Speedway, among others.
“Mayhew Tools has been a supporter of Doug Coby and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour pole award for many years, and we have had a tremendous amount of success in the past with Doug and his race teams,” said John Lawless, President of Mayhew Tools. “Last year was only a partial season for both Doug and Mayhew, but we are really looking forward to supporting the combination of Doug and Tommy Baldwin Racing for a full season on the Whelen Modified Tour.
“We think they‘re going to be a team that will certainly contend for many wins and a championship this season, and we are excited to help them work together on a full-time basis.”
