Points leader picks up first-career win at ‘The Magic Mile’
LOUDON, N.H. (Sept. 22, 2012) – Victory Lane has long eluded Doug Coby at the “The Magic Mile”. On Saturday, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour points leader finally ended an 18-race winless drought at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, crossing the Granite Stripe first to win an action-packed F.W. Webb 100.
Coby took the lead on a late restart and coasted across the finish line after the caution came out for a hard crash involving Ted Christopher, who was running second and in contention for his sixth career win at NHMS before being taken out by rival Donny Lia.
“I know if I ever led at Loudon I had a big plan for winning,” said Coby, whose previous best finish at New Hampshire was a third in July. “I was going to be a big jerk and make sure I could keep the league. Turns out I didn’t have to do it that way.”
Lia, Ron Silk, Ryan Newman and Rowan Pennink rounded out the top-five.
It was the fifth win in 12 starts this season for Coby.
Lia picked up his first runner-up finish of the season. After trading paint and positions with Christopher for two laps, Lia tried to cut to the inside of Christopher on the frontstretch under the white flag. Instead of clearing Christopher’s rear bumper, Lia clipped the 24-year modified veteran and sent him hard into the outside retaining wall.
“It’s racing. I feel really bad about it – it was by no means intentional,” said Lia. “I was trying to duck down by him, but it was the worst place you could hit him in the back corner. But that’s it; I don’t want to make a big deal about it.”
Silk sat on the pole and ran near the front all day, but didn’t have anything for Coby and Lia after the final restart.
“It’s disappointing when you run up in the front and you don’t win,” said Silk.
For more details and ticket information on events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, or to purchase tickets to Sunday’s SYLVANIA 300, please stop by our Ticket Office, visit the speedway website at www.nhms.com, or call our Ticket Hotline at (603) 783-4931.