Cody Coughli ready to tackle the mysterious Pocono triangle

DELAWARE, OH – Cody Coughlin heads to the Keystone State of Pennsylvania this weekend for the Pocono Mountains 150 on Saturday, July 30 with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The 20 year-old will be back behind the wheel of the Kyle Busch Motorsports JEGS.com No. 51 Toyota Tundra for the second straight race, but this time he’s back on pavement after his first dirt racing experience at Eldora Speedway.

Pocono Raceway, however, is like no other track in NASCAR. It’s nickname describes it to a tee… the “Tricky Triangle.” It’s a big, 2.5-mile triangle with three distinctively different corners. Fortunately none of this is foreign to the Delaware, Ohio native, who has scored two top 10’s in three ARCA Racing Series starts at Pocono.

“The truck is a very different vehicle than an ARCA car, but at least I have some laps at Pocono and know the track, the line and some of its tendencies,” said Coughlin, who won his fifth Late Model race of the year this past Saturday at Anderson Speedway in Indiana. “I expect to run well on Saturday and I’m excited to head back there. Pocono is a different animal, so I’m going to lean on some of my guys and teammates that have been there before.”

The Joe Gibbs Racing Development driver is beginning to feel a lot more comfortable in the bigger, boxier truck as he makes more starts in it. Coughlin’s last truck start on pavement saw him finish 12th at the fast 1.5-miler of Texas Motor Speedway in June. Then he went dirt racing for the first time at Eldora Speedway and ran in the top 10 for much of the 150-lap feature before losing a right-front tire.

“It’s been an adjustment for sure, but I think I’m starting to figure these things out and my performance is starting to show that,” said Coughlin. “The finish at Eldora wasn’t indicative of how strong that truck was and how well we ran. I know that Friday and Saturday at Pocono is going to feel different in the truck than the last time I ran there (in an ARCA car), but I know Bono (Kevin Manion, crew chief) and all of my KBM guys will do their best to give me a good truck and get me to feel comfortable there, just like at Eldora.

“I’m very fortunate to have the team around me that I do. I can’t thank Kyle and Samantha Busch enough for giving me the chance to drive their truck. I’ve been very blessed to have the opportunities that I have and the love and support from my parents, (Di and John), and my sister, Kennedi.”

Coughlin will hit the track for the first time this weekend on Friday, July 29 for first practice beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET. Final practice will also be on Friday from 3-3:55 p.m.

Saturday, July 30 is race day for the Pocono Mountains 150. Driver introductions will be at 12:30 with the 60-lap race set to follow at 1 p.m. ET.

KBM Press Release.