CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Four-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Doug Coby was lauded by many onlookers on Saturday night during the NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Series Awards as a competitor who likes to be “front and center”.

So it was only fitting that Coby announced the arrival of new primary backer Mayhew Steel Products underneath the bright lights of the Crown Ballroom stage as he made his championship acceptance speech.

Mayhew, based in Turner Falls, Massachusetts, has a 150-year tenure in the industry and is the oldest punch and chisel manufacturer in the United States. Their corporate headquarters still reside in Western Massachusetts today, and they handle all parts of their tool-making process — including raw material receiving, final tool inspection and packaging — in-house, through a 100,000 square foot warehouse and manufacturing facility.

“We told Mayhew from the beginning that we were excited to have them on-board and that we had them a great captive audience to get their name out there associated with our team, and now everyone who follows NASCAR Home Tracks has seen that and know who they are,” Coby told Race Chaser Online following Saturday night’s awards show. “We’re really excited to have been able to do that here … it was something that we had cooked up and it just came together in a great way for us.”

Coby rolled to his third-consecutive Tour championship in 2016 on the strength of five wins, 10 top-fives and 14 top-10 finishes, also scoring a series-best nine poles during the 17-race season.

Now the Milford, Connecticut driver hopes that his continued success will also lead to a successful relationship with Mayhew Steel Products.

“They’re excited to leverage the success that our team has had with their successes and really get their customer base excited about purchasing Mayhew products because of their association with NASCAR and with our race team. We’re proud to represent them, especially because this is really their first time doing any sort of major sponsorship … and they told us that. We told them from the beginning that we’re obviously here to represent them and we’re excited to have their name on our car for 2017.”

Coby’s long-time primary backer, Dunleavy’s Truck & Trailer Repair, will still remain with his Mike Smeriglio III-owned organization next year as a major backer, with Coby seeking his fourth-straight and fifth overall NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship in 2017.

“We’ve had Dunleavy’s for many years as our primary sponsor, and Doug is not going anywhere,” Coby affirmed as Doug Dunleavy watched on with his trademark smile. “Doug talks to us actively about his financial commitment to our team and it’s not like he’s getting booted out, I’ll say that again. He’s a huge part of our team and he’s done a lot for us. He’s still going to be on the car quite a bit, but Doug is a team player and he wants us to be successful. He knows what this takes to do it … and it takes a lot more than what (at this time) any one company can do alone.”

“Mayhew’s opportunity to come in is more about their product and about their people … and getting their employees excited about racing. Because they’re based in Massachusetts, they’re very close to Stafford, Thompson, Loudon … some of the major tracks that we hit during our season. They’re a local company in Massachusetts teaming up with a local and regional race team to find success together. It’s a great fit for everyone and we’re ready to get started and do a good job for them.”

Coby’s quest for his fifth NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship will kick off on March 18 at Myrtle Beach Speedway in South Carolina.

Hear from Doug Coby on his new deal with Mayhew Steel Products by clicking the player below:

About the Writer

Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network.

Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.

The 22-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as both the full-time tour announcer for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series and the co-track announcer at Millbridge Speedway.

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