Toledo Speedway

(HUNTERSVILLE, NC. – March 5, 2014) – Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announced today that it has signed Cody Coughlin to its driver development program. Coughlin will drive a 12-race schedule for Venturini Motorsports in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards under the supervision of JGR beginning March 22 at Mobile International Speedway.

The Coughlin family is well known for their achievements in drag racing, with Team JEGS having collected a number of NHRA titles and championships. Coughlin is the first in the family to make his mark in circle track racing however, and is now set for the next step in what has already been an impressive career. Coughlin captured the JEGS/CRA All-Star Tour Championship in 2013 and in 2011 he earned Howie Lettow Rookie of the Year honors.

Coughlin will work closely with JGR on all aspects of racing including competition as well as marketing and public relations. In addition to returning to drive in the JEGS/CRA All-Star Tour to defend his championship, Coughlin will drive in the ARCA Racing Series at six short tracks plus twice at Pocono Raceway, Michigan International Speedway, Chicagoland, Kentucky Speedway and Kansas Speedway.

“This is such an exciting day for me and my family,” said Coughlin. “My family and everyone at JEGS have always had such a tremendous passion for racing and it’s my hope to extend my family’s success in drag racing to the circle tracks. It’s hard to imagine finding a better organization to work with than Joe Gibbs Racing. They have a tremendous history of working with young drivers and giving them the best opportunity to be successful both on and off the track.”

Coughlin dabbled in drag racing when he was younger, but fell in love with NASCAR as a young child and made the decision to focus on circle track racing.  In addition to the support of his father, John, as well as his mother Di and sister Kennedi, Cody has the support of all the associates at JEGS.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to work with Cody,” said J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing. “We are always interested in working with young talent and the future stars of our sport and Cody has certainly proven himself at each level of competition he has entered into. We are fortunate to have a great relationship with the Venturini’s and we think racing with them in the ARCA Series is a great next step in his development.”

Coughlin’s 2014 ARCA schedule with the No. 55 JEGS Toyota will be as follows:             

            March 22 - Mobile International Speedway              

            April 27 - Salem Speedway                           

            May 18 - Toledo Speedway                                       

            June 7 - Pocono Raceway                                          

            June 13 - Michigan International Speedway

            July 6 - Winchester Speedway

            July 19 - Chicagoland Speedway

            July 25 - Lucas Oil Raceway

            August 1 - Pocono Raceway

            September 13 - Salem Speedway

            September 19 - Kentucky Speedway

            October 3 - Kansas Speedway

"It's an honor to be working with the JEGS brand and Cody Coughlin,” said Billy Venturini, general manager of Venturini Motorsports.  “They're a family with a rich tradition in racing; something we also pride ourselves on at Venturini Motorsports. And we are very proud that Joe Gibbs Racing has such faith in our team to let us work with them in developing one of their up and coming driver prospects."

About JEGS

JEGS Mail Order and JEGS.com have been helping automobile enthusiasts for more than 50 years. Founded in 1960 by Jeg Coughlin Sr., a champion drag racer in his own right, JEGS and Team JEGS has produced three generations of Coughlins who have won some of drag racing's most prestigious races and championships. JEGS still is privately held and operated by Jeg Sr.'s four sons -- John, Mike, Troy, and Jeg Jr. -- in Delaware, Ohio. Boasting 350 associates, the company sends out 18 million catalogs a year, registers more than a million hits a day on JEGS.com and generates more than $250 million in sales annually to a worldwide customer. JEGS has been a longtime contingency partner with the NHRA. JEGS also posts contingency in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. In addition, the company supports a number of racing series at the grassroots level.

About Joe Gibbs Racing:

Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is one of the premier organizations in NASCAR, currently fielding three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams, three NASCAR Nationwide Series teams and a driver development program.  Its driver lineup consists of Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth in the Sprint Cup Series, while Sam Hornish, Drew Herring and Michael McDowell join those three in the Nationwide Series. In addition, Darrell Wallace, Jr. will drive a full season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series behind the wheel of a Kyle Busch Motorsports Tundra and Cody Coughlin enters JGR’s driver development program and will compete in the ARCA Series for Venturini Motorsports.  Based in Huntersville, N.C., and owned by Joe Gibbs – a three-time Super Bowl winner as head coach of the Washington Redskins and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame – JGR has competed in NASCAR since 1992, winning three Cup Series championships, and four Nationwide Series owner’s championships along with more than 200 NASCAR races, including three Brickyard 400s and the 1993 Daytona 500.

About Venturini Motorsports

Venturini Motorsports (VMS), fielding cars for over 30-years in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, is one of the premier NASCAR driver development programs in the country. Multiple team championships and consistent on-track success, VMS has evolved into one of the most recognizable names in motorsports. Since 2007, VMS has assisted in the career development of notable NASCAR drivers such as Joey Logano, Justin Allgaier, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Brian Scott, Kevin Swindell, John Wes Townley and Erik Jones. Over the years the Venturini name has become synonymous with modern-day racing in America. In 2012, the Venturini family was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame (www.NIASHF.org) and now find themselves enshrined with such sports icons as Joe DiMaggio, Mario Andretti, Vince Lombardi, Tommy Lasorda and Rocky Marciano.

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