Connecticut’s Doug Coby, NASCAR Modified Champion. (Credit: NASCAR Home Tracks photo.)
Release Prepared By Kyle Souza, for Mayhew Tools
TURNERS FALLS, Mass. — Mayhew Steel Products, Inc. (Mayhew Tools), has announced an extension of their partnership with NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour driver Doug Coby. The No. 2 Mayhew Tools Chevrolet, driven by Coby, most recently completed a championship run on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in 2017, with partnership support from Mayhew.
“They have been a pleasure to work with since day one,” driver Doug Coby said of Mayhew Tools. “Their company attitude really fits well with our team and a lot of people they bring to the races have become like team members for us.”
Although this isn’t Coby’s first opportunity to work with a sponsor in racing, he has definitely enjoyed visiting some events with Mayhew employees and just simply having them attend the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events.
“It’s been really fun because they are new to racing in a sense, and it’s really fun to be able to introduce them to the modifieds,” Coby said. “We are making them modified fans first. They are seeing the power behind the NASCAR tour. It’s really cool to be able to take a hometown type company like Mayhew and pair them into a hometown type series like this one.”
Coby’s incredible run to a fourth straight title during the 2017 racing season included one victory and two pole awards. In total, Coby has 23 wins across 204 career Whelen Modified Tour races. He has also collected four of the last five series championships, winning his most recent title by just six points.
The partnership between Coby, his Mike Smeriglio III racing team and Mayhew is a win-win situation for all involved.
“Doug has a winning program, so that’s someone we would like to be associated with,” John Lawless, the President of Mayhew Tools said. “We make high quality hand tools for professionals, so this connection allows us to help get the word out about our company.”
Coby says the combination has helped improved the team in more than one way.
“They bring such a fresh perspective to us, it was really helpful for us last season when we had a rough season for our standards, but we always had them back at the trailer,” Coby said. “Their positive attitude definitely helped point us in the right direction.”
Even though the combination started just last year, John has been pleased with the success Coby and his team have put forward on the track.
“I don’t know if I can put it into words,” Lawless said of how exciting the success is. “The first third of last season was rough, but you could tell that they were doing everything right. They had some bad luck happen, but they managed to pull it off in the end.”
From a sales and marketing standpoint, the combination is allowing Mayhew Tools to open their horizons into one of the many markets they can excel in.
“I think one of the primary reasons we were able to do this is that one of our largest markets is in automotive,” Eric Mills, the VP of Sales and Marketing at Mayhew Tools said. “A lot of people who work on their cars are using our tools, and a lot of those people are race fans.”
Much like Mills, Bianca Law, the Marketing Coordinator at Mayhew, was excited to see Coby have so much success in their first season together.
“This partnership gets the Mayhew name out there and it brings brand awareness for us as a company,” Law said. “I got to meet Doug when we brought the car out to one of our trade shows. It was great to get to see the race car and learn about it all.”
In 2016, Mayhew Tools served as the associate sponsor of Bob Garbarino’s famed Mystic Missile on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, with driver Jimmy Blewett. A racing sponsorship provides both Mayhew and their racing partner, Coby, a chance to showcase the tools the company provides for all.
In 2018, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule includes nine different racetracks and teams will travel across seven different states. The season begins at Myrtle Beach Speedway in South Carolina on March 17.
About Mayhew Tools
Mayhew Steel Products (Mayhew Tools), founded in 1856, is the oldest punch and chisel manufacturer in the United States. Headquartered in Turners Falls, MA, the company’s transition from a small tool house to industry leader comes as a direct result of their dedication, quality, reliability, and craftsmanship. While their passion for manufacturing quality hand tools has continued to fuel its century-old product line growth. Mayhew Tools, serving primarily the Industrial, Automotive and Hardware industries, are sold globally through an extensive distributor network.
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