June 18, 2021 | By Lee Spencer

SRX victory opens the door for Doug Coby in a GMS truck

On the heels of his win in the inaugural Camping World SRX Series race at Stafford Motor Speedway, Doug Coby will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut with GMS Racing at Bristol Motor Speedway in September.

Coby, 41, has amassed six titles and 30 wins over the last two decades on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. The Milford, Connecticut, native will drive the No. 24 Chevrolet.

The opportunity for Coby to work with GMS president Mike Beam, who was the celebrity crew chief on his SRX car, opened the door for the upcoming Truck Series debut.

“I’m really thankful to have the opportunity to drive for a winning team like GMS Racing at Bristol," Coby said. "My racing career has been filled with chance meetings where I come across someone who ends up opening another door for me, and last weekend's SRX event at Stafford with Mike was another one of those cases.

“For Mike to leave the event and speak with (team owner) Maury Gallagher about putting me in one of their trucks at Bristol is phenomenal and I'm grateful for the opportunity to prove myself in the Camping World Truck Series. I'm really looking forward to working with all the guys on the 24 team at one of my favorite tracks. It doesn't get any better than Bristol!"

In eight Whelen Modified starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, Coby has four top-five finishes and an average result of 10.1.

“One of the main goals Ray (Evernham, SRX co-founder) and his group had with the SRX series was to give these local short track guys like Coby a shot," said Beam. "We're blessed to have Maury's support to put these local guys in a truck and give them a chance to compete at the national level in NASCAR."

The announcement comes one day after Gallagher confirmed the team’s decision to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series next season. Despite shuttering his Xfinity Series program at the end of 2019, Gallagher has always expressed an interest to advance to the Cup tour.

“GMS is always looking forward and I believe this is the next step for the team in that process," Gallagher said. "We have the goal to be a championship-caliber team in any series in which we compete, and I am excited to watch the team grow in the coming years.”

GMS was founded in 2014. The company has amassed a combined three titles and 61 victories in Xfinity, Trucks and ARCA. Sheldon Creed, who pilots the No. 2 truck, is the defending NCWTS champion.

“GMS has always risen to the occasion and proven that we are a team capable of competing at every level of this sport," Beam added. "We have been preparing to make this step and with the addition of the Next Gen car in 2020, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to make the move."