Santos Continues Winning Ways
Claims Third Checkered In Four Starts With Whelen 200 Victory
Martinsville, VA — Bobby Santos’ dream season continued Sunday at Martinsville Speedway as he captured the checkered flag in the Made In America Whelen 200.
Santos pulled away from the field on a green-white-checkered finish to claim his third win in four NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races to start the 2010 season.
Rookie Justin Bonsignore had a career-best second-place finish, followed by Todd Szegedy. Mike Stefanik, the defending race winner, settled for fourth. Stefanik, who won the Coors Light Pole Award Saturday, lined up on the outside of the front row on the final restart but was shuffled back on the final two laps. Burt Myers finished fifth.
James Civali, Eric Beers, Woody Pitkat, Richie Pallai Jr. and Wade Cole rounded out the top 10.
The 24-year-old Santos, from Franklin, Mass., entered the season with one career win in 28 Tour starts and had never run a full season. Late in the offseason, he was picked to replace defending champion Donny Lia in the No. 4 “Mystic Missile” Dodge when Lia departed to run in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Santos has responded with three Coors Light Pole Awards and three wins.
Santos finished second in the race he did not win, and has forged an 89-point lead in the standings on Stefanik.
Ron Silk appeared to have a car to challenge Santos. However, he pulled out of the lead under caution on Lap 174 and ran out of gas on pit lane.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to the track Saturday, June 26 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Sources: Jason Christley/NASCAR WMT PR
RESULTS | LAP-BY-LAP RECAP