Santos Secures Second 2010 Win With Stafford Triumph
Swept The Day At Stafford With Pole And Race Wins
Stafford Springs, CT — Bobby Santos edged Jimmy Blewett in a dramatic two-lap dash to the finish to win the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Stafford Motor Speedway on Friday.
Santos and Blewett battled back-and-forth throughout the late stages of the event, which was extended with two attempts at a green-white-checkered finish due to late-race cautions.
After Santos jumped the final restart on lap 135, he was ordered to let Blewett pull even at the line. Blewett nipped Santos as they took the white flag, but Santos was able to battle back to capture his second win of the season and the third of his career.
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#4 – Bobby Santos, III
#14 – Jimmy Blewett
#2 – Todd Szegedy
#3 – Ryan Preece
#54 – Eric Berndt
They were followed by Todd Szegedy, Ryan Preece and Rob Summers in third through fifth. Completing the top 10 were Eric Berndt, Mike Stefanik, Erick Rudolph, George Brunnhoelzl III and Andy Seuss.
Santos won his third pole in three attempts during qualifying earlier in the day and following the redraw started the race on the outside of the front row. Eric Berndt was successful in battling Santos for the early lead and paced the field for the majority of the race.
Berndt had extended his lead to 2.5 seconds by lap 90, but he lost the top spot when he faltered on a lap 108 restart – giving the lead to Chuck Hossfeld. When Hossfeld was spun by Blewett a few laps later, however, Santos took advantage to gain the lead.
Santos then had to contend with Blewett through the final stages of the race.
Santos, from Franklin, Mass., also captured the season opener at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway on April 11. Friday’s win was the third of his career and propelled him to a 64-point lead in the standings.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will next head to Martinsville (Va.) Speedway for the Made In America Whelen 200 on Sunday, June 6.
Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour-TSI Harley-Davidson 125 Unofficial Results
Friday
At Stafford Motor Speedway
Stafford, Conn.
Lap length: 0.5 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (2) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Dodge, 137 laps, 67.377 mph, $6,600.
2. (10) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 137, $2,900.
3. (13) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Ford, 137, $2,500.
4. (12) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Chevrolet, 137, $2,000.
5. (8) Rob Summers, Vernon, Conn., Chevrolet, 137, $2,050.
6. (4) Eric Berndt, Cromwell, Conn., Chevrolet, 137, $1,800.
7. (14) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Pontiac, 137, $1,850.
8. (25) Erick Rudolph, Ransomville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 137, $2,050.
9. (5) George Brunnhoelzl, III, W. Babylon, N.Y., Chevrolet, 137, $1,750.
10. (22) Andy Seuss, Hampstead, N.H., Chevrolet, 137, $1,200.
11. (7) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 137, $1,450.
12. (9) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 137, $1,600.
13. (1) Ron Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 137, $1,575.
14. (27) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 137, $1,450.
15. (3) Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 137, $1,425.
16. (6) Richie Pallai, Jr., Yorktown Heights, N.Y., Chevrolet, 137, $1,000.
17. (28) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 137, $1,375.
18. (26) Renee Dupuis, Glastonbury, Conn., Chevrolet, 134, $1,350.
19. (30) Johnny Bush, Huntington Station, N.Y., Chevrolet, 133, $1,325.
20. (29) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 133, $1,300.
21. (11) Glenn Tyler, Hampton Bays, N.Y., Chevrolet, 131, $1,250.
22. (20) Tim Arre, Toms River, N.J., Chevrolet, 129, $800.
23. (19) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 129, $1,250.
24. (17) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 128, $1,150.
25. (23) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 128, $1,350.
26. (18) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 128, $1,250.
27. (21) James Civali, Meriden, Conn., Pontiac, 127, $1,150.
28. (15) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 120, $750.
29. (24) Ed Flemke, Jr., Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 118, $1,200.
30. (16) Chris Pasteryak, Lisbon, Conn., Chevrolet, 80, $1,185.
31. (31) Jake Marosz, Middletown, Conn., Chevrolet, 22, handling, $1,080.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 1 minute 0 seconds
Margin of Victory: 0.166 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: B.Santos (99.502 mph, 18.09 seconds)
Caution Flags: 7 for 35 laps.
Lead Changes: 5 among 3 drivers.
Lap Leaders: B. Santos 1; E. Berndt 2-4; B. Santos 5-10; E. Berndt 11-108; C. Hossfeld 109-110; B. Santos 111-137.
Standings: 1. B. Santos, 550; 2. M. Stefanik, 486; 3. T. Christopher, 477; 4. T. Szegedy, 475; 5. E. Berndt, 436; 6. R. Preece, 429; 7. J. Blewett, 411; 8. R. Pennink, 395; 9. E. Rudolph, 391; 10. J. Bonsignore, 346.