Bobby Santos III Finds Success Quickly on NASCAR WMT
Bobby Santos, III, from Franklin, MA is currently atop the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings aboard the #4 Mystic Missle of Bob Garbarino. Santos has set a torrid pace to start the season: 2 wins, 1 second-place, and 3 poles (including 2 track records). Santos average finish is 1.3 after the first 3 races.
Santos is focused on running well at each race. “I guess if you let it sink in for a minute its real but we’re just trying to take it one race at a time, try to run as much as we can and win as much as we can. Like we said at the beginning, if you win races the points will fall into place. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Although Santos has never battled for a championship, the 24-year-old brings a wealth of experience to his first full season in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Santos has raced open-wheeled NEMA Midgets, USAC Midgets, Silver Crown cars, Modifieds, Supermodifieds and stocks cars in ARCA and the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He has won in his native New England and as far away as Irwindale, Phoenix, and the old USA Speedway in Lakeland, Florida.
Bob Garbarino has four-decades of racing experience through owning cars starting at his local track, the Waterford Speedbowl with Dick Watson behind the wheel. Garbarino has had a great roster of drivers pilot his race cars: Leo Cleary, Ed Flemke, Brian Ross, Bugs Stevens, and Satch Worley just to name a few. Tim Connolly, Chuck Hossfeld and Donny Lia have driven the car in recent years. The Mystic Missile team won the 2007 and 2009 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championships with Donny Lia.
“Something I noticed about what Bob does is that he’s really on top of his game, just paying attention to everything – what is going on,” Santos said. “I think that he does a good job working with people. I don’t know if I can point out anything different from anyone else but I just think that he seems like a smart guy and he’s great (at) organizing people.”
The efforts of the team have already paid dividends for Santos’ most recent triumph. One assett that Santos pointed out, “Just the hard work when situations aren’t good they pick themselves up. I don’t know how many people know this but at Stafford the other day we had a problem in practice and we only had I think 4 laps of practice. We had a clutch problem. We fixed it, no one panicked….I think that’s all the difference in a championship team. They make the best out of bad days.”
A third-generation driver, Bobby III is the grandson of NEAR Hall of Famer Bobby Santos, Sr. “The Frito Bandito” won Hobby championships on the dirt at Stafford and the old paved 1/4 mile Norwood Arena in the mid-1960s. Santos ran at various New England tracks in Modifieds, winning at Norwood, Stafford, Thompson and Westboro. One of the most prestigious wins of his career was the Cardinal 500 Classic at Martinsville in 1972. He passed away in 2006.
“It means a lot to be able to race what my grandfather raced and it’s kind of his legacy in the Modifieds,” Santos said. It’s pretty neat to be able to continue that on this year racing a modified, winning some races here. That’s definitely pretty cool but I enjoy doing my own thing with the other racing that I’ve done,” Santos said.
Racing is a family sport and Santos’ family support has been a constant prescence throughout his career. “My father has been involved ever since I started racing, that goes along with my mom. My sister, Erica comes to my races as much as she can along with the racing she does (NEMA Midgets and Stafford SK Light Modifieds). I’m supported by all my sisters and I have a lot of good friends and family that help out.”
Santos was one of the drivers that participated in the recent test at Lime Rock Park. He enjoyed the test, despite not having any prior road course experience. “I thought it was a lot of fun. I still have a lot more to learn to be good at it but I think it was a lot of fun. I think there’s a lot to learn (that) you’re not going to learn in one day. … “It was definitely fun and definitely a learning experience.”
Lime Rock is the first road course race for the Whelen Modified Tour since 2000. Santos is eager to race the 1.5-mile road course. “I think there are a couple of different point of views on that,” Santos said. I’m looking forward to it from a driver’s standpoint. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. From other standpoints I know the economy is not the greatest right now and I know it’s going to cost extra money for the teams to go there.”
“But it’s kind of a tough one because you want to open up our series and have our series race at new race tracks and on the flipside it’s tough because the economy is so bad but what are you going to do? Are you going to stay home because the economy is bad or is the tour going to keep trying like they are to get new tracks like that? I’m excited for it and think it’ll be good for the tour.”
Speaking from Indiana on Wednesday, Santos left after his Stafford win on Friday for the Night Before The 500 USAC Midget race at Indianapolis Raceway Park, where he won his heat race and finished 10th.
One of his favorite tracks, Santos has 4 career victories at IRP in USAC Sprints and Midgets, including the 2006 Night Before The 500. “I think it’s a combination of suiting my driving style and a track that I’ve done well at obviously,” Santos said. I think usually you tend to like tracks that you do well at, and just tracks that I think are fun to race on.”
Santos wouldn’t mind seeing the Whelen Modified Tour branching out to the .686 Clermont oval. “I got to say the tour belongs at IRP,” Santos said. “It’s a well known race track and I think the Modifieds would put on a great show there.”
IRP is a classic short track that has featured national TV coverage with USAC competition on the old ESPN Thunder series and the NASCAR Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series over the years. In fact, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour visited twice in 1988-89, with 1988 champion “Magic Shoes” Mike McLaughlin taking the win in both races.
Can Santos and the Mystic Missile team add a Grandfather Clock to the trophy collection? The Made In America Whelen 200 at Martinsville (VA) Speedway on Sunday will determine if they can continue their early string of success. The race will be broadcast on SPEED Channel at a later date.