CARQUEST Champions for Charities Driver Spotlight: Bobby Santos, II
Stafford Springs, CT — As the excitement builds for the June 28th CARQUEST Extreme Tuesday Champions for Charities event, Stafford Speedway has been busy coordinating charities and the drivers that will represent them. The field for the CARQUEST Champions for Charities race is impressive, as it represents 42 championships among 12 drivers and 5 different open wheel divisions.
Bobby Santos, III, the 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champion, will be racing to help raise funds for the USAC Benevolent Fund to support Eric Saunders. Eric Saunders, the son of Hoosier Tire’s Irish Saunders, was injured in a motocross crash while he was practicing for the Steel City National at his home track last year and he is now on the road to recovery. The money that Bobby Santos, III raises will go towards helping Eric’s family purchase equipment for his rehabilitation.
“We’re good friends with Irish Saunders and I knew about Eric’s accident last year,” said Santos. “Being a young driver myself, I could identify with what happened to Eric. With him being so young and to have an accident that potentially could end his racing career, I can’t imagine what that would feel like, not only for Eric, but for his friends and family as well. I’ve never driven a caged go kart before, so this race should be a lot of fun and hopefully we can raise a lot of money for Eric in the process.”
The USAC Benevolent Fund was established in 1959 as a way to help provide support for individuals such as drivers, officials, organizers, and mechanics who have ties to USAC and Indy Racing League competition. Since 1959, the USAC Benevolent Fund has committed hundreds of thousands of dollars to assist members and their families in time of need.
Although he is only 25 years old, Bobby Santos, III has built up quite the racing resume. Santos began his racing career in the quarter midget ranks and in 2000, at the age of 14, he moved into open wheeled competition by racing modifieds at New Smyrna Speedway and a 350 Supermodified at Star Speedway. In his first season of 350 Super competition at Star, Santos won a race and set a track record that still stands today. Santos continued his foray into the world of open wheels, racing ISMA Supermodifieds, USAC Sprints, USAC Midgets, and USAC Silver Crown cars. Santos is a Boston Louie NEMA winner and an ISMA Bud Nationals winner at Oswego. Santos led all drivers with 5 USAC Midget wins in 2006 and the 2006 season also saw Santos take home a $50,000 bonus from CARQUEST Auto Parts and Valvoline as he won the Midget and PRA Big Car races in the same night at Stafford. Santos won his first career Whelen Modified Tour event at Thompson in 2007 and the 2009 season saw him win races in USAC Sprints, Midgets, and Silver Crown cars. The 2010 season saw him move into the #4 Mystic Missile owned by Bob Garbarino and he won 3 of the first four races of the season on his way to his first career NASCAR championship. Santos will look to defend his championship with the Garbarino Mystic Missile #4 for the 2011 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.
The starting lineups for the CARQUEST Champions For Charities qualifying races will be determined by how much money each driver raises for their selected charity. The starting grid will be set with the drivers who have raised the most money starting up front. Fans are encouraged to get involved in the event by donating to their favorite driver or favorite charity. To make a donation to the USAC Benevolent Fund For Eric Saunders on behalf of Bobby Santos, III, and for more information on the event, please refer to the CARQUEST Champions for Charities donation page located at www.staffordspeedway.com. Stay tuned to www.staffordspeedway.com for more driver spotlights and exciting information regarding the CARQUEST Champions for Charities event.
Santos and the CARQUEST Champions For Charities field will sit behind the wheel of Wild Thing Senior Outlaw Go Karts and will race around the Stafford Mini-Mile rather than the half-mile that the field of champion drivers is used to navigating when they come to race at Stafford.
CARQUEST Extreme Tuesday will take place on June 28, 2011 and will also feature the ISMA Super Modifieds, NEMA Midgets, and Pro-4 Modifieds. Tickets for CARQUEST Extreme Tuesday are on sale now at the Speedway Box Office and are priced at $30.00 for adult general admission tickets, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, and children ages 5 and under are admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult. Reserved seating is priced at $32.00 for all ages. As always, Stafford Motor Speedway offers free parking with overnight parking available.
For more information, contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at 860-684-2783 or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com.
Sources: Scott Running/Stafford Motor Speedway PR