Twice Postponed 125 Up Next For Mod Tour
Santos Looks To Stay Out Front At Stafford
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – For the second year in a row, Bobby Santos has the unique experience of sitting on the pole for the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 for two weeks prior to green flag thanks to a pair of rainouts. He and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will return to Stafford Motor Speedway for a third attempt at contesting the race this Friday.
The third race on the tour’s 2014 calendar was originally slated for May 23. After practice and qualifying that day, thunderstorms moved over the Connecticut half-mile and pushed the remainder of the race card to May 30. Rain then cut short the program again on the second try, which prompted yet another postponement.
It actually marks the second year in a row that the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 has twice been pushed back due to adverse weather. In 2013 the event was washed out by rain on May 24 and June 7 before it ran to completion on June 14.
In both instances, it has been Santos who has sat idle at least two weeks as the event’s polesitter. Despite being on the pole for this race last year, Santos never led a lap and eventually finished fifth.
“We had a brake problem last year and fought it the whole race,” Santos said. “So we know what the problem was in that instance. We’ve been fast [on May 23 and May 30], so there’s no reason we can’t be fast again this week.”
Santos has indeed proved to have the car to beat through the first two attempts at running this year’s TSI Harley-Davidson 125. To go along with his 14th career Coors Light Pole Award, Santos piloted his No. 44 Tinio Racing Chevrolet to the fastest laps in practice on both May 23 and May 30.
“We were very happy with where we were [on May 23],” Santos said. “It’s frustrating when you can’t go race when you have a good car. Then last Friday, getting rained out again was extremely frustrating.”
Heading into this week’s third attempt at running the TSI Harley-Davidson 125, it is worth noting that the race’s winner has gone on to capture the season championship each year since 2010. Santos, who started the streak, has a big picture view of the trend.
“I think that says more about how important it is to come out of the box strong to be a championship contender,” Santos said. “If you look at those last four years, each of us had good starts to the season.”
A victory this week – after he won this year’s first race at Stafford on April 27 – would certainly qualify as a good start for another potential championship campaign.
“We all know you have to run well at Stafford to win the title,” Santos said. “With four races there, it’s essential to be competitive there to have a chance at the championship.”
The Whelen Modified Tour will be joined on Friday’s race card by five Whelen All-American Series feature races, which are set to begin at 6:30 p.m. Green flag for the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 will be at approximately 8:15 p.m.
RACE: TSI Harley-Davidson 125
PLACE: Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway
DATE: Friday, June 6
TIME: 8:15 p.m. ET (approx.)
TRACK LAYOUT: .5-mile, semi-banked asphalt oval
2013 WINNER: Ryan Preece
2014 POLESITTER: Bobby Santos
EVENT SCHEDULE:
Practice 5:35-6:20 p.m., Autograph Session 6:45-7:15 p.m.
TRACK CONTACT: Scott Running, 860-684-2783, scottrunning@staffordspeedway.com
TRACK TWITTER: @StaffordSpeedwy
EVENT TWITTER HASHTAG: #TSI125
NASCAR CONTACT: Jason Cunningham, 704-201-6658, jcunningham@nascar.com, Twitter: @NASCAR_NE
EVENT INFORMATION | STATISTICAL ADVANCE
Fast Facts:
The Race: The 24th Annual TSI Harley-Davidson 125 will be the third of 14 races on the 2014 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule, the second of four events at Stafford Motor Speedway and the 112th all-time tour appearance at the historic half-mile. The race is a postponement from the original date of May 23.
The Procedure: The starting field for the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 was set by Coors Light Pole qualifying on May 23 before inclement weather arrived. The race is scheduled for 125 laps (62.5 miles) and the tire change rule for the race is two tires, any position.
The Track: A half-mile, slightly-banked oval, Stafford originated as a horse racing track in the 1870s. After seven decades as a horse track, the dirt oval started holding automobile races following World War II. Stafford became a NASCAR-sanctioned track in 1959 and was paved for the first time in 1967.
Race Winners: There have been 31 different race winners at Stafford all-time, led by Mike Stefanik’s 20 victories. Ryan Preece is the defending winner of the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 and Bobby Santos won the season’s first race at the historic half-mile oval.
Pole Winners: There have been 42 different pole winners at Stafford, led by Stefanik’s 17. Preece holds the tour’s track qualifying record at 17.924 seconds (100.424 mph). Tommy Barrett Jr. was the pole winner in the April event and Santos will be on the pole for this race.
Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR