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07/26/2013 |
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BOBBY SANTOS
III HOPING FOR VICTORY IN CARQUEST 150 TO REMAIN ELIGIBLE
FOR CARQUEST TRIPLE CROWN $25,000 BONUS |
 When
the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to Stafford
Motor Speedway on August 2nd for the 23rd Annual
CARQUEST 150, one driver who will have some extra
motivation to put his car into CARQUEST Victory Lane
will be Bobby Santos, III. Prior to the start of the
2013 NWMT season, CARQUEST Auto Parts and Stafford
Speedway announced a special bonus of $25,000 that
would be awarded to any driver who could win all
three CARQUEST sponsored NWMT events at Stafford
this season.
When it comes to CARQUEST, Stafford Speedway, and
big bonuses, Santos is well versed. CARQUEST and
Stafford put up a $50,000 bonus back in August 2006
for any driver who could win the Midget portion of
The Big One and then start last and win the PRA Big
Car Series race. Santos won the midget race and then
won the Big Car Series race to take home the $50,000
bonus from CARQUEST.
Santos and his #44 Tinio Corp. team won the season
opening CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler to put
themselves in the drivers seat for the CARQUEST
Triple Crown bonus. Although Santos will have to win
both the CARQUEST 150 and the CARQUEST Fall Final on
Sept. 29 to collect the bonus, he is feeling
confident about his chances.
"I think we're going to go about this race like we
do any other race at Stafford," said Santos. "We
definitely seem to have something figured out with
the car. The guys seem to give me a really good car
every time we go there and we seem to run really
good so I don't see a reason to change anything.
We're going to go back with the same thing we've had
in the past and hopefully we'll have a little bit of
luck. I'm very confident; I believe if we do
everything under our control to run good that we'll
have a good shot at it. I think we've had as good a
car as anyone at Stafford the last two years and if
we don't make any mistakes I feel like we have a
good shot at winning, which will give us one more
shot at the CARQUEST Fall Final. It's really cool to
be eligible for the CARQUEST Triple Crown bonus. It
means a lot and a big thanks to Stafford and
CARQUEST for putting this on. It's pretty cool that
our team is the one and only team that has a shot at
winning the bonus."
Santos has reasons to feel confident about his
chances of taking home the CARQUEST Triple Crown
bonus. In the 14 NWMT races run at Stafford since
the 2010 season, Santos has recorded 5 wins and 10
top-5 finishes along with five pole positions.
Santos has won the pole at each of the first two
NWMT races at SMS this year and he says starting up
front will be a key factor in winning the race, but
that ultimately it will come down to how the race
plays out that will dictate who is in position to
race for the checkered flag at the end of 150 laps.
"We've won the last 2 poles and we qualified second
at last year's Fall Final," said Santos. "I'm
confident that we have a pretty good qualifying
setup and qualifying is definitely important at
Stafford to have the track position at the start of
the race. It's a big part of being up front and
being one of the cars that can dictate the pit
stops. I'm pretty confident we should be able to
start the race in the top-5. It all depends on how
the race falls. Last year in the Fall Final I felt
like we were going to definitely put tires on and
the way the race fell we didn't. It all depends on
what direction the race goes and if we're going to
stop or not."
With his stellar record at Stafford in NWMT
competition, it's only natural for Santos to be
feeling confident about his chances. But Santos
remains faced with a tall task as he knows he still
has to win two more races in order to claim the
bonus.
"It's an honor to be eligible for the award but I'd
be lying if I said I wouldn't be disappointed if we
don't go into Fall Final with a shot at it," said
Santos. "We have a great car with Steve Lemay
working on it and Billy the Kid motors have been
awesome this year. Stafford is one of the good motor
tracks and that's a big reason why we've been so
good at Stafford. I think it's the whole combination
we have and Stafford seems to treat us really well."
Santos' quest for CARQUEST Victory Lane in the 23rd
Annual CARQUEST 150 begins with Coors Light Pole
Qualifying, which will begin at 6pm on August 2nd.
The green flag for the CARQUEST 150 will be dropped
at approximately 9:15 pm and tickets are available
and on sale now at the Speedway Box Office. Tickets
are priced at $33.00 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 will be
priced at $35.00 for all ages. All ticket prices
include 10% CT Admission Tax.
For more information on the 23rd Annual CARQUEST
150, or to order tickets, contact the Stafford Motor
Speedway track office at 860-684-2783 or visit us on
the web at
www.staffordspeedway.com. |
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Source: Scott Running / Stafford Motor Speedway
Posted: July
26, 2013 |
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