THOMPSON, Conn. — Bobby Santos III added one of the few missing credentials to his impressive résumé Sunday at Thompson Int’l Speedway, as he won his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race in the season-ending Xtramart World Series 150.
In the process, he provided the Boehler family’s “Old Blue” with a victory in its 50th season of competition, the first for the six-time championship team since 2005.
Reggie Ruggiero, who came from 25th, chased Santos home, with Matt Hirschman third and Ted Christopher fourth. A post-race penalty for rough driving handed out to James Civali elevated Ronnie Silk to fifth.
“I finally proved myself as a modified driver,” exulted the winner, who already owns wins in USAC sprints and midgets, NEMA winged midgets and ISMA supermodifieds. “I grew up with the modifieds. My grandfather and my dad raced modifieds, but I didn’t think I’d ever proved myself as a modified driver until today.”
The track and the team added significance to an already auspicious occasion for the 22-year-old, whose weekend started badly with a 39th-place finish in Friday night’s NASCAR Busch Series race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
“I’ve been coming here since I was a baby. I started racing at the quarter-midget track next door. Thompson is the place to get my first win,” he said.
As for his team, which carries on the no-frills legacy of late founder Lenny Boehler, he noted, “They were going out of business last year, but everybody has worked hard and I’’m happy I could help bring them back.”
Before a capacity crowd in perfect conditons, Santos started outside surprise pole winner Tony Ferrante and took the lead on the second lap. With a dominant car, he delayed his pit stop for tires until lap 73, handing the lead to Hirschman, who had taken on new rubber 30 laps earlier. Santos was back in the top ten by lap 100, third by lap 115, and then methodically picked off Silk for second on the 117th circuit and Hirschman for the lead on lap 119.
Veterans Ruggiero and Christopher weaved their way into the pack of young guns at the front in the closing laps, but neither had anything for Santos. The race ended with bang as top 10 runners Doug Coby, Billy Pauch, Jr., and Eddie Flemke stacked up just short of the finish line after the winner had received the checker, leading to Civali’s penalty.
The finish:
Bobby Santos III, Reggie Ruggiero, Matt Hirschman, Ted Christopher, Ronnie Silk, Kevin Goodale, Ryan Preece, Mike Stefanik, Tony Hirschman, Jr., Renee Dupuis, Dick Houlihan, Anthony Ferrante, Jr., Richard Savary, Rowan Pennink, Jamie Tomaino, Eric Beers, Jerry Marquis, Glen Tyler, Eddie Flemke, Doug Coby III, Billy Pauch, Jr., Anthony Sesely, Wade Cole, Rick Fuller, Bobby Grigas, Jimmy Blewett, Todd Szegedy, Donny Lia, Joe Hartmann, Ron Yuhas, Woody Pitkat, James Civali.