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BETTER LATE
THAN NEVER FOR SANTOS AT NHMS
Uses Overtime Pass To Return To NASCAR Whelen Modified
Victory Lane |
For
much of Saturday's Eastern Propane & Oil 100, Bobby
Santos was riding in the middle of the pack. The
Franklin, Massachusetts, driver began his charge
with 15 laps to go and then took advantage of
overtime to drive to Victory Lane at New Hampshire
Motor Speedway.
It was Santos' 15th career NASCAR Whelen Modified
Tour win and second points win at the 1.058-mile
oval.
"It's pretty awesome to win here at New Hampshire,"
Santos said. "I'm really excited for my team --
Tinio Racing and everyone that got us here. The guys
gave me a great car. They put me in position. I had
a great long run car there at the end and I had a
good battle with Ryan Preece."
This one came with plenty of late-race drama.
Santos was locked in a four-race battle for the lead
with Doug Coby, Ryan Preece and Monster Energy
NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Newman. Newman and
Coby got together with two laps to go when Newman
tried to split the difference between Coby and
Santos and take second. The caution pushed the race
to 105 laps and gave Santos the opportunity to make
a run at Preece, who won Friday's 35-lap non-points
Whelen All-Star Shootout.
On the final green flag, Santos' No. 44 Tinio
Racing/ImperialCars.com Chevrolet powered by Preece
from the bottom lane and drove away in the final two
circuits.
Santos led just those two laps. He started second,
but dropped back early and had to work back through
the traffic in the middle of the race.
Preece, who led a race-high 54 laps, settled for
second. It was the fifth top-five in six races for
the Berlin, Connecticut driver and helped him close
the gap to just 39 points to the top of the
championship standings despite missing a race.
David Sapienza also made a late charge through the
field and finished third, giving him his second
straight podium finish on the Whelen Modified Tour.
Brendon Bock scored a fourth place finish while
Chase Dowling rounded out the top five.
Andy Seuss was sixth, followed by Ted Christopher,
Max Zachem, Rowan Pennink and Shawn Solomito. Timmy
Solomito, who entered the weekend as the points
leader, was involved in a multiple-car crash at Lap
20 that took him out of the race. Pennink moved into
first by seven over Timmy Solomito, with Eric
Goodale 22 points behind. Max Zachem and Justin
Bonsignore round out the top five, while Preece is
sixth.
There were 16 lead changes among four different
drivers.
The Eastern Propane And Oil 100 will air on NBCSN on
Thursday, July 20, at 6 p.m.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will return to the
track at Connecticut's Stafford Motor Speedway on
Friday, August 4. |
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NASCAR
Whelen Modified Tour - Eastern Propane & Oil 100
Results
Saturday At New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon,
N.H.
Lap length: 1.058 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (2) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 105 laps, 87.186
mph.
2. (1) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Chevrolet, 105.
3. (17) Dave Sapienza, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 105.
4. (18) Brendon Bock, Franklin Square, N.Y., Chevrolet, 105.
5. (9) Chase Dowling, Roxbury, Conn., Chevrolet, 105.
6. (15) Andy Seuss, Hampstead, N.H., Chevrolet, 105.
7. (20) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 105.
8. (5) Max Zachem, Preston, Conn., Chevrolet, 105.
9. (7) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 105.
10. (22) Shawn Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet,
105.
11. (8) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn.,
Chevrolet, 105.
12. (19) Ronnie Williams, Ellington, Conn.,
Chevrolet, 105.
13. (23) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet,
105.
14. (24) Kyle Ebersole, Hummelstown, PA., Chevrolet,
105.
15. (13) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet,
105.
16. (25) Andrew Krause, Holmdel, N.J., Chevrolet,
105.
17. (10) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, NY,
Chevrolet, 104.
18. (27) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet,
104.
19. (28) Calvin Carroll, Newton, N.J., Chevrolet,
104.
20. (26) Bryan Dauzat, Alexandria, La., Chevrolet,
104.
21. (21) Rob Summers, Manchester, CT, Chevrolet,
104.
22. (30) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H.,
Chevrolet, 100.
23. (4) Ryan Newman, South Bend, IN,
Chevrolet, 98.
24. (31) Dave Salzarulo, Monson, Mass., Chevrolet,
98.
25. (3) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn.,
Chevrolet, 69, battery.
26. (14) Donny Lia, Jericho, NY, Chevrolet, 59,
engine.
27. (29) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 45,
transmission.
28. (16) Matt Swanson, Acton, Mass., Ford, 43,
engine.
29. (12) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Ford, 19,
accident.
30. (11) Ron Silk, Norwalk, CT, Chevrolet, 18,
accident.
31. (6) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park,
NY, Chevrolet, 18, accident.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 16 minutes 27 seconds
Margin of Victory: 0.652 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: Qualifying Rained Out
Caution Flags: 5 for 18 laps.
Lead Changes: 16 among 4 drivers.
Lap Leaders: R. Preece 1-2; R. Newman 3-11;
R. Preece 12-23; R. Newman 24-29; R. Preece 30-44;
R. Newman 45-54; R. Preece 55-56; R. Newman 57-61;
R. Preece 62-75; R. Newman 76-81; D. Coby 82-84; R.
Preece 85; R. Newman 86; R. Preece 87; D. Coby
88-96; R. Preece 97-103; B. Santos 104-105.
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Standings: 1. R. Pennink, 276; 2. T.
Solomito, 269; 3. E. Goodale, 254; 4. M. Zachem,
247; 5. J. Bonsignore, 243;
6. R. Preece, 237; 7. D. Coby, 234; 8. D. Sapienza,
224; 9. W. Pitkat, 223; 10. M. Swanson, 213..
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Source:
Jason Christley / NASCAR
Posted:
July 15, 2017 |
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