Engine Failure Relegates Bobby Santos to a 26th-place Finish at Bristol

BRISTOL, TENN. (August 26, 2011) – Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) Development Driver Bobby Santos started from the pole for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) UNOH Perfect Storm 150 at Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) Wednesday. Unfortunately by lap 76 of the 150-lap race, he began to have motor issues on the No. 4 Mystic Missile Dodge, which relegated the team to a 26th-place finish.

Santos wheeled the No. 4 Mystic Missile Dodge to the second-fastest time in both the first and final practices on Wednesday. Qualifying started shortly after practice, and the 25-year-old racer was set to go out 18th. Santos topped the charts with a lap of 15.035 seconds. With 16 cars left to qualify, the Mystic Missile team waited to see if their time would hold. Once all 34 cars qualified, Santos' time held, and the team earned the Coors Light Pole Award.

Santos took the green flag for the UNOH Perfect Storm 150 from the outside of the front row with fellow TBR Development Driver Erick Rudolph on the inside. He fell to second when NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Newman passed him on the outside to take the lead. The Franklin, Mass., native continued to race in the top-five as cautions began to fall. Santos radioed that the car was a little free off but good on the longer run.

By the fourth caution for a multi-car incident in turn two on lap 43, Santos fell to seventh. Finally restarting on the outside line, Santos moved into third on the lap 47 restart. Two laps later, another caution was called for a multi-car incident on the frontstretch. The Mystic Missile team took this opportunity to pit for three tires and a chassis adjustment.

Santos returned to the track in 17th. He began his trek forward and worked his way up to the 11th spot by lap 70. On lap 76, he radioed to the team that he was having an engine issue. The next lap, Santos drove the Mystic Missile down pit road, and the team checked the issue. They established that it was a motor issue and pushed the No. 4 Mystic Missile Dodge back to the garage. The team had to settle with a 26th-place finish.

The finish caused the No. 4 to loose some ground in the NWMT Point Standings. The team is still in fifth place but is now 150 points behind leader Ron Silk.

"It was really disappointing," explained Santos. "I was really looking forward to racing here at Bristol. It was really exciting to win the pole. It started our day off great. When the race started, we were a little loose, but the car was good. There were so many cautions that it was hard to pass cars. We always seemed to start on the inside line but the outside line was better. We lost a few spots each restart but would start to gain them back during the run."

"We made an adjustment at the pit stop and were ready to make our way through the field when I felt something go wrong in the engine," he continued. "It was the same feeling as before, so I shut it off and came in right away. It's unfortunate; I think we had a top-three car."

Santos will return to racing at Delaware Speedway for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour 150 on September 4th.

About Bobby Santos:
Bobby Santos is a third generation driver, who has been racing since he was four years old. After running part-time in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour since 2004, Santos drove the No. 4 Mystic Missile Dodge and took home the 2010 Championship with four wins, four poles, 9 top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in the 14-race schedule.

The 25-year-old from Franklin, Mass. has driven 23 different styles of race cars, including USAC, ARCA, NASCAR Nationwide and Trucks, and the Modified car he currently races. Santos, a driver in the Heinke-Baldwin Racing driver development program, will run both the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and USAC National Pavement Sprint Car season full-time in 2011.

Media Contact:
Heather Lumpp
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