STAFFORD – Usually after a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event the drivers finishing on the podium are quick to get on the public address system and give credit to their respective chassis builders.
(Photo: NASCAR)
Sunday there was an odd twist to the standard operating procedure.
Bobby Santos III of Franklin, Mass. drove a Troyer built chassis to victory in Sunday’s Whelen Modified Tour CarQuest Fall Final 150 at Stafford, but after the race he was thanking rival chassis building company Raceworks.
Albeit very sarcastically.
Santos was displeased with the way Ed Flemke Jr. of Southington drove him in the late stages of the event while he was running second to Woody Pitkat.
Flemke was at the tail of the end of the lead lap and didn’t fight much in letting Pitkat put him down a lap in the late going. But when Santos, running in second, tried to go by, Flemke made the task of passing him far tougher.
Pitkat was driving a Raceworks Chassis built car for Hill Enterprises. Flemke, and business partner Reggie Ruggiero, own Raceworks Chassis.
After finally getting around Flemke, Santos erased a 15-car length deficit between himself and Pitkat and took the lead for good on lap 144.
“Flemke, he was trying to help Woody win the race,” Santos said. “He was using me up. Honestly, that’s probably what the motivation was for me in the last 10 laps, just to get up on the wheel, so I’ve got to thank Ed Flemke and Raceworks [Chassis] for this win, he made me get up on the wheel and get a win for the Troyer team and everybody over here.
“Eddie pretty much just used me for three or four laps just trying to help Woody, which, I understand. He wanted to see one of his cars win. It definitely lit a fire under me and gave me a little more drive to get up on the wheel for the last 10 laps.”
Flemke was not apologetic about any of his actions during the race.
“I understand his feelings. I didn’t do anything wrong. When you have the passing flag it’s a courtesy thing. You give the leader a lane, you give him the courtesy not to impede his forward motion. …. With Bobby, from what I could see, I ran him hard but I gave him the entire racetrack. I ran below the middle of the straightaways and I ran through the apron on the corners. He could have even run the bottom groove. The problem was he was tight getting in so he couldn’t get up around me. I ran Woody pretty much just as hard but Woody was getting in better so he drive right up around me.
“I ran [Santos] hard. If his sister was leading and I was trying to pass him, what would he do? I’ll say it that way. I didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t block him, I didn’t slow him down. If I help one of my cars win, I absolutely would, but I’m not going to do anything dishonest or deceitful to hurt Bobby Santos or anybody else, but if I could help, I’ve got a business to take care of too. It would have been nice for [the Hill Enterprises] car and Woody to win, that would have been great. I don’t blame Bobby. He actually was very amusing. If it lit a fire under his [butt] to go and catch Woody and pass him so I guess I gave him the incentive to do it.”
Leave a Reply