On Saturday at Stafford Speedway, with a national TV audience watching, six-time Whelen Modified Tour champion Doug Coby dominated some of the biggest names in motorsports to win the first Camping World SRX Series event.
Coby led 80 of 100 laps in Saturday’s SRX Series event and held off podium finishers Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart.
Coby described the win as a victory for all of short track racers and beat the drum for the talent that exists within the realm of asphalt Modified racing.
“It’s tough to run on the [Whelen] Modified Tour and do all the things that we do,” Coby said. “We’re just good racers and smart people. We’ve proven that time and time again on a national stage. I’m happy to log this as one more notch in the belt of Modified guys.”
The SRX Series has five “local” drivers slated to compete in the first five of its six events. And Coby is just the first of two who will be representative of Modified racing.
Bobby Santos III, a 19-time Whelen Modified Tour winner and the division’s 2010 champion, will be in competition with the SRX Series when the series visits Lucas Oil Raceway in Clermont, Indiana on July 3. In addition to his exploits in a Modified, Santos has long be a standout in USAC Midget and Sprint Car racing throughout the Midwest.
“For Doug to go out there and do that, that’s a win for all short track racers,” Santos told RaceDayCT Tuesday. “… I guess the only other side of it is he certainly put the pressure on the rest of us [local drivers] to perform, which is typical Doug Coby fashion putting pressure on everybody else to perform.”
Santos, a Franklin, Mass. native, was racing on Saturday night while the event at Stafford was broadcast. He said he was able to watch a replay Monday evening.
“As far as the program goes it looked like they did a good job and ran a pretty neat program and it was exciting to watch,” Santos said. “As far as the results go, I’ve chased Doug for a long time, my entire racing career. If anyone was going to go out and do that in my opinion it was going to be him. They chose the right person to do that race.”
It was announced in early April that Coby and Santos would get the opportunity to be a part of the inaugural season for the SRX Series. Judging from social media posts following that announcement, and the buildup over the last three months, many casual observers and even some hardcore racing devotees surmised that the local drivers entered into events would be easy competition for the likes of drivers like Stewart, Helio Castroneves, Bobby Labonte and other highly accomplished racers on the regular SRX roster. Santos said he’s experienced hearing that opinion from some since April.
“It’s people that aren’t racers,” Santos said. “It’s people that have no clue what they’re talking about or people who have no clue what they’re watching. I actually had a couple disagreements with people two weeks ago talking about Stafford and who was Doug Coby. I made it clear to them, ‘Just watch and you’ll see.’ That’s my opinion on Doug. I think Doug is definitely an exception. I don’t know if it’s going to be that way for me or anyone else. I’m just a huge fan of Doug and I’ve seen what he’s done in his career and what he did doesn’t surprise me.”
Santos said since he and Coby were tabbed to be part of the SRX Series they’ve communicated regularly.
“It was kind of neat when we first heard about this deal, before we could talk [publicly] about it, it was neat that we had that in common and we could only really share it with each other before it became public knowledge,” Santos said. “Obviously I’ve always respected and looked up to Doug and raced with Doug, but we’ve never really talked much away from the race track. So this kind of opened that relationship up a little bit with him.”
Santos was in communication with Coby while watching the event Monday night. Coby is Santos’ lifeline so to speak for acquiring firsthand knowledge about the intricacies of the SRX Series car, which is foreign to him and will remain that way until he gets his opportunity to race it at Lucas Oil Raceway.
“He was just giving me a little bit of advice on the cars,” Santos said. “I feel like that first race for him, it was new to everybody there. By the time they get around to my turn I think the guys that I’m going to be racing with will have a little experience. I think Doug was just trying to help me out a little bit to get up to speed with where everybody else is at with the cars.”
I am real quick to point out Rich kids who can’t drive. Santos is a Racecar Driver in the truest sense of the word. He makes a Fast car even Faster.
santos!!
class act and great racecar driver!!
Best of the Best… Thinking every aspect of the Race, Shows up and WINS!!!! Hopefully Someone notices what WE ALL KNOW ALREADY ,……. His Talent is right up there with Anyone who puts on a Helmet and pulls the belts tight… Put your money on the little BAMBINO !!! Can you wager on these races Shawn ???
I call it Jake the quake. Every time you put fingers to the keyboard I revel in the positive waves of enthusiasm. The fear factor of first time modified drivers at Thompson coming in wide eyed and shaking about their high speed, high bank thrill ride. Good writing and memorable. Not my experience it’s the bull rings like Riverside Park that I could have used a diaper at but then again it wasn’t a modified. And here Santos shows up and wins. I feel like Jan Brady saying Marsha, Marsha, Marsha only Santos, Santos, Santos.
The Santos mystique…….don’t get it. Good guy for sure so what. Clearly he doesn’t show up and win and not by a dern site. Are we talking about the diversity of his skills where he’s won in vastly different types of cars and racing surfaces. I could buy that.
2010 was his year in the NWMT. Huge year but a long time ago. Recently the two Muskets and 4 more wins part time since 2016 but a lot of meh as well.
What I know about the Silver Crown series you could put in a thimble but it seems like this guy Kody Swanson is the big dog in that series. Tons of wins and championships. Maybe someone could explain to me why he isn’t the Rocky Balboa at the next SRX race. What’s he got a foul mouth and mercurial personality like Sapienza?
Maybe it’s because Santos has abandoned we fans in modified country. Sure he’ll pop in for this and that but his first love is out west. Why hail a guy as the greatest ever that jilted us when we have so many guys grinding it out full time right here like Hirschman and 5 or 10 more tip top talents.
The standard is set by Coby. Santos doesn’t have to win but he’ll need to be a contender to keep up the the future NASCAR Hall of Famer Doug Coby.
Marsha, Marsh, Marsha…..Santos, Santo, Santos…..I don’t get it.
I’m with Jake. Where can we bet on Bobby?
Doug,
I don’t really understand half your rambling here but to rag on Santos or say you don’t get what he’s all about?
Clearly you don’t.. Santos is a racer of the highest caliber.. get that.. go ramble on about something else, please..
I Love It. Another Local Guy Gonna “SMOKE” The Field. Simple As That!!!
You’re right Goldy I do ramble on, it’s terrible and I feel your pain.. I see the topic or comment, do some research start typing and before you know it, it’s a few paragraphs. I wish I could tell you I’ll be as concise and informative as you in the future but sadly that’s not happening.
Rag on Santos. Come on man is that fair? He just shows up and wins was on the table and I questioned that and in no way disrespectfully at that. He doesn’t show up and win all the time and it’s not even close. Hirschman shows up and wins at a far greater rate and he doesn’t show up and win all the time. I asked if the admiration for Santos that you Goldy apparently share is based on his skill on disparate surfaces and types of cars. All I get from you is a complaint on me which turns out to be the most factual thing you said and another vague statement of admiration for Santos.
A racer of the highest caliber you say. That’s about as clear as he just shows up and wins. I called it a mystique since no one can go any deeper then Santos, Santos, Santos. So far it’s holding up pretty well to this point.
Goldy, babe, come back to me. You’re better then that so straighten me out big guy with a fact or two.
Santos wins in all sorts of cars and on all sorts of tracks, short tracks to super speedways, NHMS in particular. Santos wins at Loudon, and MH stays on bullrings. Look, MH prefers bullrings, he’s good at them. Outside of bullrings, he’s not that good at all.
Bobby Santos III is awesome!!!! 😎 And if you don’t get it, you are an idiot.
Doug you are the worst kind of race ‘fan.’ Take your miserable attitude and go golfing, leave us good time seekers to enjoy our sport.
BS III drives for a living. To do that you need to live where you can compete more than 14-16 times a year. He’s had the connection racing with USAC from the time he was 18. His wife is from IN, and it’s more affordable to live there. I don’t think he’s abandoned his roots. The 44 Team decided to go part-time, not BS III. He raced with ISMA at Seekonk last Wed, then a Winged Sprint at Berlin, MI last Sat. etc, He hustles across the country to race.
I can see where this is going. Even though it’s not a racedayct one on one poll it’s turning into BS vs MH. I think it’s apples to oranges because I don’t consider BS a modified guy anymore. He drives midgets sprints supers silver crown etc whereas MH is strictly modifieds. And there is nothing wrong with that. A majority of drivers stick to one division.
I will disagree with the statement that outside of bullrings Matt is not that good at all. He excels at Oswego and New Smyrna and those are not bullrings.
I certainly would not agree with anyone that said the Hirschman cannot drive on larger tracks. In fact suggesting it is silly in my view and is the view of only one person that I can see.
I mentioned Hirschman for comparison not to start a Hirschman vs Santos rhubarb. The statement “shows up and wins” was the only point of reference.
In the course of these deals you have to be prepared to take some abuse to get to the good stuff. Lettuce you were very rude and provided no value to the thread. If you want to mimic the the worst behavior in this forum leading with hyperbolic insults and no content you are certainly welcome to but in my view that’s not much to brag about.
Bostonian’s response exactly what was needed. Civil, informed and just the ticket.
The next race in the SRX series coming up will see a laser focus on Santos and why he is there. Not everyone knows everything about Santos. Hopefully Bostonian will not be the only one with the knowledge and skills to expand on his background without feeling they need to cast insults about in the process.
And sometimes, we just like a person or particular racer, nothing more.
For me, bs111 represents a tie to the past.
I watched Bobby’s granddad race at Norwood arena back in the day. The “frito bandito” took it to a lot of his peers.
So for me, I root for Bobby 111 win, lose, or draw, because he comes from a racing family, and carries on the tradition.
Hokee? Living in the past? Sure. Guilty as charged. Don’t care.
The fact he is competitive when he is in decent equipment is icing on the cake for this old guy. And every time I see him strap in, a lot of those very fond memories come back.
Best of luck Bobby. I know one guy that will be pulling for you here in SE Mass.
” If you had a clue of what’s going on Doug you would have known the Silver Crown star Kody Swanson is in the SRX series and the local hero for the race at Eldora.”
See I can bust my own chops.
I’ll wish all you Santos fans the best of luck with the guy. I spent a good deal of time trying to track his events in the last year or so and it’s like playing whack-a-mole. You never know where or what series he’ll pop up. Like Hirschman he’s his own tour. Does he have a web site to follow him cause I can’t find it. I know Hirschman’s next race is June 18 at Evergreen. He told me on his web site.
Got it, he’s a hired gun that makes his living racing, goes to a lot of places, drives in a lot of different series and cars and does well. I’d ask what good is it if you can’t find where the driver you support is racing but you’re already pissed off enough so I better not.
Doug;
Just so you know, (can’t speak for anybody else) I’m not pissed off. Never was.
(And I am not assuming your comment was directed to me in particular but if it was, ok)
My point was, (I think) that a lot of fans follow and defend their drivers for a lot of different reasons.
For example, I’m a big Santos fan, because of old times. But that’s just me.
I’m a huge Preece fan (while I realize you may disagree with that) mainly because of his work ethic and his clawing in the trenches attitude.
I’d love to see Matty D win in the 21 in cup. Needs a break to survive like Preece
And when Hirshman shows up at any race?
Hey, it’s a way better race for me. I know there will probably be some controversy but even if there is not, he will drive his butt off.
I’m just a spectator/fan, and that’s what drives us all I guess, and I love what each different driver may bring to the sport.
I have a buddy of mine who absolutely hated TC.
Every time I went to a modified race it was “booooo” or “Teddy cheats” reining from the stands from him. As hard as I tried, I could not convince him, how much better TC made the show. Love him or hate him. Wasn’t till teddy missed a modified event that my buddy realized what I was trying to tell him. The race (at that time) Just wasn’t the same.
No, I’m not comparing TC to anybody here.
I’m just trying to say, this is all good. Love it.
Red Sox vs Yankees.
Dolphins vs pats.
Hirshman vs santos. Preece vs bonsignore It’s great stuff, great press.
And sometimes, hey, maybe we just like the color of their car. Don’t have to be the best, or the winningest driver for some, and that includes me. It’s just a spectator sport from my perspective.
And maybe I can’t find one of the many drivers I’d like to follow on a regular basis for whatever reason. For me, that’s ok. I guess i’d just be greatful I could find him/them on this particular night to watch him/her race 1 more time. But you are correct on your point about santos on that one.
I hope nobody is pissed off. Just passionate about their driver(s) they follow. As they have a right to. It makes the sport stronger in my opinion.
And I hope the comments keep coming. I always learn something and it makes me think. But I’m not pissed for sure!
Man I love reading your stuff Bobf even when we disagree. Such a gentleman.
This forum is a melting pot of race fans all with different focal points of interest and levels of knowledge. The ideal should be to inform each other and fill in the blanks while doing some good natured ribbing.
The reality is everyone has different motivations for posting and in many cases confrontational.
In the Hrischman/valve cap scandal thread there were 7 entries before the rule requiring caps was sighted by XRacer. Then 10 more before Earl provided the actual rule. In a perfect world the thread would have started with the rule but in an open forum you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you get to the prince. In that case I wanted to be a prince but was a frog on a couple occasions while Xracer and Earl were the princes. It was the perfect example of forum mayhem where threads frequently are like the start of a Enduro race. Filled with ignorance and finger pointing before someone comes forward with information and a steady hand.
I certainly was not thinking of you Bobf in regard to the pissed off reference. You like the Bostonian put me in my place with quality, patient and informative posts. A Let tuse all get along philosophy as it were. As opposed to Lettuce with his golf reference which was interesting because like golfing he has a handicap as well that being intolerance and entitlement.
Brent Gleason on the Making Laps podcast said it best with regard to Ted Christopher. He could root like crazy for him in one circumstance and boo him like crazy in another. If Santos is in a tour modified race I don’t know if I’m booing him but I support the regulars before him that provide me the most entertainment for which I am grateful. If I’m seeing Santos in the SRX series or any of the other series he races in out west I’m rooting for him like crazy because he’s “Bobby New England”. . A nickname they appear to use in the Midwest that I for one never knew existed.
I was prepared for and kissed some frogs in this thread including Goldy and Lettuce with attitudes and little more. I’ll never get the vacuous complainers with a chip and little else whether addressing races, drivers or forum participants. Got called an idiot once again so check on that. Camerissa mis fired as well diving into a head to head that was never the focus. In the end I found a couple princes. I certainly won’t be kissing them but appreciate they helped me understand the Santos mystique a little better.
Bobf, great post. I have a couple additions.
Red Sox vs Yankees, It’s Yankees all the way. Everyone knows that.
Pepsi vs Coke. Pepsi, no Coke.
😉
Doug, Thanks for the kind words…. I am SUPER enthusiastic with all things Racing. As everyone knows on RDConn,,,,,…. Yes like BOBF , FAST EDDIE, EARL. ATOMIC PUNK, GOODFELLA and many more REG , BARRY We have fond feelings for Bobby Santos from FRANKLIN MASS… Grandfather the BIG BAMBINO, and Father and SISTER who also was a DRIVER… SHOWS UP AND WINS is my tagline… It is fact.,… Sits in a part time ride and WINS at NHIS….in 44. Sits in Sapienza Car at NHIS and Wins. Wins the little 500 out West… WINS at Thompson. Wins at Stafford… Wins everywhere, mostly against drivers with fulltime rides and crews, He comes to town like old gunslinger adjusts the mirrors and belts and Takes trophy home… That is what we see…We remember the Santos FAMILY HISTORY and we rejoice in Our MEMORIES yes yes we ENJOY the OLD SCHOOL guys McKennedy, Boehler , Bugsy, Hirchman FAMILY.
It’s OUR CONNECTION to the SPORT we love…OLD BLUE.. Still building their own CHASSIS in this modern cookie cutter modified chassis world.. We root for the GUYS doing it the OLD WAY and take pride in their ability to build it from the ground up. weld it . string it. brake lines to roof.. NOT pick up the phone and call in a race ready mod from the big boys cookie cutter shops.. I know McKennedy has new LFR and Matt is loyal to Troyer and do their own set ups. So yes the sport has grown away from grass roots junk yards and local garages with a car sitting OUTSIDE….WE can’t help it we root for BOBBY SANTOS.. to SHOW UP AND WIN…!!!!
Well Dareal;
I have to support my home town team the Red Sox, being from SE mass.
That’s ok though. I know you gotta support your team too, and I have all the respect in the world for that. But boy, isn’t it nice too see fans back in the stands again?
Hi Doug! You can follow Bobby’s schedule and updates on Facebook and Instagram @BobbySantosIII. Thank you so much for being a huge fan!!!
-Kristy Santos
Bobf,
It feels so good to see fans back in the stands. Last year was just so weird.
We’re not out of the woods yet, but if people behave, we could be in good shape in a year or so. Maybe in a year, we can go back to normal swapping of regular germs. 🦠 I do hope this pandemic 😷 makes people think about hygiene.
I do miss Dustin Pedroia, he was one of the most exciting players of modern baseball.
Kristy,
I don’t do FB or IG, is there any other media to follow Bobby, particularly his schedule?
Thanks,
-darealgoodfella
So how do I feel about getting my chops busted by none other then Kristy Santos.
Quite good actually.
Thanks for dropping in. Bobby’s fans will no doubt appreciate that the Santos inner circle is following the chatter in our little corner of the racing world and no doubt appreciates their support.
Cheers!
Darealgoodfella,
I am working on possibly doing a website for his fans to follow. I will let everyone know once it is up. Thanks for the support.
Doug,
I am glad I made your day! It’s the little things in life. Hope to see you at a track soon🙃
Not an aficionado of emoji’s but I did look up the meaning of the upside down smiley face.
Nicely played young lady!
For all the fans of Bobby and Kristy Santos a memory from a time when we here in New England were not an afterthought.
Tenth picture from the top.
https://www.nascar.com/gallery/looking-back-spring-sizzler-history/#photo-12
We LOVE New England and all of the fans! Bobby is just trying to make a living as a race car driver and put food on the table! DJ Racing allows us to do that. Bobby still makes a point to get announced from Franklin Massachusetts. Always will be home to him.
I thought we were having fun and you seem defensive that was not my intent. You have to make a living and take care of the family and every fan supports that.
I know you are on Facebook now so thanks for that. My experience as a geezer is that it’s clunky with video’s, comments and other distractions that make it confusing at times. I don’t think I’m the only one that feels that way. A very simple web site gives all the myriad fans exactly where to see their favorite driver well in advance without all the distractions. More importantly it’s a place to promote apparel. The guys at the 3 Ole Blue answered some questions for me once and I returned the favor purchasing a tee shirt on their site. I’m sure you have a means to do that it’s just the web site makes it so easy every old guys like me can figure it out.
Best wishes, stay safe and thanks again for popping in.
Kristy, you forgot to mention that Bobby won both features this past Thursday nite “Thursday Nite Thunder”. He drove the #22 sprint car and the #29 midget for a $10k payday!!!
Not Bad for a Yankee in Indiana 🙂