LOUDON, N.H. - Bobby Santos was perfectly content to settle for a fourth-place finish Friday afternoon.
And then the race leaders got together, and suddenly, the door opened for Santos to drive away with the Whelen All-Star Challenge at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
It was Santos’ second win at the “Magic Mile” and his first in the three years of the non-points, 35-lap, 20-car shootout event.
Woody Pitkat led Todd Szegedy to the white flag. But the two got together in the final turns as Szegedy made a bid under Pitkat for the lead. The contact knocked the two out of contention, and opened the door for Santos.
Santos’ No. 44 Tinio Corp./Dan Kelley/Curb Records Chevrolet finished .127 seconds ahead of Eric Goodale. Ron Silk finished third.
Pitkat led 17 laps and Szegedy 16, but they finished 19th and 14th, respectively, after the final lap incident. There were 10 lead changes among four drivers. Santos only led the final lap.
Ryan Preece and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour points leader Doug Coby rounded out the top five.
Rowan Pennink, Justin Bonsignore, Timmy Solomito, Patrick Emerling and NASCR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Newman rounded out the top 10.
Newman won the inaugural event in 2014 and Pitkat took home the trophy last year.
The tour will be back on track Saturday for the New England 100, the seventh of 17 races on the championship schedule.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
New Hampshire Motor Speedway – Loudon, NH
All-Star Shootout – July 15, 2016
| Fin | Str | Car | Driver | Team | Laps | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 44 | Bobby Santos | Tinio Corp./Dan Kelley/Curb Records Chevrolet | 35 | Running |
| 2 | 3 | 58 | Eric Goodale | GAF Roofing/RBSCorp.com Chevrolet | 35 | Running |
| 3 | 11 | 82 | Ronnie Silk | Horton Avenue Materials Chevrolet | 35 | Running |
| 4 | 13 | 6 | Ryan Preece | T.S. haulers, Inc./Riverhead Raceway Chevrolet | 35 | Running |
| 5 | 16 | 2 | Doug Coby | Dunleavy Repair/A&J Romano Construction Chevrolet | 35 | Running |
| 6 | 17 | 3 | Rowan Pennink | Cape Cod Copper/Canto Paving Chevrolet | 35 | Running |
| 7 | 18 | 51 | Justin Bonsignore | Phoenix Communications Chevrolet | 35 | Running |
| 8 | 12 | 16 | Timmy Solomito | Diversified Metals/R.B. Enterprises Ford | 35 | Running |
| 9 | 9 | 7 | Patrick Emerling * | Buffalo Auto Auction Chevrolet | 35 | Running |
| 10 | 20 | 7 | Ryan Newman | Menards/Aggressive Hydraulics Chevrolet | 35 | Running |
| 11 | 8 | 70 | Andy Seuss | Rockingham Boat Chevrolet | 35 | Running |
| 12 | 15 | 8 | Donny Lia | Sypher Construction/Bardahl Chevrolet Chevrolet | 35 | Running |
| 13 | 7 | 9 | Chase Dowling | S&S Asphalt Paving/Dunleavy’s Chevrolet | 35 | Running |
| 14 | 6 | 15 | Todd Szegedy | 15-40 Construction Chevrolet | 35 | Running |
| 15 | 5 | 4 | Jimmy Blewett | Starrett Dodge | 35 | Running |
| 16 | 19 | 97 | Bryan Dauzat | OB Builders Chevrolet | 35 | Running |
| 17 | 1 | 21 | J R Bertuccio, Jr | Gershow Recycling Chevrolet | 35 | Running |
| 18 | 14 | 77 | Gary Putnam | Curb Records Chevrolet | 35 | Running |
| 19 | 2 | 85 | Woody Pitkat | Stuart’s Automotive/Dunleavy’s Repair Chevrolet | 35 | Running |
| 20 | 4 | 99 | Jamie Tomaino | Dunleavy’s Repair/Atlantic Sprinkler Chevrolet | 5 | Suspension |
RACE STATISTICS
Time of Race: 23 mins, 37 secs Average Speed: 94.078 mph Margin of Victory: 0.127 Seconds
Caution Flags: Laps 20 (Competition yellow). 1 for 1 laps.
Lap Leaders: Woody Pitkat 1-3, Todd Szegedy 4, Woody Pitkat 5-7, Todd Szegedy 8-10, Woody Pitkat 11-14, Todd Szegedy 15-20, Ryan Preece 21, Woody Pitkat 22-24, Todd Szegedy 25-30, Woody Pitkat 31-34, Bobby Santos 35.
Total Laps Led: Woody Pitkat 17, Todd Szegedy 16, Ryan Preece 1, Bobby Santos 1. 10 changes involving 4 drivers.
* Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender
