Santos Gets Back On Right Track With Toledo Win

Santos Gets Back On Right Track With Toledo Win

Bobby Santos III would be the first one to tell you his Non-Wing Sprint Car program hasn’t been up to par recently.  On Saturday, he was well on his way to getting back where he needs to be.

The Massachusetts driver dominated the 40-lap main event at Toledo Speedway for his first 500 Sprint Car Tour win of the young season.  After setting fast time in qualifying, Santos was on the receiving end of luck from the draw, starting on the pole and cruising to a nearly-six second win in a caution-free race.

It was Santos’s third-career win with the 500 Sprint Car Tour and first away from Anderson Speedway.  He now has six career wins at Toledo, coming in four different types of cars – Non-Winged and Winged Sprint Cars, USAC Silver Crown and Midget.  His last win at Toledo came in 2017 with Silver Crown.

The team debuted a new car last season, but it’s been a struggle with the new machine even despite a win at Anderson last season.

“That was a special day for us.  We haven’t been spectacular in the Non-Winged Sprint Car, there’s no denying that.” Santos said on the DirtVision broadcast.  “I think we finally found our old way here and had a great car all day.”

Even with a comfortable lead in the latter stages of the race, he found himself pushing hard after taking a look at the scoreboard and seeing Tyler Roahrig in second, just one year after winning at Toledo from deep in the field.  By that time, Santos was out for a Saturday night drive in Northwest Ohio.

“I don’t know if it was 10, 12, 15 to go or something, I saw the No.56 (Roahrig) on the board in second so I figured he was coming.  I just pushed as hard as I could push and we’re probably lucky that we started in front of him tonight.  We had a good car.”

Roahrig drove from the seventh starting spot to finish second, while Kyle O’Gara took the final step on the podium with a third-place run.  Jackson Macenko and Dakoda Armstrong rounded out the top-five.

The 500 Sprint Car Tour returns to action on Sunday, June 29 when the series makes its inaugural appearance at the famed Winchester Speedway.

Toledo Speedway Official Results:

1.  Bobby Santos III

2. Tyler Roahrig

3. Kyle O’Gara

4. Jackson Macenko

5. Dakoda Armstrong

6. Taylor Ferns

7. Justin Harper

8. Rylan Gray

9. Donnie Adams Jr.

10. Matt Dimit

11. Brady Allum

12. Tony Main

13. Chase Locke

14. Cory Buttler

15. Billy Wease

16. Landon Butler

17. Kody Swanson

18. Cord Erhart