Doug Coby is always one of the top drivers when he races a Modified at Stafford Motor Speedway (Credit: NASCAR Home Track photo)

By Lou Modestino

Stafford Motor Speedway will host the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour for the third of four visits during the 2014 season on August 8 for the Call Before You Dig 811 150. When the NWMT teams take to the track, two of the favorites have to be Bobby Santos, III and Doug Coby.

Santos and Coby have combined to win 11 of the last 18 NWMT races at Stafford dating back to the 2010 NAPA Spring Sizzler. Santos has won the Sizzler 3 times, the NAPA Fall Final twice, and the May race once, leaving him winless in the August event. Coby has won the Sizzler once, the May race twice, and the August race twice. Coby is also the defending champion of the Call Before You Dig 811 150, taking the checkered flag ahead of Donny Lia last year.

In addition to his 6 race victories at Stafford since 2010, Santos has also been the man to beat in qualifying. Santos has 6 pole positions at Stafford since 2010 and he was a former track record holder at Stafford, becoming the first driver to break the 100 mph barrier at Stafford for an average lap speed. Santos’ track record time has since been bested by Ryan Preece in 2012 but Santos has established himself as a Stafford master in the previous 4 and a half seasons worth of NWMT races at the Connecticut half-mile facility.

Other NWMT race winners at Stafford since the 2010 NAPA Spring Sizzler have been Ted Christopher with 3 wins, and Ryan Preece, Donny Lia, Ronnie Silk, and Todd Szegedy with one win each.

The on-track excitement for the Call Before You Dig 811 150 won’t be limited to just the Whelen Modified Tour cars. The August 8 event will also be the final chance for drivers in Stafford’s five NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions to accumulate points towards the Call Before You Dig 811 Challenge, which is in excess of $4000.

The CBYD 811 Challenge awards 100 points to each weekly feature winner and each subsequent position gets 5 points less. The 5 drivers who come the closest to 811 points without going over will each receive a $811 bonus from CBYD. Last year’s CBYD 811 Challenge winners were Eric Berndt, Ted Christopher, and Todd Owen from the SK Modified® division, Justin Bren from the Limited Late Model division, and Cliff Saunders from the DARE Stock division.

Tickets for the Call Before You Dig 811 150 are available and on sale now at the Speedway Box Office,