When Bobby Santos was two, his father plopped him down in a go-kart. He’s been in a racing seat ever since.

And now, some 23 years later, he’s sitting in the best seat in the NASCAR Modified Tour house – the famed Mystic Missile, owned by legendary Bob Garbarino.

After two races Santos is leading the NASCAR Modified points chase. He has a win, two top-five finishes and two pole wins headed into the Made In America Whelen 200/UNOH Performance 200 at Martinsville Speedway on June 6

A year ago Santos ran just two NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races as he concentrated on other series. At the same time Garbarino was winning his second Modified championship in three years with Donny Lia in the bright yellow number four. Not long after the season ended, Lia bolted for other opportunities and Garbarino was searching for a new driver. He didn’t search long or far, tabbing Santos to pilot the Mystic Missile.

“They were looking for a driver. They had a few different options and it’s pretty cool they chose me,” said Santos, a third generation driver from Franklin, MA. “It’s an honor to drive for Bob. I knew a lot about the Mystic Missile long before I sat in it. I watched it win a lot of races when I was just a kid.”

The 25-year-old Santos is running some races outside of the NASCAR Modified Tour this season, but no where near the 60 to 70 events he’s run in years’ past.

“I’ve run all three USAC divisions, I’ve done some super modified stuff here and there, some different types of dirt stuff and we just picked the big (NASCAR) Modified races,” said Santos. “This year we’re focusing on racing with Bob’s team and then some big USAC races.”

While Santos knew he was getting top-notch equipment with Garbarino, he didn’t realize how good until he crawled through the window for the first time.

“We’ve got awesome equipment and really great people working on it,” said Santos. “Bob has been so easy to work with from the beginning. All he expects me do to is drive it. That’s the way it’s been from the beginning.

“A lot of people say there has got to be a lot of pressure on me because of the ride I’m in, but I’m the only one putting pressure on me. “

Santos has raced on Martinsville Speedway’s tough .526-mile just one time, in 2007. He remembers having a pretty good car then, but got caught up in a wreck past the halfway point. But even before that 2007 trip to Martinsville, he understood the importance of the track to his family. His grandfather, Bob Santos, the patriarch of the racing family, won the Modified portion of the 1972 Cardinal Classic at Martinsville.

I’m very confident going to Martinsville. I enjoyed in when I was there and I know this car has had a lot of success there and there’s no reason we can’t go there together and win. That’s what all of us expect,” said Santos.

“Nobody wants to win it more than me, though.  To win the grandfather clock (winner’s trophy) at Martinsville would mean the world to me. I’ve seen my grandfather’s grandfather clock he got for winning there. I would love to have one of my own.”