Bobby Grigas III Scores First True Value Modified Win
Young Driver Tops Record Field on His First Trip to Waterford
When the True Value Modified Racing Series rolled into Waterford Speedbowl (CT), a casual observer might not have given Bobby Grigas, III very strong odds of winning his first race. After all, it was only his third start on the tour and it was to come at a track where he had never raced at, or even seen, previously. There were also a record number of entries for the event. Throw in some challenging track conditions, thanks to a lengthy rain delay, and it looked like going with a grizzled veteran as a pick to win the race
might be a smart move.
But nobody told Grigas that. The young Massachusetts driver won his heat race, started on the pole and scored a dominating victory.
“There are no words to describe how I feel,” Grigas said after climbing from his #09 Triple G Scaffold Modified. “I am in a state of awe right now. This is my third True Value Mod race and
I only raced two nights at New Smyrna [during Florida Speedweeks],
so I’ve only had a handful of races in a Modified. To win this early in
my Mod career is just amazing.
A tool that Grigas used to prepare for the race was a Howie Hodge in-car video from Supermodified that was available to view on a popular racing website.
“I had never even seen this track before. I had never even seen a race here before. I went on the track’s website and Mod Series Scene and watched that in-car video that they had of the Super-Modified.”
Grigas even made winning look easy when he crossed the finish line ahead of some stiff competition that included the top TVMRS competitors and several Waterford SK Modified regulars.
“I was comfortable and just driving around at my own pace,” said Grigas. “I even had my head resting on the seat because my neck was starting to hurt. I almost lost it and I thought I was
going to have a heart attack. When I recovered it I was like,
Bobby races for the win. (Jim Dupont Photos)
‘what?’ I was speechless in the car and when I almost spun out, I was beating myself up in the car.”
That near miss didn’t discourage Grigas one bit.
“It just made me drive harder again. Instead of just cruising around, I had to hop on it. I had to run harder. That nice little gap I opened up made me drive the car slower and easier to not beat the car up. But when that happened, I thought, ‘Oh no they are right behind me again!’ Then when Jimmy Kuhn spun out, there I saw all the dirt across the track and they didn’t throw a yellow flag. I said to myself, ‘Jimmy Dolan is going to go low,’ because I am going to drift high to avoid the dirt. I knew if he did that and went low, all he would do is spin the wheels when he got back in the gas. When we started going through that dirt, that is when the gap opened way up. I was driving around the dirt and they were all going through the dirt. After my bobble early in the race, I was going nowhere near that stuff.
“Whenever I am in the car, I am a totally different person. I am all about racing. When I see cars scattered around like that, I am just looking for the open spot and not worried about them crashing in to me. The green flag was still out. The only one I was really worried about was when Jimmy Kuhn pulled out on the track and was spilling something behind him. He was dripping oil all over the track. My front tires slid in it and I let off a bunch.”
The race had been delayed several hours because of rain and a local curfew necessitated that the event had to be cut short at 53 laps. Grigas was pleasantly surprised when that happened.
“They told me that the race wasn’t going to be over if they threw the yellow flag,” said Grigas. “Then they came over the radio when the yellow came out and said, ‘it’s all over!’ I was very relieved. I was psyched when I found out, especially with how my day started bouncing off the wall in practice. I didn’t think I was going to be here right now. It didn’t even feel real. It’s one of those things where you ask yourself, ‘did this really happen?’
Winning on Father’s Day weekend made the victory even more special for Grigas’ family-owned team. “It’s Father's Day! Usually my Mom likes to shoot high and tell me, ‘You are going
there to win.’ I always tell her to take one step at a time…
that I am just trying to make it. She told me to win a
trophy for my dad for Father’s Day. When it happened, I was pumped and psyched. I didn’t get my dad a Father’s Day present, so this is it for him. This is going to make tomorrow more sweet. My father is pumped and my mom will be home awake all night and waiting for me to walk in the door.”
Grigas will now head to New Hampshire’s Star Speedway for 100 green-flag laps of True Value Modified Racing Series competition on Saturday night, June 24th.
For more information on Bobby Grigas, III, please contact Mike Twist at (207) 590-1786 and be sure to stay tuned for the all-new BobbyGrigasRacing.com website.
