For 18 laps of the season-ending NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Thompson International Speedway, Woody Pitkat was pacing the field in the lead.  Eventually though, a flat tire set him back to a finish of 18th and left Pitkat wondering how he could have done anything different enough to spend more time out front.

“Maybe I should have pitted when the other guys did, but I didn’t know to because I’ve never been there,” said Pitkat.  “I haven’t even run one full season in one car on the Tour and you’ve got guys who have run 20 years here.  So you don’t know until you are in that position.  I am happy that I did have a chance to lead some laps there and that was another step forward in my career.  So I’m happy, all and all.”

Pitkat’s pit strategy did allow him to lead laps though and could have worked out to propel him to a high finish if the race played out a little differently.

“It could have worked out really good, but when we pitted we only put rear tires on and without a new right front, it just killed the handling.  Then the right front finally just went down and I had to stop because I couldn’t drive it.  I didn’t want to wreck the car.”

Pitkat’s next race will be the North vs. South Shootout at Concord Motorsport Park in North Carolina on November 8th.

Woody Pitkat led laps early at Thompson. (Jim Dupont Photo)

Woody Pitkat Has Trouble at Thompson

After Leading Early Pitkat Finishes 18th