Woody Pitkat traveled to the Bristol Motor Speedway (TN) with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (WMT) on Wednesday for the series’ much anticipated track debut, and after starting 13th, brought home a solid top-five finish. 

“It was really good.  I started 13th and wanted to get up to the top 10 and ride,” commented Pitkat.  “I put the thing to the outside and ran out there for a lap or two.  It was really good, so I just started passing up there.  A couple of guys would give me a lane and a few I had to work over to use it.” 

With a superb-handling car, Pitkat was able to run his own line and eventually found himself laying down lap times faster than the leaders.

“At one point my car chief said the leaders were doing 16.0’s and I was doing 15.5’s on the top,” explained Pitkat.  “So I just kept working the outside and it was really good.”

Going into the first ever WMT race at the Bristol Motor Speedway, there was a mutual feeling of uncertainty among the competitors as many thought the race would consist of more cautions than green flag laps.  Fortunately, they were pleasantly surprised by the clean racing and level-headed thinking employed by most of the drivers.

“We just didn’t know what was going to happen,” said Pitkat.  “Everybody was expecting that there is going to be a big wreck because we haven’t been here.  It is so fast and some of the guys in the back you don’t know if they are going to keep up. 

Woody Pitkat Uses The High Lane For Top-Five Finish at Bristol

NASCAR Whelen Modified Debut at Bristol a Fun Ride For Pitkat

“We just didn’t know what was going to happen,” said Pitkat.  “Everybody was expecting that there is going to be a big wreck because we haven’t been here.  It is so fast and some of the guys in the back you don’t know if they are going to keep up. 

“Without a doubt, I am happy.  I felt that we were going to have a good car during the race, and we did.  I was telling these guys if I could qualify a little better, I could probably finish higher, and we proved that tonight. This is my first full year on the tour and we are learning, but it was real fast today.”

Following the WMT event at Bristol, Pitkat traveled to Thompson International Speedway (CT) on Thursday where he brought home a third-place finish in his Sunoco Modified.  From there he went to Stafford Motor Speedway (CT) on Friday where both the SK Modified and the Late Model race he had planned to enter were unfortunately rained out.

Pitkat will be back in action with another full weekend of racing action beginning with his Sunoco Modified at Thompson on Thursday followed by the SK Modified race at Stafford on Friday, and then he will head to the WMT event at the Chemung Speedrome (NY) on Saturday.

 

Woody Pitkat had an impressive day at Bristol Motor Speedway. (51 Sports Photo)