To say that Woody Pitkat got some seat time this weekend in Connecticut is an understatement.
The local driver from Stafford, CT ran five races in two days in the state. Amazingly, each one ended with a top 10 finish. The final event was the 150-lap NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Stafford Motor Speedway (CT). After starting 23rd Pitkat overcame an ill handling racecar and worked his way to the front to post a ninth-place finish.
“We were trying a new setup at Stafford in an effort to get better,” said Pitkat. “I think we need to do a little more testing with it before we use it again. We messed up in qualifying and we started at the back. The car was very good for 50 laps, and then it was just too out of control loose. We pitted and worked on it. To come out with a top 10 from where we started was very good.”
The next few weeks are easily the busiest time of year for Modified Tour drivers. A three-week swing has them in Stafford, then at Thompson Int’l Speedway (CT) and then off to Bristol Motor Speedway (TN) for a special Wednesday night show on August 19th.
“We are making a steady climb up through the points and that’s good as we head into our busy time of year. After this weekend, we will only have a few days to get ready for the trip to Bristol. It all fun, but the turn around time is very tight.”
It was a busy night for Pitkat at Stafford on the local front as he ran an SK Modified and a Late Model on top of the Tour race. Pitkat was the runner-up in the Late Model race and he placed seventh in the local Modified race.
“Things went pretty well for running three races in one night,” said Pitkat. “I have done three races before at Stafford and things don’t normally go this smooth. We ran great in the Late Model and got a second-place finish. I then had some time to take a break and get something to eat before the SK feature.”
Woody Pitkat's # 28 Tour Modified (Top) and his #52 SK Modified (Bottom) at Stafford Motor Speedway. (Jim Dupont Photos)
Woody Pitkat Caps Off Weekend With Ninth-Place Finish at Stafford
Two Nights of Racing Results in 320 Laps of Racing
Pitkat also did double-duty the night before at Thompson in the Sunoco Modifieds. Pitkat ended with a fifth-place finish and a ninth-place finish after the twin features.
“We had some tire issues in the first race and we had to use the same rubber in the second race,” explained Pitkat. “I think I might have burned off the right rear tire in the first race so we didn’t have much in the second.”
Pitkat will run at Thompson on Thursday night with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and with the Sunoco Modifieds, he will also return to Stafford on Friday night for the SK Modified and Late Model features.
