Pitkat Powers To First NASCAR Whelen Modied Tour Win

Woody Pitkat earned his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory at his hometown track of Stafford Motor Speedway Friday night.  Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images for NASCAR

Woody Pitkat earned his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory at his hometown track of Stafford Motor Speedway Friday night. Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images for NASCAR

STAFFORD, CT – After winning 71 times at Stafford Motor Speedway in weekly competition, there was never any doubt that Woody Pitkat knew his way around his home track. Now Pitkat can finally add the elusive NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win to his résumé.

The veteran driver from Stafford dominated the Call Before You Dig 811 150 and beat Ron Silk to the line by over three seconds to pick up his first career win in his 86th tour start.

“You can’t get any more special than winning at your home track,” Pitkat said. “It’s just a dream come true to finally be able to get that win, get it here with the (track owners) Arutes, it’s great to be able to do it here.”

Donny Lia followed Silk in third with points leader Doug Coby and Eric Goodale completing the top five. Rowan Pennink finished sixth and Ted Christopher seventh. Justin Bonsignore, Ryan Preece and Matt Hirschman rounded out the top 10.

Pitkat started second to polesitter Bobby Santos, quickly drove his No. 88 Buzz Chew Chevrolet/Elbow East Chevrolet to the lead on lap 3, and stayed out front for the bulk of the first half of the race until a caution on lap 76 brought the leaders in for pit stops.

Pitkat came off pit road in eighth place with Lia in the lead, Preece second and Silk third. Pitkat quickly moved up through the field, was up to fourth by lap 92, and was second to then leader Ron Silk by lap 102. Pitkat methodically closed in on Silk, pulled off the decisive pass on lap 115, and set sail toward the checkered flag.

Prior to the second caution and pit stop, Pitkat had nearly a four-second lead on the field. Although they lost seven spots on pit road, Pitkat had confidence they had the car to beat.

“I told him (crew chief Ron Ste-Marie) that this was going to be like the scene from “Days of Thunder” where you come in the pits first and you come out third – but I was eighth,” Pitkat said. “I knew there was plenty of time, so just keep it cool.”

The popular victory was celebrated by many in the Stafford grandstands that have seen him drive to so many victories in NASCAR Whelen All-American Series action through the years at the historic half-mile.

Pitkat’s previous best Whelen Modified Tour finish was second, recorded three times, including the 2012 Stafford Fall Final when he came five laps shy of what would have been the first win.

Silk’s runner-up was his best tour result since a second-place finish last June at Stafford, 20 races ago.

“I was just too loose the whole race,” Silk said. “I didn’t have anything for Woody, he was just spot-on tonight.”

Pitkat’s win was not only popular with the hometown fans, but amongst fellow competitors as well, a number of which came to Victory Lane to congratulate him.

“Woody is a really good friend of mine,” Silk said. “I’m happy to see him win. All of the guys on his team are really nice guys. For a while I know Woody was doubting if he could do it in this division for whatever reason, but I told him when he got the ride in the (No. 88) car this year that he would show himself that he could, and I’m glad he did.”

Two of the last four Whelen Modified Tour races have featured first-time winners. The last time there was a first-time tour victor prior to Eric Goodale’s June Riverhead Raceway triumph was in 2011.

Friday was the first victory in four seasons of Whelen Modified Tour competition for Buzz Chew Motorsports, and just their second NASCAR regional touring series win following a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East triumph in 2006 with Bryon Chew behind the wheel.

The race was slowed just two times by caution and featured six lead changes among four drivers.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will remain in Connecticut for the Budweiser King of Beers 150 next Wednesday at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
Stafford Motor Speedway – Stafford, CT
Call Before You Dig 811 150 – Aug. 8, 2014

Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Points B/Points Status
1 2 88 Woody Pitkat Buzz Chew Chevrolet/Elbow East Chevrolet 150 48 5 Running
2 6 6 Ron Silk TS Haulers/Calverton Tree Farm Chevrolet 150 43 1 Running
3 3 4 Donny Lia Mystic Missile Racing Dodge 150 42 1 Running
4 5 2 Doug Coby Dunleavy’s Repair/HEX Performance Chevrolet 150 40 Running
5 11 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing/RBSCorp.com Chevrolet 150 39 Running
6 9 93 Rowan Pennink Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner Chevrolet 150 38 Running
7 4 13 Ted Christopher Tick Free Organic Tick Control/CT&E Chevrolet 150 37 Running
8 10 51 Justin Bonsignore chem3.com Chevrolet 150 36 Running
9 7 16 Ryan Preece East West Marine/Diversified Metals Ford 150 35 Running
10 18 52 Matt Hirschman Furnace & Duct Supply/Seekonk GP Chevrolet 150 34 Running
11 14 75 Timmy Solomito * Eastport Feeds/Axel Anderson Inc. Chevrolet 150 33 Running
12 1 44 Bobby Santos Tinio Racing/ImperialCars.com Chevrolet 150 33 1 Running
13 17 3 Keith Rocco Cape Cod Copper/Mr. Rooter Chevrolet 149 31 Running
14 12 1 Mike Stefanik Cady’s Tavern Chevrolet 149 30 Running
15 13 22 Tommy Barrett, Jr. * Canto Paving/Ferguson Waterworks Chevrolet 149 29 Running
16 15 8 Glen Reen Reflex Energy/Baja Construction Chevrolet 148 28 Running
17 19 64 Ron Yuhas, Jr. Fast Track Electric/Hughes Motors Chevrolet 148 27 Running
18 16 99 Jamie Tomaino Dunleavy’s Repair/Atlantic Sprinkler Chevrolet 148 26 Running
19 8 7 Patrick Emerling Emerling Chevrolet/Buffalo Auto Auction Chevrolet 147 25 Running
20 22 26 Gary McDonald Lakeland Landscape/TRC Electric Pontiac 144 24 Running
21 20 33 Wade Cole Performance Engines/Kendall Oil Chevrolet 115 23 Running
22 23 1 Melissa Fifield * Allstate Insurance Chevrolet 102 22 Suspension
23 21 38 Dave Salzarulo * Performance Engines/Kendall Oil Chevrolet 38 21 Suspension

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RACE STATISTICS
Fastest Qualifier: Bobby Santos, Time: 18.433 Seconds, Speed: 97.651 mph
Time of Race: 53 mins, 43 secsAverage Speed:83.773 mphMargin of Victory: 3.268 Seconds
Caution Flags: Laps 8-10 (Car #22 flat tire (Turn 4)); 76-81 (Car #07 stalled (Turn 3) [8]).  2 for 9 laps.
Lap Leaders: Bobby Santos 1-2, Woody Pitkat 3-10, Ron Silk 11, Woody Pitkat 12-78, Donny Lia 79-94, Ron Silk 95-114, Woody Pitkat 115-150.
Total Laps Led: Woody Pitkat 111, Ron Silk 21, Donny Lia 16, Bobby Santos 2.  6 changes involving 4 drivers.

Next Race:  Thompson – Aug. 13

* – Denotes Rookie of the Year Contender

 

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