The American Candian Tour ride Woody Pitkat tested Wednesday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Photo: Alex Grab)
Woody Pitkat heads to New Hampshire Motor next month looking to play defense of his victory in last year’s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour fall event at the 1.058-mile oval.
But the Stafford driver will also be looking to get some full-bodied action in after competing in his Modified on Sept. 26 at the track.
Pitkat is hoping to get an invitation to the Bond Auto ACT Invitational, which will be run immediately following the Whelen Modified Tour F.W. Webb 100 on Sept. 26 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Pitkat was at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Wednesday testing for the Summit Ice Racing team, which had formerly fielded an American Canadian Tour ride for Tom Carey Jr.
Pitkat, who is currently second to Ryan Preece by two points in the Whelen Modified Tour standings, said he put up times in the top-six during his abbreviated practice session on Wednesday. He was unable to compete in the afternoon simulated race at the track because of his commitments to run his Stan Mertz owned SK Modified at Thompson Speedway.
But Pitkat said he left the track getting a positive vibe from ACT president Tom Curley, who makes the calls on who will be invited to the Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
“I had let him know that I couldn’t do the simulation race that they wanted me to do,” Pitkat said. “Once I told him who I was it didn’t seem like he was very concerned. He came over at lunchtime and said he was very impressed, so that was a good thing.
“We were good. We were like fifth or sixth on the board. We still have some work to do. Eddie [MacDonald] has got that place figured out. He was real good. We were close though. It kind of felt the same as a Modified to me, just slower. It does some different things in the corners, but you kind of drive it the same way I felt like.”
Believe me, Woody is in the show.
Curley & ACT will have all they can do to put 43 cars on the track. Just take a look at how the numbers have dropped for this test session ever year since the inaugural race. Curley is going to be robbing bodies from the grave to fill up the end of the field.