THOMPSON – A week ago Woody Pitkat was bemoaning the fact that despite getting his first “win” of the season at Thompson International Speedway, he didn’t get to do it on the track.
Woody Pitkat celebrates Thursday at Thompson Speedway
Thursday Pitkat got his wish, in dramatic style.
Pitkat passed Keith Rocco for the lead coming out of the final corner to win the first of two 30-lap SK Modified features Thursday at Thompson.
Rocco, of Wallingford, held on for second and Ted Christopher of Plainville was third.
Last week Pitkat was declared the winner of the SK Modified feature at Thompson long after the race’s conclusion when Rocco was disqualified for illegal modifications to his intake.
Thursday it was Pitkat and Rocco putting on all the dramatics on the track.
Rocco went to the lead past Kerry Malone on lap four, pulling Pitkat into second place. On lap seven Pitkat went by Rocco for the lead but a lap later it was Rocco taking the top spot back.
The action curtailed briefly before Pitkat used a bottom shot to move Rocco up the track and take the lead on lap 18. Rocco regained the lead a lap later in turn one, with Pitkat then swiping the lead back a half a lap later with some continued dicing moves in the corners.
“It’s just so hard to pass here unfortunately,” Pitkat said. “I don’t know if it’s the tires or the track or what. But the outside is the preferred groove. We talk about it every week, you can go to go Waterford, you can go to Stafford and race two-by-two for 5-6 laps and watch people race. Here you can’t do that. The way you’re passing here is you’re trying to get a run and pull out and bottom shot a guy. … That’s how you have to race here and you’re just going to have to expect that when he gets the run that he’s going to do that to you.”
On lap 28 Rocco used a low shot off turn two to go back to the front, but it was Pitkat who then patiently waited to have the opportunity to fire the final shot.
Out of the final corner Pitkat got the run and won the drag race to the checkered flag for his second consecutive victory.
“That’s the way the racing should be here,” Rocco said. “The last five or six weeks it’s been follow the leader and I think everybody out here has had enough of listening to [race director Mike] Chapman say ‘Just the follow the guy around in front of you.’ I think the drivers are starting to take things into their own hands and maybe put some fans back into the stands.
“I had an absolute blast. When you can beat and bang like that, that’s racing. As long as nobody is getting wrecked it’s all good, but I’m sure somebody is going to get wrecked doing it, but that’s part of the game.”
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