Anger Management: Woody Pitkat Grabs SK Modified Victory At Thompson International Speedway

THOMPSON – Making a car go fast and to the front depends on having the equipment to do it and the skill to make that equipment work.

Woody Pitkat celebrates an SK Modified victory Thursday at Thompson Speedway

Though the ability to manage ones emotions while behind the wheel can be just as important as having the best motor or the freshest tires.

On Thursday at Thompson International Speedway Woody Pitkat showed how channeling anger for the best can work out perfectly.

Pitkat recovered from a first lap wreck and came back to win the 30-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modified feature Thursday at Thompson Speedway.

It was the first victory of the season at Thompson for Pitkat, of Stafford.

Dennis Perry of Pawcatuck was second and Kerry Malone of Needham, Mass. third.

At the initial green flag, contact between leader Paul Newcomb and second place John Catania sent Catania into Pitkat, sending Pitkat into the infield.

Despite the race officially not starting because of the caution on the first lap, track officials made Pitkat go from the third spot to the rear of the 16-car field.

“That pretty much ticked me off,” Pitkat said. “That’s the way our luck has been. I didn’t think we would have to go to the rear for that, the race hadn’t started, but they see it their way and I see it mine. I drove this thing as hard as I could. Got a little bit of luck, thank god for that because we obviously probably would have been third. I can’t thank these guys enough, they work so hard.”

The luck for Pitkat came on lap 24. That was when leader Ryan Preece of Berlin and second place Keith Rocco of Wallingford got caught up in fluid on the track in turn two and went spinning.

The accident allowed Pitkat, running third at the time, to inherit the lead. Pitkat drove away from Perry over the closing laps.

“The way he got there, you’ve got to give him all the credit in the world to come from the back like that takes talent and takes a great team and he has both,” Perry said.

Pitkat came into the evening in a three-way tie for second place in the standings with Preece and Malone, the three of the six points behind Rocco.

The victory launched Pitkat to the lead, four points ahead of Rocco, who is now tied for second in the standings with Malone.