Magic Man: Woody Pitkat Uses Stunning Last Lap Move For SK Modified Win At Stafford Speedway

STAFFORD – Over the winter between the 2012 and 2013 seasons Woody Pitkat was at the center of some of the offseason drama permeating from the Stafford Motor Speedway racing community.

Woody Pitkat celebrates an SK Modified victory Friday at Stafford Speedway (Photo: Stephanie Kimball/Stafford Speedway)

It came as a shocker to many when the news surfaced that Pitkat was parting ways with the SK Modified team owned by Bob Hitchcock and Kelly Iverson and he was being replaced by Rowan Pennink. Not long before the start of the season Pitkat announced he would be driving in 2013 in the SK Modified division at Stafford for team owner Steve Greer.

Friday at Stafford Pitkat got his first SK Modified victory for Greer’s team, and pulled it off in what seemed like perfectly scripted theatrical in fashion.

Pitkat passed Pennink and the car he used to drive going into turn three on the final lap and won the 40-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modified feature.

“I’ve been wanting to win so bad,” Pitkat said. “I know those guys wanted to win, I used to race for those guys so it’s cool to be racing with them.”

Pennink, of Huntingdon Valley, Pa. held on for second and Doug Coby of Milford was third.

Pennink went under Joey Cipriano for the lead on lap nine. By lap 32 Pitkat was stalking all over Pennink’s rear bumper. On the final lap Pennink seemed to drift to the high lane going into turn three before suddenly diving low and powering by Pennink to take over the top spot.

“He went to protect the bottom and I said ‘OK, if he goes in and protects the bottom he’s going to skate up in the middle’ and that’s what he did.’” Pitkat said. “[Fellow competitor] Jay Stuart told me that back in the Late Model days, ‘Just drive it in, don’t worry about blocking.’ … I know he tried to protect that bottom and that was all I had. I don’t even think I got into him.”

Said Pennink: “I just made a mistake over there in [turns] three and four and Woody had a good car and he was able to take advantage. It was good racing. Woody had a good car, we had a good car. I just couldn’t quite finish the job on the last lap.”