Woody Pitkat celebrates victory in the 2011 Budweiser SK Modified Nationals 150 at the Waterford Speedbowl
Woody Pitkat remembers well showing up at the Waterford Speedbowl on September 3, 2011 ready to make his SK Modified debut at the track running for Jimmy Paige’s team in the Budweiser SK Modified Nationals 150.
“I remember walking in and looking at that trophy and telling the girl there, that it was a nice trophy,” Pitkat said. “Keith [Rocco] was looking at it too, so I don’t think people would have picked me in a million years to be taking it.”
Though Pitkat made his first SK Modified appearance at the Speedbowl one to remember, taking home that trophy and the $5,000 first place winner’s check that went with it.
Pitkat returns to Waterford Saturday looking for a second SK Modified Nationals 150 win, this time driving for team owner Steve Greer and crew chief Earl Pelletier, with the sponsorship backing from Dunleavy’s Truck And Trailer Repair.
“Going there that year in 2011 with the [Paige team], they had had a lot success there with [Ted Christopher] – they had been fast there – but they could never get the job done,” Pitkat said. “I probably had a lot more pressure on me going into that race than I realized. But it just seemed to work out. It’s definitely right up there with one of the biggest wins I’ve had that I still remember and it would be awesome to do it again.”
Pitkat, a regular on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, scored his first career victory in that division earlier this month at Stafford Motor Speedway. At Waterford he has a victory and two second place finishes in SK Modified action since 2011.
Pitkat, of Stafford, raced for Greer full-time in an SK Modified last year at Stafford Motor Speedway, driving to his first career division championship at the track. He parted ways with the team following the season, but they reunited for one race at the Speedbowl on Aug. 9. Pitkat finished third on the track but was awarded second after Rocco was penalized for a final lap issue.
“The car was actually pretty good,” Pitkat said. “I kind of was surprised. It was better than I thought it was going to be. Our finish, we probably shouldn’t have finished where we did because of what happened at the end. We were having a little bit of issues that we just had to straighten out with the brakes in the back. But I think we’ll be good. … Obviously, to put something back together with Steve and Earl and after they gave me the opportunity to get my first championship at Stafford, it would be a pretty good feat to be able to go there and get them one of those trophies. There’s going to be some stiff competition.”
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