Woody Pitkat (Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Last Friday Woody Pitkat made the decision to chase points on the Valenti Modified Racing Series at Claremont Speedway in Claremont, N.H. rather than compete in the NAPA SK5K at Stafford Motor Speedway.
Pitkat, who is the Valenti Modified Racing Series points leader, said the decision to skip the biggest SK Modified event at Stafford was a tough one for him.
Now it seems he’ll remain missing from the roster at Stafford.
Pitkat, a regular at the track for 19 years, said he won’t be competing in Friday’s SK Modified feature at Stafford and he’s not sure when his Adam Skowyra owned team will be returning to the track.
Pitkat, the 2013 SK Modified division champion at Stafford, said a return to the track for the team likely won’t happen until August.
“Taking a few weeks to catch up and restock instead of rushing every week,” Pitkat said when asked if he would be racing Friday at Stafford.
Pitkat is in his second season driving for Skowyra. Friday’s event was the second feature that Pitkat has missed this year. Pitkat was suspended from an event earlier this year after Skowyra physically confronted competitor Ryan Preece after a feature at the track.
Chase Dowling drove the Skowyra owned entry to an 11th place finish in the NAPA SK5K on Friday. Preece, of Berlin, won the NAPA SK5K, collecting winner’s purse of more than $12,500 for the victory.
Team owner Adam Skowyra’s Facebook posting just after the conclusion of the NAPA SK5K which was won by Ryan Preece Friday at Stafford Motor Speedway
Following the event on Friday, Skowyra insinuated in a Facebook posting that his team wouldn’t return.
Pitkat is currently 13th in the SK Modified division standings at Stafford with three top-five’s and six top-10’s in10 starts this year.
Pitkat said Tuesday that he is staying in Loudon, N.H. on Friday. Pitkat is also a regular on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. The Modified Tour has practice and the Whelen All-Star Showdown on Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon and then the Andy Blacksmith 100 on Saturday in Loudon.
“Taking a few weeks to catch up and restock instead of rushing every week,” Pitkat said when asked if he would be racing Friday at Stafford.
It’s a long season when there are no rainouts… it makes sense for tour drivers running New Hampshire friday and saturday to take the night off from Stafford. I expect TC, Preece, and Rocco will make it back Friday night.