EPPING, N.H. – Since the introduction of the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series in 2014, Woody Pitkat has been one of the division’s most devoted participants.
Sunday at Star Speedway Pitkat was making his 50th career Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series start. The number is second only to Matt Hirschman’s 53 series starts. Sunday’s Star event was the 54th in series history.
And while Pitkat has been high on the attendance chart for the series, the win column has eluded the veteran driver from Stafford.
Coming into Sunday at Star, Pitkat’s lone series victory was October 25, 2015 at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl.
Sunday in wildly dramatic and entertain event, Pitkat finally ended his series winless streak.
Pitkat came out on top of late race battle with Max Zachem to win the RaceChoice.com 125 at Star.
“This has been a long time coming with the [Monaco Modified] Tri-Track Series for me,” Pitkat said. “We’ve been here for a long time and we haven’t won since 2015 so this is awesome. I can’t thank [my team] enough. Ninety percent of them were at Riverhead [Raceway for a Whelen Modified Tour event] last night and probably didn’t get much sleep. I can’t thank them enough.”
Matt Hirschman of Northampton, Pa. was second and Anthony Nocella of Woburn, Mass. third.
Pitkat became the fifth different winner in five Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series events this season.
“I’ve always said since day one since I’ve done this, I feel like [the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series] is the toughest competition in any Modified racing,” Pitkat said. “The [Whelen Modified] Tour has their three or four [teams] every year that are good and obviously it’s hard to compete with those guys, but when you come here there’s 12, 14, 15 cars that can win on any given night. Just look how this season started. You’ve had different winners pretty much all year.”
Pitkat started on the pole and dominated out front for much of the first half of the event.
With Pitkat leading, Jon McKennedy in second and Hirschman in third, the second caution flew on lap 40. Under caution Matt Swanson and Max Zachem headed to the pits.
Pitkat continued to dominate out front after the restart and through a long green flag stretch that ended with a caution on lap 86.
Under caution most of the field went to the pits. Matt Kimball, Zachem, Les Hinckey III, Jeffrey Battle and Swanson stayed out. Pitkat won the race out of the pits, followed by Hirschman, McKennedy and Mike Christopher Jr.
The lap 86 restart didn’t go far with a crash coming off of turn four at the rear of the field coming to green.
On the second attempt at a lap 86 restart it was Kimball and Zachem battling out front side-by-side with Zachem taking over the lead to complete the lap.
Pitkat was back to fourth and Hirschman to fifth by the time caution flew again on lap 90 for Les Hinckley spinning out of third place.
On the restart Pitkat lined up next to Zachem with the pair going side-by-side for a lap. Zachem cleared Pitkat for the lead on lap 91 with Hirschman getting under Pitkat to fight for second place. On lap 92 Pitkat made contact with Zachem in turn one. Zachem get sideways, but sayed the car from spinning as Pitkat and Hirschman both checked up behind him.
“The turning point in the race was when I was inside of Pitkat in the middle of [turns] one and two he gave Zachem a really good shot,” Hirschman said, “I think my reaction to it was that Zachem was going to spin and he didn’t. But I checked up. I maybe got hit from behind, I’m not even sure, but I got all sideways and Pitkat got back ahead of me and the race continued. That was just a turning point because I ended up behind [Pitkat].”
Zachem was able to get some breathing room on Pitkat by lap 94, but Pitkat was back to his bumper by lap 97. Behind them Hirschman and Christopher were embroiled in a feisty battle for third place.
Christopher was able to get by Hirschman for third on lap 107. On lap 115 Pitkat found a lane under Zachem into turn three. Contact got Zachem sliding off of turn four allowing Christopher to move to second. Hirschman got by Zachem two laps later for third with Nocella following him to fourth and George Bessette Jr. to fifth.
“It was great racing there wit [Zachem],” Christopher said. “I know he was hanging on, I didn’t want to rough him up, I wanted to do it right. I finally got a good run and I had to just drive it down in there. After that I just kind of set sail.”
Said Zachem: “It came down to having a fresher tire at the end. I feel like you and I had this conversation 10 years ago at Thompson when Bobby [Santos III] got me [at a Whelen Modified Tour event]. I messed up over in [turn] one and hit the rumble strips and he got under me and it’s just a product of a Congo line behind where he got around and I ended up sixth there.”
After a fierce battle, Hirschman got under Christopher for second on lap 123. Nocella went to third by Christopher a lap later.
“Christopher was right on me. He kept getting in the back of me. Finally he got me in the back of me enough to get me up the track and get by me. He wasn’t really the fastest car because then we were able to pass him back. But all that just wasted too many laps away and Pitkat, in the meantime, Pitkat got past Zachem and pulled out to a lead. The stars didn’t align. I think we had a car that could have won. Pitkat had a good car as well. Look at all the laps he lead early. But I think it was a winnable race. It was aggressive there’s no doubt. It was tight short track racing and it was aggressive.”
Christopher was making his first start at Star Speedway driving for Albernaz Racing as a fill-in for Kyle Bonsignore.
“[My spotter Bryan Narducci] said it over the radio when we were about to go green [on lap 86], ‘Forty laps, like an SK [Modified] race,” Christopher said. “I thought I would have more tire there at the end. I definitely lost drive. Before we got singled out there there at the end – the last 10 laps or whatever – I felt pretty decent. Then I just lost drive. But I had a ton of fun. Cool little race track. Real racy. The Albernaz guys brought a good race car. Fun team. I had fun.
“… We were building houses out there [sawing at the wheel]. We all got stacked up there behind [Zachem]. It was pretty obvious that all of us, [Pitkat], Hirshchman, me and the guys behind me were faster than him. It seemed like no one wanted to make a move so eventually we all got stacked up.”
Both Hirschman and Nocella remarked about the aggressiveness that made for an entertaining event all around.
“Pitkat got into [Zachem] enough to almost spin him,” Hirschman said. “Would he have gone to the rear? Christopher got me sideways and out of shape and I saved it. Everybody really did a great job with their cars considering the amount of contact. The drivers really did a good job with their cars. There was some real good saves made by several us. Good entertaining tight racing on a quarter-mile.”
Said Nocella: “I like this series with the way they do things. Some of these races you can do without pitting and no tire, but they only give you the one [tire] which I think puts some strategy in it. It’s tough getting the car perfectly balanced one one [tire] and I think it puts on a good show with guys trying to come back through [the field]. I think it did that again. … It’s a blast when you can bump and bang and slide around but not take it over the line and totally wreck each other, which I think puts on a good show for the fans.”
Excellent race to finish ninth by Brett Meservey,
Hodgdon finished 7th to keep the pt lead but I see the 60 doesn’t have the 25 pt bonus yet . Nice run for the pup
Man I hate to be that guy with the unpopular opinion but, after watching the Sid’s View video coverage of this race and Woody’s onboard- Pitkat put his left sides in the grass and doored Zachem. He may have been faster and it’s the end of the race but c’mon man. Guarantee you if the roles were reversed the crowd favorite Pitkat would have been complaining. Just another elbow from Pitkat like he did to Steve Masse at the World Series in 2016. He’s a good enough driver he doesn’t need to pull that bs. Otherwise, I’m happy nobody tore there equipment up. It’s about to be a busy month of racing.
I wish Ben Dodge would have stopped talking about how this race was traditionally 100 laps, but was “extended to 125 just for you fans.” This race has always been SBM 125 except for recently.
Knuckles Mahoney,
He’s not wrong. All events that the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series have run at Star since 2014 that were not branded with the “SBM” tag were 100 laps. Sunday’s event was the RaceChoice.com 125, not the SBM 125. Before Sunday, the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series had run 11 events at Star Speedway since 2014. Eight of those 11 events carried the “SBM” tag in the name. Seven of those “SBM” events were advertised as 125 laps and one of them was advertised as a 121 lap race (July 2020). Of the other three events the series has run at the track since 2014 that did not have the “SBM” tag, all of them were advertised as 100 lap events. So Sunday’s event was the first Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series event at the track that did not have the “SBM” tag on it that was more than 100 laps.
if you have to reference 8 years ago for a Woody elbow that might be reaching but don’t let me be the judge. A true wheelman that’s for sure. I’ll have to get Woody in one of these late models one of these days.
Stuart, I dont have to reach with a Woody elbow I’ve seen him pull that move recently as well. May not always be for the lead but I watch him drive and he does it more than you think. Nobody wants to say anything because hes the crowd favorite but I notice. He even did it to zachem in the tour type heat at thompson I believe at the icebreaker in 2023. But, ive seen it in races and for position not for the lead. But again he’s a good driver just wish he didnt do it and get away with it. Him and rocco get away with stuff when they are better and know better than to do that
Shawn: He gave the impression to the crowd, who are unfamiliar with the tri track events at Star that this was special just for them and extended to 125 laps. Call it what you want, but for tri track events, of which I have been to them all, they have overwhelmingly already been 125 laps.
Kunckles Mahoney,
Not for nothing, and I’m not trying to insult you here, but, did it make the event worse for you that an announcer who works for the series was hyping up the distance of the race? I guess to me it seems like an odd thing to be annoyed about.
Tyler,
You might want to watch the video again cause i never went into the grass to pass max. Heck I didn’t even hit the rumple strips. The lowest I went was the white line. Was it a late move that his spotter didn’t realize and did max come down? Yes but if the roles were reversed the same thing would have happened. Where racing for 10,000 dollars on a bullring. Things are gonna happen. Nobody is perfect out there. And the Thompson race your referring to max starting that whole thing so I just gave it back.
If you would like to build a car and show us all how to do it better please come on down.
Woody. All the racing there looked pretty clean to me. Great job, and congrats.
Woody, pause the video at 16:38 you are absolutely 100% on the rumble strips and based on the angle might be in the grass so maybe I stand corrected that you weren’t in the grass but, you still could have just entered the corner easily because you had a wheel in there and I knew you would pass him anyways a lap after. Idk man ya its soft of me to complain behind a phone screen but I just get tired of seeing this. I dont care if its for $10k , $10m or $10 its not clean. I dont like the typical response of “oh well go buy a car and show me” i mean ya if i had a lots of money id rent the 01 ride out for a few open races with Steve Masse or Eric Berndt as the driver and watch them race clean in financed equipment but I’m a fan and you can’t say I can’t criticize what i’m watching. Look whenever I see you on the entry list I’m happy because I know my driver has to race against another good driver but you can’t think that because, I’m calling an action I’ve seen on a race track multiple time by the same driver that the only way i can have an opinion is to become a race car driver. I know everyone will side with you because people like you and it be the same response when someone criticizes a female driver with the simp line, “oh well she finishes in X position how did you do?”. I want to end with this. Ever since that deal with Steve at Thompson I stopped being a fan of yours but I try to be chill about it but every time i go okay Woody isnt running guys up a lane I can be cool with him winning, something comes up. I was so happy when on Sid’s podcast when you stood up for the mod guys and basically said that starting at 6:45 on a Saturday at New Hampshire is wrong and 1pm is when we should be racing at was right. But idk I wanna like you but I see some of this stuff happen and I go damn man why he do that. I think at the tri track Waterford race you put Jake Johnson in the marbles on like lap 30 idk if it was Jake but i saw you do that to someone. Look I like Bobby Santos a lot but when he spun himself and stopped to get a caution at the 2021 Icebreaker I was surprised but at least he only did it once. I’ll never get over Rocco’s spin and win to scam the Thompson 300 win.
All good man. You are free to have your own opinion. Not everyone gonna like me that’s fine. If you ever want to talk in person please feel free to stop by at any race. Also you forgot to point out the loudon wmt race when max stuffed me in the wall on the front stretch on a restart. Guess just me and rocco are the dirty ones.
Tyler,
I’ve watched video multiple times. Pitkat’s tire never came close to getting into the grass. As far as that pass goes, that’s a pretty common type of pass for a Modified race at Star. I’ve seen it plenty of times before.