Meet the Champions: Woody Pitkat and Stan Mertz Rise to the Top with Sunoco Modified Championship
Heading into the season-ending Sunoco World Series of Speedway racing weekend, Woody Pitkat was in contention to win three Modified championships while driving for three different teams. He won two of the three, including the Sunoco Modified track championship at Thompson Speedway and the Valenti Modified Racing Series. With his success this season, it has built upon his reputation of being one of the top modified drivers in the modern era.
Today, Pitkat is a household name whose talent is sought out by many team owners in a variety of divisions. It wasn’t always that way. Pitkat first started in full-bodied competition in a family owned car in 1996. They scraped together enough money to race and progress up the ladder while winning a few championships along the way. After adding a Thompson Speedway Late Model to the fleet, Pitkat won the 2002 Late Model crown in a car owned by his mother and grandmother.
In 2006, he was presented with the opportunity to drive for a new team owned by Bob Hitchcock and Kelly Iverson in the Sunoco Modified division. At the time, Pitkat was well on his way to becoming one of the more popular drivers in modified country, although nobody knew what to expect with this new combination. It turned out that it was magical as Pitkat earned his first modified championship in his first year driving for Hitchcock at Thompson. Together they won the NASCAR Region IV Championship that same year.
Fast forward to 2015. Pitkat was looking for a ride to start the year when Stan Mertz came knocking. Mertz had been running the Sunoco Modified division as a driver and then decided to step into the role of car owner. The duo had teamed up periodically in 2014 to run on the Tri-Track Modified Series, but 2015 would be their first time competing for a title. History repeated itself and while driving for a new car owner Pitkat again won the championship.
Oddly enough, the Modified Racing Series championship Pitkat won this year was while he drove in the first year competing for Pete Kulessa’s team in that series. Pitkat came up short in the Whelen Modified Tour chase, but he elevated the game of the Buzz Chew owned team since he joined them in 2014 by capturing 3 series wins, the first in the team’s history.
That versatility and success is why owners such as Stan Mertz jump at the opportunity to put Pitkat in their cars.
“I’ve been a Woody fan for many years and to have him drive for me has been very satisfying,” said Mertz.
For Mertz, it was his first bid at a Thompson championship and his nervousness was evident throughout that final race weekend. In the end, his ‘little team that could’ prevailed and won the title.
What makes this championship unique is that in racing there is a common belief that the teams with the most money win all the races. While Mertz provides Pitkat with good equipment to drive, it is a low budget operation. Dedicated people behind the scenes, coupled with the experience of a championship caliber driver, were what made the difference.
This year Pitkat displayed the classic example of winning a championship through consistency. The most disappointing part of the season for the team was not making it to victory lane. They came close to winning several times with 4 runner-up finishes, including one at the World Series where Ryan Preece passed him with 3 laps to go. Pitkat got a wheel to the inside of Preece at the checkered, but it wasn’t enough.
“I really wanted to win today, I thought we had it,” Pitkat said after the race. “I wanted to win and win the championship for these guys who work so hard.”
The Cinderella story of 2015 belongs to the Stan Mertz owned team. Even in a winless season, they can enjoy the championship celebration as the team assembles on Dec. 5 at Mohegan Sun for the Championship Awards Night celebration.
Tickets for the 2015 Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park Banquet can be ordered by calling MaryAnn at the speedway office at (860) 923-2280 or email at oval@thompsonspeedway.com.
Sources: Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park