Woody Pitkat Hoping for Another Solid Run in Hillbilly Racing’s #79 in Stafford’s CARQUEST Fall Final
Stafford Springs, CT — For Woody Pitkat, this weekend's CARQUEST Fall Final at Stafford will be a return to where he got started. Pitkat will be behind the wheel of the Sandra Hill owned Hillbilly Racing #79, which is the car that Pitkat made his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut with. Pitkat ran 10 races with the team during the 2007 season with a best finish of third at Mansfield in Ohio. Pitkat rejoined the team last week at New Hampshire, and after qualifying 22nd, he was racing towards a top-5 finish before getting caught up in a spin by Patrick Emerling. Despite the 14th place finish, Pitkat is excited about his chances this weekend at Stafford with how well the team performed in New Hampshire.
"They were all pretty excited," said Pitkat. "Right after the break we got up to third. We wanted to hang out and wait until the end to show what we had, but everyone came out like it was the last lap. We had a real good car, we were a little tighter in the second half of the race than we were in the first half, but the more we ran, the better the car got. That was probably one of the smoothest weekends I've had on the Tour in a long time. It was definitely a weekend that you want to have besides the finish. Our staggers were matched up from the first set of tires to the second set, the car was really good when we unloaded it for practice, I just wish I could have done a little better in time trials. I talked to Sandra Hill after the race was over and she said she was proud of me, I did a nice job, it was nice to see the car up front again, and we got a lot of good publicity on TV, so she asked me if I wanted to be a Hillbilly at Stafford."
Pitkat is on a race-to-race basis with the #79 team, but he knows another good finish will keep him behind the wheel of the #79. Pitkat is also excited to be working with Chris Kopec, who has been helping the Hillbilly Team out.
"Chris Kopec and his guys were helping us out and they're awesome people to work with," said Pitkat. "I think with David Hill and Chris working together and figuring out what the car needs, that's why the team has been running better. With how well Dylan Kopec has been running in the SK Lights this year, Chris is pretty smart with the setup, so that should be another positive for the team heading into Stafford. At New Hampshire, I could have put my two cents in too, but the car was so good, I didn't really have anything to add. It's a race-to-race deal for now. I want to run the last two races and maybe the North/South Shoot-Out with these guys, so there's a little extra pressure on me. I just need to go out and do the best I can."
With Pitkat's experience at Stafford combined with the combination of David Hill and Chris Kopec, all signs are pointing in the right direction for Pitkat to have another good run in the CARQUEST Fall Final.
"I've said all along that Stafford and Thompson, obviously I race weekly and I have a million laps around there, so it should be one of my better tracks," said Pitkat. "Hopefully we can be in the top-5 and it would be awesome to contend for the win, but I'm not going to get greedy. The 79 car was my first full-time ride in 2007, and I think they've seen that I've gotten better and matured since then and the team has gotten better. I'd like to see if I can time trial a little better than I have, have a comfortable car like we did at Loudon, and run in the top-5 all day and be there for the end of the race."
Tickets for the September 29th & Sept. 30th 40th Annual CARQUEST Fall Final Weekend are priced at $38.50 for adult general admission tickets, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, and children ages 5 and under are admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult. Reserved seating will be priced at $42.00 for all ages. All CARQUEST Fall Final tickets are good for admission on both Saturday and Sunday. All ticket prices include 10% CT Admission Tax and Stafford Motor Speedway offers free parking with overnight parking available.
For more information on the 40th Annual CARQUEST Fall Final Weekend, or to order tickets, contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at 860-684-2783 or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com.
Sources: Scott Running/Stafford Motor Speedway PR