Woody Pitkat Looking to Get 2014 Season Back on Positive Track at Stafford in Call Before You Dig 811 150
Stafford Springs, CT — The Call Before You Dig 811 150 that is scheduled for August 8th at Stafford Motor Speedway will kick off the second half of the 2014 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season. As the second half of the 2014 NWMT season gets started, one driver who will be looking to change their fortunes around is Woody Pitkat, driver of the #88 Buzz Chew Chevrolet.
Pitkat and the #88 team began the 2014 season with a strong effort, winning the pole for the season opening race and scoring top-7 finishes in each of the first four races of the year. After the Waterford race in June, Pitkat was fourth in the points standings and only 8 points behind Justin Bonsignore, who was the points leader at that stage of the season. Since that time, Pitkat has recorded three consecutive finishes of 20th or worse, which have dropped him from fourth down to tenth place in the standings, 58 points behind Doug Coby. If there is one track where Pitkat can turn his fortunes around, it would be Stafford, which is his home track.
“We got caught up in a wreck at Riverhead, the motor broke in Loudon, and the rear end broke at Monadnock, so it hasn’t been very fun,” said Pitkat. “As long as the car stays together, we’ve been pretty good everywhere we went. Going back to my home track, the confidence level is going to be high. We were good at Stafford in the first two races so I know we’ll be good, we just have to get the monkey off of our backs. It’s a whole lot easier to drop down in points than to climb back up. We definitely need to start turning this ship around and start sailing the right way. A win would be very nice for us. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be winning and time trialing in the top-10 everywhere we go. I run good at Stafford, Thompson, and Bristol, so we have some good tracks coming up on the schedule and it’s time to stay up there and finish the season strong.”
As the NWMT comes to Stafford for the Call Before You Dig 811 150, Coby currently leads the championship standings by 4 points over Bonsignore, who won the series’ most recent race at Monadnock Speedway. Two other Stafford SK Modified® drivers, Ted Christopher and Ryan Preece,currently sit fourth and fifth in the championship standings with Christopher 13 points behind and Preece 33 points behind Coby. With Pitkat currently 10thin the NWMT points, that makes 4 Stafford SK Modified® regulars in the top-10 of the NWMT championship standings.
Pitkat’s words about being tough to climb back upwards in the points standings may prove to be prophetic, at least when the Tour comes to Stafford. Since the 2010 NAPA Spring Sizzler, Coby and Bobby Santos, III, who is currently third in the NWMT points standings, have combined to win 11 of the last 18 NWMT races held at Stafford. Their mastery of the Connecticut half-mile oval has continued in 2014 with Santos winning the NAPA Spring Sizzler in April and then Coby was victorious in the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 in June. Bonsignore has two top-5 finishes at Stafford in 2014 as well, so it will be tough for Pitkat and the remainder of the NWMT field to gain ground on the top-3 drivers in the standings if those drivers continue their strong Stafford performances in the Call Before You Dig 811 150.
Tickets for the Call Before You Dig 811 150 are available and on sale now at the Speedway Box Office, or online at www.staffordspeedway.com. Tickets are priced at $33.00 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 is priced at $35.00 for all ages. All ticket prices include 10% CT Admission Tax. Stafford Motor Speedway offers plenty of free parking along with overnight parking in self-contained Recreational Vehicles.
For more information on the Call Before You Dig 811 150, 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