Stan Mertz Racing to Open 2021 Season at Monadnock Speedway

WHITINSVILLE, Mass. — After a long offseason, Stan Mertz Racing will open the 2021 season on Saturday, May 1, at Monadnock Speedway in New Hampshire. With driver Woody Pitkat at the controls, the team is set to compete in the opener of the Tri Track Open Modified Series season. It will be the first of 10 planned races for Stan Mertz Racing this calendar year, and will begin the quest for the championship on the competitive Tri Track circuit.

The team is also coming off a pre-season test session at Seekonk Speedway on April 27.

“The competition at the Tri Track Series this year is going to be at an all-time high,” Pitkat said. “Each year with Stan we have been getting better and better, and he spared nothing over the winter with the motor and the car, recovering from our wreck at Stafford Motor Speedway last year. We had a few gremlins on the test day at Seekonk, but that’s why we went there. We threw some setup stuff at the car and it really woke it up. I’m looking forward to getting going again with the group. We are well prepared — even more prepared than last year.”

Stan Mertz Racing, owned by Stan Mertz, competes in the Tri Track Open Modified Series and Stafford Motor Speedway Open Modified races. Mertz, who started driving himself in the Seekonk Speedway Sport Trucks and Pro 4 Modified division, transferred to the Modified ranks in 2013. In 2015, he decided to turn into a full-time car owner, choosing Pitkat to drive the car. Pitkat, who is second on the Stafford all-time wins list, helped earn the team the Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park Sunoco Modified championship in 2015, and has been the driver ever since. Pitkat and Mertz scored their most recent victory in the Twisted Tea Open Modified 80 at Stafford in the summer of 2020 against some of the toughest competition in the region.

Sponsors of the team include Twisted Tea, Truly Hard Seltzer, Axis Engineering Group, Black and White Grille (Spencer, MA), TowBoatUS, Cape Towing & Salvage, J&S Motors, Pomfret Wine & Spirits, Mike Holmes & Son Excavating, Earnest Performance Shocks & Kenneth Blackmer Transport.

The team is also planning to chase the Call Before You Dig Modified Challenge, which has a $8,111 prize to the driver who earns the most points combined between the Tri Track Open Modified Series and Stafford Motor Speedway Open Modified events.

Saturday’s stop at Monadnock Speedway begins with practice from 2-3 p.m., followed by qualifying heat races at 5 p.m. The Wonder Casino 100 for the Tri Track Open Modified Series will follow and can be seen live on Speed51.TV.

For more information on Stan Mertz Racing, follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and visit stanmertzracing.com