Since taking over the No. 79 car last September, Woody Pitkat and Hillbilly Racing have developed a special chemistry.
Woody Pitkat won the Tour-Type Modified championship at New Smyrna during Speedweeks.
There’s no better feeling than when a driver and his new race team prove to be the right fit from the outset.
Since taking over the No. 79 car last September, Woody Pitkat and Hillbilly Racing have developed a special chemistry, one that both parties hope leads to a special 2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.
The Hillbillies headed South two weeks ago to tackle the prestigious World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna Beach, Fla. Many Modified teams make the annual pilgrimage to see what more work needs to be done for when the Northeast racing season begins in early April.
Pitkat and crew didn’t just ride around. They won three of their six starts and won the championship in the Tour Type Modified Division. If that success continues, Pitkat could be a contender for his first Whelen Modified Tour championship.
“We hit it off pretty good right away. Everybody’s super-excited,” Pitkat said Wednesday in a phone interview. “I knew we were going to go down there and run well.”
How well was still unknown until Pitkat, 33, won the first feature on Feb. 15. From there, the Stafford Springs, Conn., driver finished third, first twice, third and second to hold off veteran Chuck Hossfeld for the title.
Racing with Hossfeld for a week was an honor for Pitkat, who considers the Buffalo, N.Y., driver one of his influences.
“With what he has accomplished at New Smyrna over the years, it was fun racing with him,” Pitkat said. “We have a lot of respect for each other.”
Pitkat’s crew chief, David Hill, even kept Hossfeld in the competition by lending him a spare rear-end gear to fix his that was broken. Top contender Ted Christopher had his Speedweeks conclude early after blowing an engine, so having Hossfeld remain in the field was important, even if Pitkat was initially skeptical.
“Knowing that he was the guy I was going to have to beat for the championship, I was a little in the air about helping him,” Pitkat said.
In between races at New Smyrna, Pitkat took part in the ill-fated UNOH Batttle at the Beach at Daytona International Speedway, finishing 12th in the caution-marred exhibition race. Television viewers and those at the track might not have enjoyed it, but Pitkat sees it from a different perspective.
“If you show up at a place and you’re running good, you’re obviously not going to complain as much about it,” Pitkat said. “I’m sure for watching it on TV, with all the cautions, it obviously must not have been that good to watch.”
While finishing 12th in a non-points race is one thing, finishing at least that high once the real season begins will require the same level of commitment that was shown at New Smyrna, if not more.
Pitkat has run just three Tour races in the Westfield, N.C.-based No. 79 car, including a runner-up showing at the Fall Final at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway, which was enough for team owner Sandra Hill to offer him the ride full-time for 2013.
“They were tickled to death,” Pitkat said. “They were happy to see the car go forward rather than backward.”
The Tour will be Pitkat’s first priority in 2013, but his dance card is as full as ever. He plans to pursue that elusive first SK Modified title at Stafford, with car owner Steve Greer’s Gunsmoke Stables team, along with a Late Model ride at the same track. At Thompson International Speedway, Pitkat will continue to run Jimmy Page’s Sunoco Modified.
Greer also has a Valenti Modified Racing Series car, in which Pitkat will run select events. Pitkat’s Late Model owner also has a car that is being converted to race on the American Canadian Tour, which has a race at Thompson this season.
“I’ve got a lot on my plate, but I don’t want to spread myself too thin,” Pitkat said. “I obviously want to make the Tour car my priority.”
The school bus mechanic has a 5-year-old daughter, and fatherhood has certainly led to some maturity from the charismatic and carefree young driver who used to change hair colors on almost a weekly basis.
“My daughter just turned 5. My girlfriend has a good job,” Pitkat said. “But I know I have to start living reality and live the real world. We’re just going to go by this year and do the best we can.”