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WOODY PITKAT
SCORES FIRST CAREER VALENTI MODIFIED RACING SERIES VICTORY
IN 2nd ANNUAL VMRS 80 AT STAFFORD SPEEDWAY |
The
Valenti Modified Racing Series made its first of
three visits during the 2015 season to Stafford
Motor Speedway for the Inaugural VMRS 80. Taking the
checkered flag was former Stafford SK Modified®
regular and 2003 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
champion Todd Szegedy.
At the drop of the green flag, Keith Rocco took the
lead from the pole, but he was overtaken by Ryan
Preece on lap-2. Dylan Kopec was third in the early
running with Woody Pitkat and Rowan Pennink lined up
behind him.
Rocco retook the lead from Preece on lap-5 but
Preece came right back the next lap and moved back
to the point. The lead changed hands for the third
consecutive lap as Rocco went back to the front on
lap-8. Pitkat got by Kopec to move into third on
lap-9 with Pennink in fifth and Steve Masse sixth.
Preece rode behind Rocco until lap-13 when he took
the lead with a pass in turns 3+4. Pitkat was still
third, with Kopec, Pennink, Masse, Ted Christopher,
Richard Savary, and Donnie Lashua lined up behind
him in a single file train of cars.
Rocco took to the outside groove on lap-20 to move
around Preece and move back into the race lead.
Preece then tried the high groove on lap-21 and he
had enough of a run to beat Rocco back to the line
and lead the lap. Preece then cleared Rocco on
lap-22 while Pitkat, Kopec, Pennink, Masse, and
Christopher continued to run in line behind them.
Things began to settle in as Preece was at the front
of a 9-car train made up of himself, Rocco, Pitkat,
Kopec, Pennink, Masse, Christopher, Savary, and Todd
Szegedy. The order shuffled on lap-31 as Savary and
Szegedy both got around Christopher while at the
front of the pack, the lead changed hands again as
Rocco went back to the lead.
Preece retook the lead on lap-36 but Rocco came
right back on lap-37 to go back out front. Pitkat
was now right on the back bumper of Preece, with
Steve Masse was quietly making a charge towards the
front as he was now up to fourth place behind the
lead trio. Preece went back by Rocco for the lead on
lap-40 and Rocco would surrender second to Pitkat on
lap-47. The caution came out with 50 laps complete
for Pennink, who spun at the exit of turn 2.
Masse and Savary touched on the restart with Savary
sliding through the infield grass and Masse then
spinning in turn 1 to bring the caution right back
out.
Pitkat took the lead back under green with Preece in
second. Rocco was side by side with Szegedy for
third with Kirk Alexander right behind them. A
multicar incident in turn 2 brought the caution out
with 51 laps complete.
Rocco went back to the lead on the restart with
Pitkat second, Pitkat third, Preece fourth, and Todd
Patnode fifth. Pitkat was applying pressure to
Rocco’s back bumper but was unable to make a pass.
Rocco and Pitkat were beginning to pull away from
Szegedy in third in a 2-car fight for the lead.
Pitkat was able to make a pass for the lead on
lap-68 and with 10 laps to go, Rocco was looking
high and low to get back around Pitkat. The caution
came back out with 74 laps complete as Norm Wrenn
took a hard hit into the wall coming out of turn 4.
The order for the restart was Pitkat and Rocco on
the front row, Szegedy and Christopher in the second
row, and Preece and Patnode in the third row. Pitkat
took the lead on the restart with Rocco slotting
into second behind him. Szegedy got by Christopher
for third and Patnode was fifth. Pitkat was able to
hold Rocco off to the checkered flag to pick up his
first Valenti Modified Racing Series feature
victory. Szegedy finished third, with Christopher
and Patnode rounding out the top-5.
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VMRS 80 (80)
1) Woody Pitkat
2) Keith Rocco
3) Todd Szegedy
4) Ted Christopher
5) Todd Patnode
6) Kirk Alexander
7) Rowan Pennink
8) Dan Meservey, Jr.
9) Dylan Kopec
10) Mike Willis, Jr.
11) Richard Savary
12) David Schneider
13) Ryan Preece
14) Donnie Lashua
15) Bobby Drown
16) Matt Mead
17) Dennis Perry
18) Chris Bolton
19) George Sherman
20) Norm Wrenn
21) Roy Seidell, Jr.
22) Charlie Pasteryak
23) Steve Masse
24) Chris Pasteryak
25) Mike Keeler
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Source:
Scott Running /
Stafford Motor Speedway
Posted:
May 22, 2015 |
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