|
|
|
WOODY PITKAT
CROWNED VALENTI MODIFIED RACING SERIES CHAMPION |
 Woody
Pitkat, of Stafford Springs, Connecticut, was
honored Saturday night, November 7, as the Valenti
Modified Racing Series Champion for the 2015 season.
The event was held at the Best Western Executive Inn
at Manchester, New Hampshire.
Pitkat was joined by car owner Peter Kulessa, crew
chief Greg Felton, and the Patterson Farms race team
for the special presentations. The VMRS championship
was the first for both Pitkat and Kulessa.
In accepting his award Pitkat thanked the Perry
family and Valenti (Auto Group) for all their
support and sponsoring of the series. Pitkat
acknowledged Jack Bateman, the series founder,
saying “thank you for your hard work, time, and
sacrifice, to give us a great affordable series to
race at week in and week out. I admire your
dedication.”
Pitkat also stated winning the series title was his
first ever series championship and he considered it
a special feat. “I may never win another so this one
means a lot.”
He complimented VMRS drivers. “Just because I run
the tour does not put me above anyone. I am a race
driver and so are these guys with this series. I am
grateful for the opportunity to run with them and
compete here. I look at it as another addition to my
resume.”
Kulessa spoke proudly of his first championship.
“It’s unbelievable the guys just worked so hard.
Last year we made the switch to Woody and had top
five finishes. We knew we had a good car and we knew
we had a good driver. This year we were supposed to
run a limited schedule. When July rolled around we
were leading the points so we decided we might as
well give it a shot.”
In addition to the champion, the top 14 drivers were
also recognized for their accomplishments. Runner-up
Chris Pasteryak, Norman Wrenn, Todd Patnode, Todd
Szegedy, Donnie Lashua, Mike Willis Jr, David
Schneider, Dennis Perry, Jon McKennedy, Rowan
Pennink, Dylan Kopec, Russ Hersey, Anthony Nocella,
and Kirk Alexander were recognized.
Annual sponsor and officials awards were also part
of the presentation.
Sunoco Race Fuels Jacket: Woody Pitkat
Thirty Race Care Wear Fire Suit Recipient:
Matt Mead
Magnus Transmissions Rookie of the Year:
Dennis Perry
Jack Competition Engines Most Improved: Carl
Medeiros Jr
Tough Luck Award: Todd Patnode
Sportsmanship Award: Mike Willis Sr
Mechanic of the Year Award: Greg Felton
Dedication To Racing Award: Matt Mead
Bob Polverari Award: Kirk Alexander
Above and Beyond Award: Laura and Jerry
Elliott
Jack Bateman disclosed that 14 races are on the
schedule for 2016 and he anticipates two more dates
to be added in the near future. The series will make
the announcement as soon as those dates are
finalized.
|
Source:
John Spence / Valenti Modified Racing Series
Posted:
November 8, 2015 |
|
|
