Open Modified cars returned to Stafford Motor Speedway on Friday 7th June for the GAF Roofing Open 80 for their fourth of five visits of the 2023 season. Woody Pitkat started at the front and spent all night among the top 2 or top 3 cars, but had to fend off a strong opponent from George Bessette Jr. in the final ten laps of the race to cross the checkered flag.
Woody Pitkat took the lead early in the GAF 80 while George Bessette Jr. finished in second place behind Pitkat. Ronnie Williams was third, Matt Galko fourth and Anthony Bello fifth. Williams was looking to secure second ahead of Bessette when the caution ended after four laps as Joey Mucciacciaro and Matt Gallo spun at Turn 1 and Mucciacciaro hobbled back into the pit lane with a flat right front tire.
Pitkat took the lead at the restart with Bessette, Williams, Galko and Bello lined up behind him. Just behind Bello, the duo of Glen Reen and Joey Cipriano were fighting wheel-to-wheel for sixth place and were still side by side on Lap 8 when Teddy Hodgdon nearly made a 3-way pass out of Turn 4, but he pulled out curve back move. Cipriano pulled away from Reen on lap 10 while Hodgdon was seventh and dropped Reen to eighth. The warning came back after 19 laps when Reen spun out of turn 4.
Bessette took the lead at the restart while Pitkat dropped to second. Williams remained third, with Hodgdon fourth and Galko fifth. Chris Pasteryak was sixth while Cipriano, Eric Goodale, Todd Owen and Glen Reen made up the top 10. When Austin Bessette spun at Turn 2, the warning came back after 29 laps.
Bessette was again the leader under green, closely followed by Pitkat. Williams, Hodgdon and Pasteryak were the new top 5 while Cipriano, Goodale, Reen, Owen and Tyler Barry made up the top 10.
Bessette began to increase his lead over Pitkat as the race neared halftime while Pasteryak passed Williams in the battle for fourth place. After 45 laps the order was Bessette, Pitkat, Hodgdon, Williams and Pasteryak. Debris on the track raised the warning flag again after 50 laps.
Due to the warning, the field came into the pits for a new tire or two and adjustments. Pitkat won the race away from the pit lane, followed by Hodgdon, Bessette, Pasteryak, Williams, Kurt Vigeant, Goodale, Reen, Cipriano, Buddy Charette and Tyler Barry. Matt Galko fell behind and would be the leader at the restart, alongside Pitkat on the front row and Hodgdon and Bessette on the second row.
Galko took the lead at the restart, while Hodgdon and Pitkat were wheel-to-wheel in second, with Pasteryak and Bessette wheel-to-wheel behind them in fourth. Just behind the two side-by-side duos were Williams and Reen in sixth and seventh. The Pitkat/Hodgdon duo caught up with Galko on lap 54, but Galko was able to fend off both riders’ attacks before Pitkat retreated back to third behind Galko and Hodgdon. Hodgdon caught up with Galko again on lap 58 and took the lead at the finish line. Pitkat moved up to second behind Hodgdon and almost took the lead from Hodgdon on lap 60 before falling back to second. Bessette won the match with Pasteryak for third place, Galko was now back in fifth place.
Pitkat and Bessette both passed Hodgdon on lap 64, moving up to first and second and dropping Hodgdon to third, just ahead of Pasteryak in fourth. With ten laps to go, the order was Pitkat, Bessette, Hodgdon, Pasteryak, Reen, Galko, Williams, Cipriano, Charette and Austin Bessette. Bessette chased Pitkat for the last 10 laps but didn’t get close enough to secure the lead as Pitkat took the checkered flag and won the GAF Roofing 80. Hodgdon was third, with Pasteryak and Reen completing the top five.
For more information, contact the Stafford Motor Speedway route office at (860) 684-2783 or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com.
Stafford Speedway PR
www.speedwaydigest.com
https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/speedway-news/79272-woody-pitkat-wins-gaf-roofing-open-80-at-stafford-speedway
