From Jerry Reigle
PROVIDENCE, RI — There is nothing like adding another notch to the belt for a race car driver.
That’s exactly what Woody Pitkat, 31, of Stafford, Conn., will be doing on February 5 when the Three Quarter (TQ) Midgets will visit the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, R.I., for the annual running of the Coffee Cup.
“It’ll be interesting,” said Pitkat who finished second to Keith Rocco in the ’10 SK-Modified point standings at Stafford Motor Speedway. “It’s another notch in the belt.”
Pitkat will drive a TQ-Midget prepared by indoor expert Lou Cicconi.
“I know that I am getting in a good ride,” Pitkat said. “Lou has a great reputation for putting great cars on the race track and I am anxious for this opportunity.
“I read in Area Auto Racing News (a national auto racing trade publication) a few weeks ago that Lou might have a second car available. So I gave him a call. He told me I could run it as long as he didn’t sell it. He gave me a call back a few weeks ago and asked me if I wanted to drive it in Providence.”
Of course, Pitkat’s response was an immediate yes.
“A few years ago, I went to Atlantic City to help out Bobby Santos III,” Pitkat said. “We had to do work on the car, so I got involved and helped them fix it. I think Lou remembers me from back then and that’s one of the reasons why he offered me the ride.”
The race will be Pitkat’s first foray on a tight indoor racing ring.
“I never drove a Quarter Midget or anything small like that,” Pitkat said. “I had a 4-wheeler and I always raced that around, but I never drove a Midget or anything.
“It’ll be pretty crazy. Looking at the race from my angle, I think it is 90 percent luck and 10 percent skill. Hopefully, it’ll be a fun experience. I’m not going to say that I’m going to go and win. I just want to get the car in the show and have fun.”
“He’s in for quite an experience,” said Cicconi, a multi-time TQ-Midget feature winner. “He’ll be working the wheel, dodging cars, accelerating and braking many times during a lap. There is nothing like the close and competitive racing you get from racing indoors.”
The Coffee Cup event returns with enthusiasm from the local crowd.
Mike Stefanik of Coventry, R.I., is the defending champion of the event. He did so only after making his indoor debut less than a year before.
“Winning that event was pretty incredible and it meant a lot,” Stefanik said. “The caliber and variety of drivers who attend the indoor events makes it a unique feat to win. Last year, you had the best in the TQ-Midget business, but there was guys like dirt Modified driver Billy Pauch, Indy 500 veteran Davey Hamilton and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver David Reutimann.”
Although the allure of big-league drivers makes the race an experience, it’s the local presence that draws the experience.
Former NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Ted Christopher of Plainville, Conn., is a regular entry on the indoor TQ-Midget series.
Christopher won the return of sanctioned racing to Rhode Island in March of 2010. Christopher has also claimed indoor events at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.
NEMA (Northeast Midget Association) Midget ace Randy Cabral is an early entry for the upcoming Coffee Cup race, as well. Cabral has competed indoors before and enjoys the atmosphere.
“It’s exciting from the driver’s seat so I can only imagine what it’s like for the fans in watching us do battle on a hockey rink,” Cabral said.
Of course, Cicconi, the defending champion of the Gambler’s Classic at Boardwalk Hall, is seeking his first ever victory at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center as is indoor ace Joey Payne, who will drive a TQ-Midget owned by Jim “Timex” Morgan, a former professional bullrider turned race car driver.
The Coffee Cup will include the TQ-Midgets and Senior Champ Karts in a one-day event on February 5. Race time begins at 7 p.m.
Tickets for the Coffee Cup are available at the Dunkin’ Donuts box office, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000.