MODIFIED MINUTE

THE MODIFIED MINUTE – EPISODE 17- HEY TONY KANAAN YOUR SK RIDE IS WAITING

• Jack Arute

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The greatest stories in Modified racing are back!

Welcome to another edition of The Modified Minute, where every week we celebrate the greatest form of short-track racing on the planet—Modified Racing.

Host Jack Arute takes you through another action-packed episode featuring one of the biggest racing weekends of the summer, unforgettable personalities, and the traditions that make Modified racing unlike anything else.


🏁 THIS WEEK ON THE SHOW

🎙️ Crew Call – Dan Avery
Dan Avery's passion for Modified racing began as a youngster watching the legendary quarter-mile at Riverside Park Speedway. More than four decades later, Dan and Horsepower Hill Farms have become one of the sport's most respected names. He shares stories from a lifetime in Modified racing—and discusses the possibility of an IndyCar legend making a surprise appearance behind the wheel of one of Avery's SK Modifieds.

🌭 Hot Dog of the Week – Shawn Waddell
Some heroes never appear on the scoring monitor. Veteran spotter Shawn Waddell earns this week's honor after once again proving why he's one of the very best, helping Troy Talman expertly navigate traffic to capture back-to-back Stafford Speedway victories, including the prestigious CBYD Senator's Cup.

⭐ Racer Spotlight – Woody Pitkat
One of New England's most accomplished Modified racers joins us for this week's Racer Spotlight. With more than 100 career victories and a Spring Sizzler championship on his résumé, Woody Pitkat reflects on an incredible racing career and explains why watching his son, Bryce, race has become even more rewarding than competing himself.

👑 SK Soundings – A New King Is Crowned
The annual King of the Crates event produced a new ruler of the SK Light division as Robert Bloxom III claimed the crown with a dominant performance. The robe, the crown, the scepter—and the bragging rights—now belong to the newest King of the Crates.

Plus, we'll recap one of the biggest race weekends of the summer and bring you the latest news from the world of Modified racing.

If you love Stafford Speedway, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, SK Modifieds, SK Lights, SMART Modified Tour, Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series, and grassroots short-track racing, you've come to the right place.

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💬 Leave a comment and tell us your favorite moment from the weekend.
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#ModifiedMinute #ModifiedRacing #StaffordSpeedway #NASCARModified #WhelenModifiedTour #SKModified #SKLights #WoodyPitkat #DanAvery #RobertBloxomIII #ShawnWaddell #ShortTrackRacing #GrassrootsRacing #Motorsports



SPEAKER_11

We are now clear this week on the modified minute.

SPEAKER_01

You know, growing up doing those limited delay models at Stafford, we always were watching Teddy Christopher and Ryan Priest, Ronnie Williams, Rowan Pennick, and you know, I grew up wanting to be like those guys and you know watching them drive.

SPEAKER_10

The first Friday night I didn't have a ride. I was down there helping Michael Bennett change the transmission, and I went up in the stands to watch, you know, a race, and I watched like 10 laps. I'm like, yeah, I'm going home because I feel like I should be out there.

SPEAKER_08

So what would be fun is to have um you know somebody like from the cup series or whatever, maybe you know come in and give it a shot and just have a little fun with it. Or even uh even the indie car series, right? Well, let me interrupt.

SPEAKER_05

Let me interrupt because uh I have been working on a deal with my good friend Tony Kanan, the 2013 Indy 500 champion, and it's now that he's so deeply immersed as the team principal at McLaren, his available days are quite limited. But uh he's gonna come to Stafford over the course of the next two years, and he's going to drive an SK modified.

SPEAKER_08

Well, we got a third car that we can put together. There you go.

SPEAKER_05

You gotta wrap it in McLaren papaya.

SPEAKER_08

There you go. That's no problem at all.

SPEAKER_11

All that plus hot dog of the week, radio replay, and either or. So tighten those belts because this week's modified minute is next. They're called the mod squad. Ground pounders. The men that live by the grace of God and 600 horsepower.

SPEAKER_12

Here they come to the strike, down to the finish, you're up to hell. Here comes the inside. Here comes John Fiddy Jr.

SPEAKER_11

And off the corner to the mode comes. This is the Modified Minute. Go inside the world of modified racing with Jack O'Root. Modified Minute is brought to you by Wadell Communications, the official draft type radio supplier for the mod squad. By mid-state type development, safety, knowledge, and innovation. By Wheeler's Auto Services, the finest and top-level service of premier automobile makes and modeled. By Humble Brothers, Quality Meets. 100% quality since 1933. By Riverhead Building Supply. Build smarter. Build better. By Mr. Wheeler Plumbing. Expert plumbing contractors you can trust. By Design Pro. Exceeding your expectations. And by Ferguson Contractors, building excellence since 1925. Here's Jack.

SPEAKER_05

Welcome to another edition of the Modified Minute, where every week we celebrate the greatest form of short track racing on the planet. Modified racing. I'm Jack Aroot, and have we got another action-packed show ahead for you. This week we'll take you through a weekend that featured some of the biggest races of the summer on this week's crew call. I sit down with a man whose passion for modified racing began as a youngster watching the legendary quarter-mile drivers at the Riverside Park Speedway. More than four decades later, Dan Avery and Horsepower Hill Farms remain one of the sport's most respected names. We'll hear the stories behind a lifetime dedicated to modified racing, as well as a possible celebrity appearance by an IndyCar champion in one of Avery's SKs. In our Hot Dog of the Week, we recognize someone whose work never appears on the scoring monitor, but can make all the difference when the race is on the line. Veteran spotter Sean Waddell once again proved why he's one of the very best, helping Troy Talman navigate traffic and score back-to-back Stafford victories, including this past weekend's coveted Senator's Cup. Then it's time for this week's Racer Spotlight, featuring one of New England's most accomplished modified racers, Woody Pitcat. With more than 100 career victories and a Spring Sizzler trophy among his many accomplishments, Woody sits down and reflects on his remarkable career and why watching his son Bryce may be even more rewarding than climbing into the driver's seat himself. And in SK Soundings, we'll celebrate a new king. The annual King of the Great event has crowned Robert Blaxon III as the newest ruler of the SK Lights. After an impressive performance earned him the robe, the crown, the scepter, and the bragging rights. So buckle up the stories, the personalities, the traditions, and the best racing in America. They're all straight ahead. But first, we've got to get you up to speed.

SPEAKER_11

Time to get you up to speed in the modified world. Up to speed is brought to you by Mid-State Site Development. Mid-State safety, knowledge, and innovation.

SPEAKER_05

This week's action kicked off at the Stafford Speedway Friday night with the annual running of their CBYB 811 Senators Cup. First up, the SK Lights for their 20-lap.

SPEAKER_04

Down to the bottom, we've got a lead change.

SPEAKER_13

Yeah, bottom shot there for Nick and Glaze. He's got such a good run coming off aboard. He will take the lead at the line.

SPEAKER_04

White flag is out. Ben Morrison in that third position. He's done everything possible to hold on. Down the back straightaway, Nick and Glaze looks for another victory here at Stafford.

SPEAKER_05

Then it was time for the second leg in the time pro triple crown. It was the 50 lap senator's cut.

SPEAKER_13

Up front, though, Keith Rocco's on the back bumper of Talman. Troy Talman is able to take it off at turn two. Heavy protection headed into turn three. And Todd Owen, oh, contact there with Ryan Arducci. Big contact in the middle of turn three and four. Diving to the inside, it's a drag race down the back straightaway. Keith Rocco's got the inside position, middle of three and four. Troy Talman oh tries to cross them and what? Oh turn four! That's Josh Zen taking the A-card that went for a wild ride and almost cleared the wall.

SPEAKER_04

Wow, what an impressive victory! Troy Talman, back-to-back victory, end of winning four here at Stafford.

SPEAKER_06

Um, you know, it's uh I I I'm really fortunate to be driving a car like this. Um, you know, the greatest drive in the world won't do much without a piece on room. And I got a rocket shift the sixth car. Um, so yeah, it just feels great.

SPEAKER_05

The next night at Waterford, the SK Modified took the shoreline over for their feature where Jonathan Puglio put his Mr. Rooter number seven solidly into victory lane. While down on Long Island at Riverhead Raceway, their crepe modified for the headliner.

unknown

Oh.

SPEAKER_00

He's got about a straightaway lead to second place behind him. Makes its way down the back straightaway into three-and-four for the final time. And your Eagles Chevrolet Crepe Modified 50 Twitter is 80.

SPEAKER_05

But it was New Hampshire's Monadnock Speedway that was in the spotlight as the Whaler Modified Door completed their Granite State swing with the fool of the dog too.

SPEAKER_04

John McKevin is already the guy in the end, but Beers is still showing a lot of potential and muscle on the outside. John McKevin comes back down, fitches it off. It is still beard, still the heavy, but it's McCavity. I have found well literally look at that display to the right. The back end of the car is just around. But we've got a first week change of the event. Well, fears look good, but every look even quicker. Still go to the outside and beers got flux.

SPEAKER_03

Wait, we went battle up to run.

SPEAKER_04

It is beers, beers close up just a bit that is everything back to leave four clock. It's heavy budget to head down to back straight away.

SPEAKER_03

And three one thousand to the second with everything out from it. One left to go. Into the corner he goes up to the back straight away for the final time. Looking for three in a row and twelve career on the NASCAR wheel and modified door. What a roll he's been on as a great Patrick Emerald.

SPEAKER_05

And now you are truly up to speed.

SPEAKER_11

Here's a look at the championship cases. Brought to you by SteinPro, exceeding your expectations.

SPEAKER_05

The Monaco Tri-Track series and the Smart Modified Tour were off this past weekend. So Jonathan McKennedy remains atop the Tri-Track Stanley, while Danny Bone leads Ryan Newman in the Smart Modified Series. Troy Dalman's Senators Cup win, Move Giving is the top spot in the Sign Pro Triple Crown Challenge. Keith Rocco is four points back, followed by Glenn Reen and Andrew Muller, and Jonathan Bullio. The Triple Crown's final leg takes the green flag on August 7th with the running of the Stafford SK 5K. Patrick Emmerling's third consecutive modified tour victory strengthened his lead in those stins. Austin Bears trails by 10 with Jonathan. Austin Beers trails by 10 with Jonathan McKennedy and Stephen Kopsick tied for third. Eric Goodale rounds out the top five. Next up for the Reel of Modified Tour is the Thompson Motorsports Park event on Wednesday, August 5th. The Thompson 150 presented by Flowsports.com. Dan Avery's love for modified racing started in the shadow of a wooden roller coaster when his dad and his uncle would take him to the Riverside Park Speedway to watch the modified on the quarter mile. From there, he ventured into the sport as a driver and an owner. His horsepower hill farms operation has been a modified mainstay for more than four decades. He is the focus of this week's Crew Call.

SPEAKER_11

Time to drop in at the race shop and get the inside dope from the guys who twist the wrenches. It's Crew Call. Brought to you by Ferguson Contractors, building excellence since 1925.

SPEAKER_05

Well, joining me now is a longtime supporter of modified racing, former racer and current racer himself. He has fielded cars for some of the top shoes in modified racing. But like most of us, who grew up in the Connecticut Valley, the Connecticut River Valley area, his first exposure was at an amusement park that happened to have a quarter mile racetrack, the Riverside Park Speedway. We're talking about Dan Avery. Dan, your dad and his brother used to take you to the races there, and you'd sit in the stands as a youth. Who were your heroes at Riverside Park?

SPEAKER_08

Well, uh, going there as a child, uh, you know, growing up with the big names like Buddy Krebs and Ed Patno and Danny Gululo and those guys back in the sixties and that, um I I became a big fan of Wild Bill Abreco. He was my hero, and uh I actually got to meet him as time went by, and it's uh great honor to uh to have spent a little time with him later in his life and and my life as well.

SPEAKER_05

So then, as you grew older, you know, you went to work like most folks, you began to build some businesses, but along the way you decided that you were gonna strap your butt in a race car. How'd that happen?

SPEAKER_08

Yeah, that was of course, you know, once I got the bug from watching uh drivers at the park, and uh as a child, you know, eight, nine, ten years old, I I I had such a strong passion for the racing game that I would envision myself driving those cars, you know, you know, the imagination of a kid, you know.

SPEAKER_05

Oh yeah, oh yeah.

SPEAKER_08

And and then uh as time went by, I actually started my racing career in snowmobile racing, uh, you know, 15, 16, 17 years old, and got pretty good at it, but still had that drive, wanted to be a a race car driver. And a friend of mine that I I got to know through snowmobile racing Tommy Hughes, you may have r heard that name from the old Plainville Stadium days. And um he said, Oh Dan, you you gotta you gotta get into a race car, it's so much easier and safer, and you'll have a lot of fun, and I know you'll do good at it. And it's like, oh well, it just seemed unattainable, you know. And then uh late 70s, 78, 79, I guess it was 78, I you know, I'd be going to Stafford watching uh limited sportsman's run, and I thought, well, that might be, you know, maybe I could you know, I was getting a little a little older where I could do things on my own. I had my driver license, and I was in my early twenties and uh I I started thinking about maybe I could do a limited sportsman and I over the winter of seventy-eight to seventy-nine I uh saw an ad for an ex-Mike Stefanic, Limited Sportsman, and I purchased that for fifteen hundred bucks.

SPEAKER_05

Wow.

SPEAKER_08

And my dad and I built a motor in the in in the basement and uh I started racing in 1979, so it was kind of a I was like a fish out of water, man. I didn't even know what the hell I was doing.

SPEAKER_05

Well, you're like so many that climbed up through the ladder, and then I'm gonna take you back when uh the Stafford Speedway decided to depart from the unlimited modified in a well uh at least according to my late father, in a cost-cutting move, they devised what was soon to be known as the SK modified. You were one of the first in line to get on board with the SK modified concept. Why?

SPEAKER_08

Yeah, it was pretty wild. I was actually I remember being at the first meeting, he called a meeting up at the clubhouse, and a bunch of us showed up there, and uh it was quite an interesting he he already had built a concept of what it was gonna be for the engines, and the basic car was gonna be the old hand-me-down modified from the bigger guys, and uh with some cost-cutting measures, which I didn't 100% agree with, but your dad knew what he was doing. And um so you know, one thing led to another, and and actually I remember them circulating a piece of paper looking for suggestions on what to call this new series. And basically I think they got they all got thrown out, and I don't know how the I I really don't know how the uh an AM SK came about precisely, but the next thing I know it was announced it's gonna be called SK Modified. And uh I was in the first race, the inaugural, and actually had a good car, and I was actually leading that race and it overheated. I'm I I regret that night so much because I was would have been the one to have the inaugural win for that series, but I ended up coming back, winning the second and third race of that series, and it was pretty it was pretty cool. It was it was and it was a good season, and I think we all learned a lot with the SKs. And look at the success today.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah. Through the years, you continued to drive. Now you've you've kind of slowed down a little bit, but when you look at Horsepower Hill and the Avery name at Stafford with SKs, you have had probably the greatest, most well-known, most successful drivers at one time or another in their career strapped into one of your SKs.

SPEAKER_08

Yeah, it's been an honor to have uh, you know, guys like uh Chase Donling and uh Woody Pickett and now Keith Rocco and Glenn Reen. I mean uh it's a it's a great stable of guys right now. I mean we're we're having some good success and uh happy to be there, you know. It's it's a lot of hard work and uh but we love it, you know, it's what we've done all our life, and uh got a group good group of guys around me right now, and uh everybody's working hard and we got good sponsorship with PJ Ladola and Avery Construction and and the list goes on and on and on and the participants are are are endless. It's it's it's a it's a it's a good fun time right now.

SPEAKER_05

Dan, is there one driver that has not driven one of your cars that you would just absolutely love to see get in an Avery construction modified?

SPEAKER_08

Um actually there's there's a host of good drivers there, and hate to actually put anybody on a short list right now to start any controversies or or anything like that. But uh yeah, there's there's actually some good talent out there, and you know, when and if that day or opportunity comes, you know, we'll we're gonna jump on it. Aside from that, what would be fun is to have uh you know somebody like from the cup series or whatever, maybe you know, come in and give it a shot and just have a little fun with it. Or e even uh even the indie car series, right? Well, let me interrupt you. Let me interrupt you. Yeah, go ahead.

SPEAKER_05

Because uh I have been working on a deal with my good friend Tony Kanan, the 2013 Indy 500 champion, and it's now that he's so deeply immersed as the team principal at McLaren, his available days are quite limited. But uh he's gonna come to Stafford over the course of the next two years, and he's going to drive an SK modified.

SPEAKER_08

Well, we got a third car that we could put together.

SPEAKER_05

There you go. But you gotta wrap it, you gotta wrap it in McLaren papaya.

SPEAKER_08

There you go. That's no problem at all. No problem at all. No, no, we can do that. Yeah, we we got a good top, another another uh Michael Sullivan's right now putting it together. So, you know, he he builds a quality piece and and uh that thing should be ready. We just we're waiting for the motor and Mike's putting the car together as we speak. And if uh we get that thing done at at the appropriate times it would be fun to have Tony in there.

SPEAKER_05

We'll jump on it.

SPEAKER_08

Listen, is this your golf game? Yeah, pretty much. It's you you wouldn't want to see my golf game because uh every time I hit I I hit the ball, it it drives down to the ground, it doesn't go anywhere. So I'm not much of a golfer.

SPEAKER_05

So tell me the fulfillment that you get. Is it different as an owner than it is as a driver, or is the juice the same?

SPEAKER_08

It's quite different, actually. There's there's no juice like being the driver. And uh, you know, I I watch some of the crew members that get over the top excited in the infield when controversy hits on their particular team or whatever on a particular night, and I sit there, I'm pretty calm watching my cars and my team operate because there's nothing like being the driver and being on the chip and uh having your nerves on end or whatever to compare to being a crew chief or a crew member. It's like I don't I don't get too worked up watching the cars because I know what can happen and it's it's between the drivers, you know. And uh yeah, it's it's definitely a different it's a different adrenaline rush. It's mild by comparison to being a driver, but it's still a good time. And you know, as you get later in life, you gotta accept it. And it's like, hey, I'm still having fun, I'm involved in the sport that I love, and you know, we're we're just we just keep on doing it.

SPEAKER_05

Well, you and Glenn Reen are are kind of knocking on all cylinders here just last Friday night, finished on the podium, some exciting runs, and uh, you know, this is the this is not the first tour of duty by Glenn, but I love the story that you have shared in the past. When you were first started in SK racing, a little tyke came up and asked for an autograph and posed with a picture with you, and lo and behold, many years later, we all discovered that it was Glenn Reen.

SPEAKER_08

Yeah, that's an interesting story. I think he was maybe seven. Eight, nine years old, or something like that. We were at a car show at Porter and Chester Institute was when they were sponsoring me. And um I I I just we had so much invested his time and money in the car, and I didn't really want to have anybody sitting in the car, touching the pedals, messing with the buttons, or anything like that. And this kid kept coming up to me and saying, Can I sit in your car? Can I sit in your car? Can I sit in your car? I go, Listen, little dude, you gotta you're gonna have to wait until everybody leaves. I'll let you sit in the car, but don't touch any pedals or buttons. He goes, I can't touch the pedals. Look at my legs are so short, I can't touch any pedals. So finally, at the end, you know, in the end of the day or whatever, we got him in the car, set him in the car, and took a picture. And he's he hung on to that picture all those years. And when I came back SK racing in 2010, he was he was racing in the SKs. So we did the same pose with him sitting in the car as an adult. It was just pretty wild. We did a before and after shot. It was pretty cool.

SPEAKER_05

Well, listen, uh uh I really am very, very happy that you decided to join me here on the modified minute. As I said when we brought you on board, you played a pioneering and instrumental and continuing part of the four decades success of the SK Modified. And while, like me, you may have started at Riverside Park. Stafford Motor Speedway has become your home. Thanks so much for joining me today.

SPEAKER_08

Appreciate it. Love having being on the show and love your podcast. That's a great thing.

SPEAKER_05

You heard from Sean Waddell last week as he broke down a spotter's role in modified racing, right? Well, Waddell put his years of experience to the test again this week.

SPEAKER_11

It's now time to reveal this week's Modified Minute Hot Dog of the Week. Someone who stood above the rest. Brought to you by Hummel Brothers, Quality Meets. The top dog in modified racing. 100% quality since 1933.

SPEAKER_03

Off of turn number four, checker flag is out, and Troy Talman wins tonight's SK modified feature event.

SPEAKER_05

When Troy Talman took the SK honors a couple of weeks ago, you got to ride with him and his spotter Sean Waddell right into victory lane. This time around, the challenge was different, but the secret weapon remained the same. While Troy and Keith Rocco traded the lead, it was Troy Spotter who found the hole, guided his driver to a second consecutive victory. This time in the CBYD Call Before You Dick Senator's Cut.

SPEAKER_04

Off turn number four. Wow, what an impressive victory. Troy Talman, back-to-back victories, and a winning form here at Stafford.

SPEAKER_06

Everybody, Sean Waddell, my squad, he did a phenomenal job. Um, you know, racing those guys up there with the crossover. He uh he calls it before it happens, so I'm really lucky to have him.

SPEAKER_05

Sean Waddell was the eye in the sky for Troy Talman's success and is this week's Hot Dog of the Week award winner. Woody Pitcat grew up at the Stafford Motor Speedway. From the grandstands as a child, he imagined what it would be like to race on the half mile. Once he was old enough, Woody began to climb the racing ladder and has more than one hundred modified wins across a sorted series to his credit. While his spring sizzler victory may be his most memorable, Pitcat is quick to tell you, he gets even more excited as he watches his young son Bryce follow in Dad's footsteps. It's time to visit with Woody in this week's Racer Spotlight.

SPEAKER_11

It's Racer Spotlight time. Brought to you by Riverhead Building Supply. Build better. Build stronger.

SPEAKER_05

Well, Woody, it's been a minute since we've been together. How have you been? I'm good. How are you? Well, I've been, you know, been better, but uh we miss you on the racetrack. But I want to start off this uh little get-together with the fact that you grew up with an earshot of the Stafford Speedway, and yet your first exposure was about eighty miles north at the Lebanon Valley Speedway, where your two uncles were the terrors of that half-mile high bank dirt oval.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, yeah. From the from the drop of the green, from when I was born, that's where I ended up going, was uh to Lebanon Valley. Uh like you said, with the both my uncle's race and uh I know I I'm pretty sure you would know better than I I would. I'm pretty sure Uncle Mark ran some modified races at Stafford and Thompson. And I know that they had, you know, a dirt modified race at Thompson one time with they must have had some sort of asphalt tire, or maybe it was a dirt tire, but uh yeah, just uh a lot a lot of ups and downs on the mass bike. Uh in my teenage years and my Graham to go watch my uncle race. And uh, you know, obviously when I got old enough to to start racing down at Stafford, uh it was something I wanted to do. I I was like 12 or 13, and I was across the street at Olympic Field, the football field, basketball court across the street there, and uh Ryan Pisaka was there hanging out, and I had uh, you know, his his dad had sponsored my my uncle, so I we we had a little you know familiar uh go with that. So I just started talking to him there, you know, and he was maybe a year or two older than me, and we started hanging out that day, and after that it was, you know, we pretty much hung out almost every day, and he started racing dare stocks, and I was helping him with that, and then when I was old enough to drive and I wanted to race because the trap was five miles from my house. Uh I got a dare stock and kept it at Jimmy Peterson's house, and those guys were really good helping me. And uh yeah, we ran Dare Stocks and then obviously Ryan moved up to Late Miles and I moved up to Late Miles, and kind of the rest is history there, but uh yeah, when it all started, we were going to Lemon Valley.

SPEAKER_05

You took to the full fendered taxicabs like a duck to water. In fact, I mentioned before to you the fact that you were rapidly becoming the Ted Christopher version of the full fendered series at the Stafford Motor Speedway. What changed?

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, so that kind of probably was the avenue I felt like I was gonna go, you know, was to stay full fender and either go athlete model racing or maybe pass uh you know, pro stock racing. Uh and then I just I I got an opportunity to run a modified, I got a call on Thanksgiving morning from the De Pisa brothers. Uh Chris and Doug De Pisa called and said there was an opportunity there if it was something I wanted to do. And at that time, uh with my late model, you know, I had a really, really good sponsor with the Davison Company. Dave Rowe and his sons were helping really good. And um, you know, it was kind of a an opportunity to uh for the next step, you know, at Stafford. And I talked to Dave about it, and he said, Yeah, go with your gut and do what you think. And, you know, I I ended up, you know, just being away from them for a year. I ran SK modifies with the the Pizas. I think I finished high for third in points that year. Uh and then at the end of the year, we kind of just went our separate ways. And the next, well, actually the next year I ran the Sizzler, and then after the Sizzler, we we kind of broke up. And the the first Friday night I didn't have a ride. I was down there helping Michael Bennett change the transmission, and I went up in the stands to watch you know a race, and I watched like the 10 laps. I'm like, Yeah, I'm going home because I feel like I should be out there. So the very next day I was at work and David Row had called me and said, Hey, I want to you know offer to buy you a car. And I said, Well, you have a an SK modified, and he's like, That's fine. You know, we'll have teammates. So I'm like, Alright, so he gave me you know a number of what he could uh afford, and we found a car, championship-winning car from Carrie Malone, and was able to hook up with Jimmy Fuller.

SPEAKER_05

Alright, so you get attracted to SK modified racing, you become a modified racing standout, you use Stafford as your base, and you tear through all the different types of modified racing that existed. What was it about modified and Woody Pitcats race skills that made you so good for so very long, even to this day?

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, I think just the surrounding of the people that I had, you know, I had the I feel like I had the right supporting cast, uh the right teachers, you know, the right crew members and crew chiefs. Uh, you know, I know Bob Phil that had built my late model was really hard on me at times, um, you know, to to just get better, uh, you know, better with feedback, better with communication in my early years. Uh so I, you know, I could either had get mad, take it, take it the wrong way and get mad, or just take it to heart and work on that. So I I definitely did that, you know, right there before I had jumped into the SKs. And uh, you know, it just everything. Like we talk uh like right now, it takes everything. It just doesn't take one thing, you know, it takes every piece of the puzzle uh in racing to make this stuff work. And you know, you're gonna have a good coochie, if you're gonna have good car owners, you're gonna have the ability to have good equipment, you're gonna have a good driver, and then obviously you have to have a good setup, good communication. So right now, it seems like the last year, almost a year and a half, that's kind of what you know is is kind of hurting me right now, is just tr trying to find all the pieces to the puzzle to get back to where I once was. So uh it's not for a lack of effort, that's for sure. Uh we're gonna keep trying, and hopefully, you know, it'll turn around. Um you know, I've been still keeping my my my highs up and my inspiration up with my racing with my son and and working on his car. It's a lot of fun. Uh because obviously you're doing it for your kid, and uh he's doing a heck of a job. He listens, you know, he probably listens to mom a little bit more than he listens to dad, but he at the end of the day he gets the job done, does a good job, and uh you know he's pretty locked in, it's pretty amazing to watch what he does, and uh it's a lot of fun, and hopefully that'll you know carry over to my modified racing again.

SPEAKER_05

Before we talk about Bryce and the racing legacy that he inherited, not only from your side of the family, but also from Erica's side of the family, I want to ask you what's the biggest thing that you remember when you won that spring Sizzler?

SPEAKER_10

Oh, just everything. I mean, the fact that you're you know, that's your home track, so you've always wanted to win at home, you know, just knowing uh really at that time when I was a Sizzler, I you know, I got that ride with Boshu, which was an awesome opportunity, and I had, you know, some rides that I was really you know close, but not couldn't get over that hump to have everything. And um just being there with my daughter, she was there that day, and obviously my wife and now my boys at the time. Um but just because it is a home track and you know, the legacy and the all the people that have won, you know, the the names that are on that on that trophy. Uh obviously it's a little bit different now the way that it's it's done, but it's still, you know, the greatest race in the history of spring. So you want to win that and drink that milk at the end of the day. So uh the biggest thing, yeah, that I take from that is just being at home and having all those fans there to be able to you know celebrate with you, really.

SPEAKER_05

So you've moved on, you've still got your helmet and your fire suit, you still are trying to put deals together for your modified racing, but you're deriving your inspiration from uh Bryce and what he's been able to accomplish in the Tiger Bees this year. So tell me, what's it like to be a car owner?

SPEAKER_10

Um, I mean, I don't know if I'm uh they call me the Pooh Chief. I think I'm more the Pooh Chief slash crew chief than I am the car owner, so um I don't know. It it's definitely a little bit different than you know driving, but you gotta try to take that, you know, with a grain of salt. I know now he's getting to the point where he wants to help with everything, you know, so it's like, all right, you gotta kind of give him some some little jobs because if you kind of, you know, you you always want to do it like your way, right? You want to do it uh, you know, if you do it your way, then it's done right or or it got done. So uh, you know, clean the car or anything small that he has. Can I do that? Can I put stuff in the trailer? You know, that's that's a good start, you know. Obviously, he's wanting to do that, he's w wanting to learn. Uh so we keep him doing that and keeping him away from the more technical stuff right now. But if you if you if you lead him off, then you know, years down the road, he's not gonna ask or he's not gonna be motivated to do it. So um, I don't know, it's a lot of fun. Like I said, I like to to work on the cars at night and get them prepared because you know you're doing it for your son, you're doing it for something, and obviously when you go and you see how good he does, and at the end of the day he gets it in victory lane or has a good run, that's that's the biggest thing is the smile on their faces. Plus the people that we met down there on Monday nights. I, you know, last year we met some people, we met a group of people that actually helped me out my race car this year. So it's just cool. Um, you know, the kind of racing family that you meet. That's one thing that I always really appreciate is you know, you have that winter layoff, and then you go back to racing and you're like, oh, okay, we're we're back at home, we're back with our you know, our racing family that we've missed all winter. So it's really cool to see him start, you know, getting out a little bit more and and communicating and talking with kids and and running around and watching the races and cheering out his friends. And again, it's just it's really it's really cool. It's a lot of fun. He loves doing it. My other kid's into every single sport and doesn't really care for the racing, which is okay, but I know if I was to throw him in a go-kart one night, we would be in double trouble. So we'll uh we'll let him do his sports and keep uh keep going with Bryce with the race, uh, the go-kart stuff.

SPEAKER_05

Well, we look forward to seeing you back at the track real soon. We know the fire is still in the belly. Certainly you've got the drive, the ambition, and they call you the Sultan of Stafford for a reason, my friend.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, yeah, we gotta definitely get back on board there and get some more wins. And you know, obviously it it's the way I've been running, I'd just be happy with top fives and top tens right now, you know. Some baby steps. But uh but yeah, we're working hard, uh, you know, working on a deal right now to get back out there. And obviously, with you know, having the kids and doing our things, we can't race as much, but it's nice to, you know, race two or three times a month. And when we do show up to the track, we know the car's 110% ready to go, and we just gotta find that fine line that I like in that, you know, get that comfort zone, and hopefully we'll be back on the podium or back in Victory Lane pretty soon.

SPEAKER_05

Thanks, Woody.

SPEAKER_10

All right, thank you.

SPEAKER_05

I asked Woody to stick around for a couple more minutes so that he could be part of this week's either or segment. This week, it's the goats edition.

SPEAKER_11

It's either or, where our guest must choose one or the other. Brought to you by Mr. Rooter Plumbing, expert plumbing contractors you can trust.

SPEAKER_05

It's called Either Or, but this time around for Woody Pitcat, we've made it the goat edition, the greatest of all time. Let's jump right into it, shall we, Pitcat? Either Travis Kelsey or Rob Gronkowski.

SPEAKER_10

Uh I'm going with Rob Gronkowski.

SPEAKER_05

Gee, that's a real surprise to me, my friend. Alright, let's go to the racing side. Two guys that maybe you know a little bit about Richard Petty or David Pearson?

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, I'm gonna go with Richard Petty. I probably should know more about David Pearson than I do. Probably shouldn't say that, but uh I'll go with the king on that one.

SPEAKER_05

You realize that Pearson's style was exactly parallel to yours. Until the pay window opened, he just hung around and hung around and hung around. Alright. Staying in the racing venue. Either Richie Evans or Ted Christopher.

SPEAKER_10

Um, I know all the older folks in the older generation would say Richie Evans, but growing up in that array of Ted Christopher and watching what he had done and going from races to races with him, I'm gonna take Teddy on this one.

SPEAKER_05

Uh Big Poppy or A-Rot. Come on, Mr. Boston.

SPEAKER_10

That's Big Poppy for sure.

SPEAKER_05

And finally, Jimmy Johnson or Jeff Gordon.

SPEAKER_10

Uh that one's really close, I feel. They're both really, really, really good at what they did. Championships, wins. Um, but again, I'm going with I'll go with the Rainbow Warriors on this one, going with Jeff Gordon.

SPEAKER_05

Alright, Woody, thanks so much for playing, either or.

SPEAKER_10

Thank you.

SPEAKER_05

Take care, my friend.

SPEAKER_11

This is Throttle Down Time, where you get to ride along inside a modifier. Brought to you by Wattelt Communications, your Northeast track side dealer for radios and repair. This week you ride with Andrew Moller and his spotter, Matt Faust, in the humble hot dog number 11.

SPEAKER_05

Last week, the SK Lights put it all on the line for bragging rights: a robe, a crown, and a scepter. It was the annual King of the Crates SK Lights race, and when the dust settled, it was a new king on the throne. His name, Robert Bloxham III.

SPEAKER_11

This is SK Sounding. News from the SK, SK Lite, and 602 Modified World. Brought to you by Wheelers Auto Services. The finest in top-level service of Premier Automobile makes and models, specializing in European, Japanese, and domestic vehicles.

SPEAKER_05

Well, all hail to my king. I bow before you, Robert Bloxham III. You are the king of the crates. Congratulations and thanks so much for spending a little time with me today on the Modified Minute.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, of course. Thank you. Um it's it's cool to be crowned, and uh it's definitely a good way to start our second half of the season.

SPEAKER_05

Let's talk a little bit about how you got the itch to go modified racing.

SPEAKER_01

Uh well, I I started in quarter midgets and slowly moved my way up into limits of eight miles and uh drove for various people until uh we got back into my family car um in 2020. Twenty twenty four, but you know, growing up doing those limited light models at Stafford, we always were watching Teddy Christopher and and Ryan Priest, Ronnie Williams, Roman Panic, and you know, I grew up wanting to be like those guys and you know, watching them drive through the field and and all that, and you know, it just it it's so cool to be in a modified now and to be, you know, successful in it too, you know. So it it's just it's awesome.

SPEAKER_05

You've been at it for a while, Robert, and uh you've had your ups and your downs, but I want to take you back to probably it outside of maybe this King of the Crate victory, had to be one of the most exciting, and that was your very first victory.

SPEAKER_04

Keep it a turn number three, off the fourth turn. Robert Floxham has done it, he'll take down the win for Dell's final siding.

SPEAKER_05

What do you remember about that night?

SPEAKER_01

Um I'm not very sure. I I don't really remember much. It's been such a long time, but um, I know people keep reminding me I'm getting old for some reason. But uh, you know, it one of the coolest things I remember was uh uh especially like Matt Buckler. Um even him I remember growing up with is you know working with Ben Dodge and those two were like the best two announcers I've ever heard and they worked so well together. And um Matt Buckler said the the Bob's painting car is painting a masterpiece. And I think that was the coolest thing I remember from that.

SPEAKER_05

You you admit that it's it had been a while since you scored that victory. Last year you ended the season on a high note, but would it be safe to say that over the course of the last two seasons before you got into 2026, it was a bit of a challenge for you and the team?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I I would definitely a hundred percent agree with you. Um so for twenty twenty-four we we got back into a family car sin uh for the first time since 2017. And getting into that family car, it was me building it, and that was my first time ever building a race car. And so, you know, rebuilding my shop, building a race car, building a business. Um, you know, I I went through a lot a lot of learning and buying tools and and learning how to set up the car and um you know, some small things I was missing, just like not realizing you need to check uh your tools and your tire gauges to make sure that they're reading the proper things. So, you know, over the the course of two years I'm trying to learn things that people like Keith Rocco have learned over forty forty-five years, you know. So um, I think that we did really well for for how much I had to learn and how much uh I had to work to learn. But, you know, with the people that I had around me, I think it made it a lot easier and and that's what helped bring the success that we did get. And to join Keith Rocco Racing now, it's it's showing, you know, that that we did learn a lot. Now we can apply it and really start getting the success that I've I've been going after.

SPEAKER_05

So explain to me the relationship between you and Keith.

SPEAKER_01

I maintain it, but it's at his shop. Okay. So yeah, it's it's his car. Uh it was the 16 car last year. Um, but it's his car. I maintain it and I help do the work on it uh to help offset cost a little. Um you know, I I'm still I'm I'm paying for it. I go to work, I make my money, and then I just give it to Keith. But uh no, it it's a great relationship. I I mostly like I enjoy the fact that I get to learn from the guy that I grew up watching. And to get to do my maintenance and whatnot is you know, I I like doing any job, so it whatever it takes to get the race car done and ready to get to the track, I'm willing to do it. And you know, I jump in and help him on other stuff too, because I just I want to learn from him and you know, he's obviously doing something right, so if I'm around him the most I possibly can, I'm gonna learn something and maybe get there one day.

SPEAKER_05

Tell me what you think the biggest lesson that you learned from Peter.

SPEAKER_01

Um probably not stopped working. Um guy is an animal. I mean he's got the two kids. Um so you know, it's just that in the in itself. People always talk about kids taking up a lot of time, so you know, he's a good father to them. And other than that, he's in the race shop 24-7. I mean, you know, I I'm I'm a 26-year-old with, you know, I just got a girlfriend, but you know, I I don't have kids, you know, anything. And I'm in the shop until 10, 11 o'clock at night sometimes working on my car, and he's out there with me working on his or other ones, and you know, the guy just doesn't stop.

SPEAKER_05

The hookup is paid off dividends. Uh, you won early in the season, and now you come back and you you win what what most people think in the SK Lights is probably one of the more prestigious races, and that of course is the King of the Crates. Uh what has that done for Robert Bloxham's confidence level and his racecraft?

SPEAKER_01

I think it's uh it's really cool to get the biggest race of the season. Um and I think it just it reassures me and it even reassures the team that you know we we know what we're doing. Um, you know, it that that win in the second uh weekend of the season was like, okay, yeah, this is gonna go well, and then all of a sudden it doesn't go well. And you know, it it's hard to just keep working and and going after it when it just can keeps coming after you, and um, you know, mechanical failures and uh whatever hit us, but um, you know, to to finally get that satisfaction, it's like, okay, working on the car, going back into the shop to find other things is worth it. And you know, we're just not gonna stop and maybe have some better luck in my second half here.

SPEAKER_05

You're very low-key, you know, doesn't seem like anything rattles you. How about when you strap yourself inside that car? Are you are you still kind of the low-key, I'll take what's given to me, or do you become a do you become a stark raving lunatic once you're behind the wheel?

SPEAKER_01

Well, I think I got a good mixture. It's something I've been learning and trying to teach myself about. Definitely more of a let it come to me. But like when I notice the things I can be aggressive and take something at will. But yeah, I've I've always been cool and calm. Um I let things go and I let you know that aggression come out on the racetrack more because obviously it's needed. And um it's all about when you can't you can't go out there and and overdrive the car and try to take too much and then you know ruin your race or somebody else's, because I've I've done that myself, I've learned, and you know, it's not fun because I pay for it and I fix it. So, you know, I don't really want to pay for it or fix it. So um, you know, it's all about knowing when and where and and going after it.

SPEAKER_05

Well, you're creating a legion of fans, so I should say probably now you are the Lord over fans, seeing how you are the king with the scepter and the robe and the crown. We wish you the very best of luck in the rest of the season, and um hopefully many more wins come your way, oh my king.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, thank you. Uh I appreciate it. It was uh fun being on the podcast and grace today.

SPEAKER_05

So we've come to the end of yet another episode, and my thanks goes out to my guests Dan Avery, Woody Pitcat, and Robert Bloxon III, or should I say, King Robert. I hope that by listening to their stories, your love for modified racing has grown. We'll be back in the coming weeks with more stories, more interviews, and more reasons to love modified racing. Until then, I'm Jack Aroot. Let's catch up when we meet for the next Modified Minute.

SPEAKER_11

This has been the Modified Minute. Modified Minute has been brought to you by Quadell Communications, the official drag side radio supplier for the mod squad by mid-state site development.