ARDC Heads to Susquehanna for Castrol Oil Camera and Autograph Night; Robinson Invites Kids "To the Hood"
By Mark Kielblock
 
Felton, DE - This Saturday night promises to be action packed at Susquehanna Speedway Park as the Wingless Warriors of ARDC join the Late Models, X-treme Stocks and Street Stocks for the final installment of the "Fab 4 Series." As an added treat for the fans it will be Castrol Oil Camera and Autograph Night, where all fans will be able to meet their favorite driver with their cars on the front stretch before the feature events begin.

Harrisburg, Pa's Greg Robinson II and his dad came up with a unique idea to add excitement to the autograph and photo session for Susky's younger fans. Greg wanted to make sure that gave proper credit for the original idea was given. "Actually, my dad thought of it. We had an old hood laying around the shop that came with the car when we bought it," Robinson explained. "We painted it and we're going to put it on the car so the kids can sign it during the autograph session."

Robinson looks to the Susky event with alot of optimism. "We're finally going in the right direction," Robinson enthused. The last time the Robinson 00 hit the track on Aug.1 at Big Diamond the driver came alive in the consolation event. "We went from 5th to second in that consi and the car felt great," Robinson said. "I don't know if we hit on something with the setup of the car, or something just clicked with me but we really got going good."

That breakthrough carried through to the main event that night as Robinson drove from twentieth starting spot and just missed the top-10, scoring an eleventh place finish.

Another piece of news has Robinson looking forward to the ARDC late-season stretch run. "We just picked up a new sponsor in Bryson Homes of Beckly West Va." Robinson informed. The company is headed up by John Hughes of Lewisberry, Pa. -- right in SSP's back yard. "He's going to be at the race Saturday and it will be his first-ever midget race, so we are really looking forward to it," Robinson said.

Robinson has a lot of motivation to keep running strong. "We want to get into the top-24 in points, so we can run the 5-25's invitational show at Grandview -- not just the make up race," Robinson explained. The make up race that Robinson referred to is the rained out feature from the Thunder on the Hill USAC/ARDC combo show from June 3.

Steve Buckwalter with two wins, Randy Monroe Jr and PJ Gargiulo should all go into the Susky round with a lot of confidence as they have all found victory lane at the Newberrytown oval during the 2008 season. Monroe and Gargiulo are also involved in the ARDC title fight as Monroe is the point leader and Gargiulo sits in third, nine point behind second place runner Frank Polimeda who trails Monroe by 22 markers.

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Polimeda and Gargiulo "In the Hunt" for ARDC Title
By Mark Kielblock
 
Felton, DE - As the Wingless Warriors of the ARDC enter their final handful of events for the 2008 season, Frank Polimeda and PJ Gargiulo sit in second and third place respectively behind point leader Randy Monroe, Jr. -- Monroe is the "hunted" and Polimeda/Gargiulo the "hunters". The 2008 season for ARDC has been characterized by many drivers "sharing in the pie" with nine drivers reaching victory lane in fourteen events and five first time winners. What this means is that while many have shared in success, no single driver has been consistent or dominated the action.
 
Frank Polimeda, driver of the Neptune Research Spike/Mopar no.44 offers a unique perspective on the season -- and gives a possible title to the story. "The way we've been running I'm surprised we're still in it. It seems like The Title That Nobody Wants to Win," Polimeda said with a tinge of frustration in his voice.
 
Polimeda struggled to explain a season that has defied description for him. "We started off strong, and performed well into the middle of the year, then we went into a slump. It's one of those kind of slumps that everyone goes through who races for any length of time," Polimeda stated. "I'm not sure why we went from running good to struggling. When we started struggling we changed everything we could possibly change on the car -- we tried stuff, nothing worked," Polimeda recalled. "I knew that we just had to ride it out. I've been around racing long enough to know that that's all you can do sometimes."
 
Polimeda's racing experience ranges from Modifieds to Legends, and from Microsprints to Midgets -- so he knows of what he speaks.
 
Erratic performance isn't the only thorn in Polimeda's side. A handful of rainouts, and a controversial race at Accord Speedway in July have also impeded Polimeda's quest for a championship. "The rainouts are really frustrating, especially at this time of year. This time of year is usually when you start to see heavier tracks that give you better racing and you can have some fun with it," Polimeda said. "The other tough part of rainouts is it usually means at least a half day or usually a full day off of work for me, plus you still have the travel expenses."
 
The Accord race? A short and to-the-point reply comes from Polimeda on the subject. "We're only a handful of points out of the lead. If it weren't for that really bad deal at Accord we might be that much closer, or maybe even leading by a couple of points," he said.
 
Part of the reason Polimeda is sitting second in points is improved performances in the last couple of races. He has no better explanation of the improvement than he had for the slump. "I don't know why we started running bad, and I don't really know why we're running better now," Polimeda shared.
 
Regardless of what's gone on to this point, Polimeda has his eyes firmly on the prize. "The championship is really important to us, I'd really like to get it for the crew --they've been through a lot and they deserve it," Polimeda said. " We've got one crewmember, Chris Zrinski who's struggling with an illness." Joe Naime, Brian Reed and Ron DiSimone round out the Polimeda crew. "Neptune Research, along with Spike Chassis and Gaerte Engines have really helped us out this year," Polimeda shared
 
Polimeda seems comfortable in his role of chasing Monroe. "I'm not leading, there's less pressure. Instead of being mine to lose, it's mine to win," Polimeda summed. Polimeda is well aware of those positioned around him, "Randy's been running really good and PJ's really coming on -- he's picked his program up a lot."
 
Polimeda also has a firm grasp on the challenge that sits before him. "It (the championship) is not gonna come to me. I've got to go get it."
 
PJ Gargiulo is another driver who has endured the ups and downs of the ARDC season, yet still sees the championship within reach. "I'm really pleased that we've only had three finishes outside the top-ten -- only two of those were dropouts and one was an incident that we really couldn't recover from," Gargiulo remembered.
 
Gargiulo, driver of the Sperr's Fuel Oil/Churches Auto Parts no. 51 is a racer with a plan. "We started the season with three main goals; to run up front consistently, to get our first win and to compete for the title," Gargiulo outlined. So far, so good (Gargiulo scored his first career ARDC win at Susquehanna Speedway Park on June 15.)
 
"Now we have to hold on and stay consistent," Gargiulo said. "That's the only way we're going to run down the 27 and 44 (Monroe and Polimeda). The point race is so tight now that it's going to come down to who has a bad finish to eliminate someone."
 
The last few races have provided a cross-section of Gargiulo's season; one frustrating finish at Big Diamond that stemmed from running out of fuel, one great run at New Egypt -- 12th to 3rd, and one rainout at Big Diamond Raceway. "The fuel problem was extremely frustrating, because it took us out of a top ten finish and it came down to a maintenance problem (loose fuel line) that came down to me," Gargiulo explained.
 
"The rainouts are frustrating because they are missed opportunities to beat Randy and Frank on the track," Gargiulo shared. "Then you have to start hoping for the other guys to have a bad night and with the 27 and the 44 you can't count on that."
 
Gargiulo's thoughts then turned optimistic and philosophical. "We're excited that two of the remaining races are at Susky (sight of his first win)," Gargiulo enthused. "The rainouts at Diamond and Susky have been a disappointment, but God has a plan. If He wants us to have it, He'll make a way."
 
Gargiulo also wanted to recognize a new backer of his race team. "LaVere Electric has been a big part of our success," Gargiulo revealed. "They came on board with us back in June on the North Carolina trip and they had so much fun they've been with us ever since."

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ARDC Heads to Big Diamond; Fans to Vote for "PPG Best Appearing Car Award"
By Mark Kielblock

Felton, DE - In a season that has seen nine different winners in fourteen events, and five first time winners, it's no surprise that the 2008 ARDC Championship is a "wide open affair" going into this Friday night's action at Big Diamond Raceway. 

With five events remaining on the '08 slate, the top five drivers are separated by just fifty three points. Randy Monroe Jr. of Hampton, Va. is the point leader with Frank Polimeda just twenty two points behind. Sitting nine points back in third is PJ Gargiulo, with the "Topton Tornado" Brett Arndt twelve markers behind in fourth. Rounding out the top five is "Slick" Nick Wean who is ten points behind Arndt. The ARDC point system awards 100 points for a feature win with a five point drop-off for each position in the top fifteen. It doesn't take a math major to determine that anyone in the top five has a realistic shot to take the 2008 ARDC Championship if the breaks fall their way.

Randy Monroe has to feel good about his chances going into the Big Diamond round as he took a victory at the Minersville, Pa. oval on June 5th over Steve Buckwalter and Stephanie Stevens to score his second win of the season. Monroe did suffer a rare setback in ARDC's last race at New Egypt as he registered a twenty first place finish, allowing the rest of the pack to gain ground on him

Polimeda has seen a return to consistency in recent weeks, including a seventh at New Egypt and a fifth in ARDC's most recent round at Big Diamond on August 1. Surprisingly, Polimeda is still searching for his first win of the '08 season.

PJ Gargiulo has shown dogged determination to stay in the hunt for the '08 Championship. He hit the high point of his season on June 15 at Susquehanna Speedway Park scoring his first career ARDC win. Since then he has suffered some bumps and bruises along the way, including running out of gas at Big Diamond in the August 1 race that resulted in an 18th place finish. He shook that off to author an impressive 12th to 3rd place run at New Egypt on August 16th.

Brett Arndt has slowly worked his way back up in the standings after an early season flip at New Egypt took him out of the point lead. Arndt scored a tenth place finish in ARDC's return engagement at New Egypt. In the race prior to the New Egypt round, Arndt scored a solid third at Big Diamond.

Nick Wean is one of the five "first time winners" in ARDC in '08 -- scoring his initial victory prevailing in a thrilling battle over Scott Zipp at County Line Raceway in North Carolina. Wean has followed up that victory with a solid season, including a fifth in the last race at New Egypt.

As fast and competitive as the drivers of ARDC are, they also drive some of the sharpest looking equipment seen in open wheel racing today. With that in mind PPG Industries is once again the proud sponsor of the annual ARDC Best Appearing Car Award.

This year's PPG Best Appearing Car Award will be decided by a vote of the fans at the next four ARDC events, starting with this Friday night's race at Big Diamond Raceway, followed by the September 13 race at Susquehanna Speedway Park, back to Big Diamond on September 27th and closing out at Grandview Speedway on October 18. 500 ballots will be handed out at the main gate at each race. Prior to each night's feature, two ballots will be drawn and two lucky fans will receive an ARDC T-Shirt or a T-Shirt from one of the ARDC teams. This year's winner of the PPG Best Appearing Car Award will be announced at ARDC's annual banquet in November.

Pittsburgh-based PPG is a global supplier of paints, coatings, chemicals, optical products and glass with more than 150 manufacturing facilities in over 60 countries. Please visit their website at www.ppgrefinish.com or contact a PPG Automotive Paint Distributor near you.

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Ernesto Seeks to Right Ship in '08 ARDC
By Mark Kielblock

Felton, DE - AJ Ernesto came right to the point when asked about his 2008 ARDC season. "Not what I expected," he replied without hesitation. "I expected some wins and more top-5's." But just as quickly as he assessed the situation, he gave a realistic account of why success is so hard to achieve in ARDC. "With the program they've (ARDC) put together with the handicapping, and all the tough teams we have it's tough to get up front," he explained.

Don't mistake Ernesto's realistic assessment for complaining, however. The driver of the Cafe Waldorf/Krott's Heating and Air no. 14 likes the arena of ARDC Wingless midget competition just fine. "I liked it when they took the wings off. It leveled the field and put the driver more into the equation," he said.

Ernesto's road to a midget racing career began by exposure to the track as a kid. "Some friends of my parents raced micros, mainly at Lanco so we went to watch them," Ernesto remembered. Ernesto was focused on what he wanted to do when he first began working. "I got my first job, and I bought a race car."

The first car was a microsprint. "I ran Micros through '98," he remembered. Where did the desire come from to be a midget racer? "I always wanted to drive a midget after watching the old Thursday Thunder USAC shows on ESPN. We also went out to Indiana to watch them run," Ernesto said.

Going wingless is a relatively recent phenomenon for ARDC. "I started with the wings in '99," Ernesto shared. "I also ran NAMARS and some USAC non-wing races." The first ARDC season for the Reading, Pa. pilot came aboard the MEGA Motorsports no. 2 Stealth/Gaerte and resulted in a seventh place finish in the 1999 ARDC standings. After showing great promise in that first season, Ernesto once again teamed up with the MEGA Motorsports group and improved his place in the 2000 ARDC standings up to fourth.

With a top 10 and top 5 finish in his first two ARDC seasons under his belt, what followed next for Ernesto was a surprising five year absence from the Club. "I didn't run with ARDC from '01 thru '05," Ernesto shared. "The team split," Ernesto remembered, "I wanted to run more asphalt, but the team disagreed."

Ernesto made his reappearance with ARDC in '06 aboard his current ride, the RT Racing no. 14 -- and he made it count -- scoring two feature wins. The first came on ARDC's '06 "Southern Swing", June 24 at County Line Raceway in Elm City, NC over Eric Heydenreich and Michelle Miller. The second came at ARDC's "Home Track" Susquehanna Speedway Park on August 4 over Ed Stimely, Jr. and PJ Gargiulo.

The fact that Ernesto scored a win at Susky comes as no surprise, "I like the larger tracks we run like Susky and Big Diamond. I don't do as well on some of the bullrings that we run," Ernesto summed.

Ernesto's been around ARDC long enough to see the changes it's been through, especially in the area of competition. "When I first started, there might have been six quality cars that could compete for a win, now there's about 20," he said. "The Club has progressed with the number of tracks we go to and you can see the fan base growing."

Ernesto heads to each race with topnotch, good looking equipment. Hawk motors out of New Zealand and built in Wisconsin sit between the frame rails of Ernesto's Stealth wide-body chassis. Cafe Waldorf, Becker Painting, Krott's Heating and Air, Fromm Electric, Sharman Builders, Shu-mar Heating Oil  -- along with Product Sponsors, Deka Battery, Sherwin Williams, Fastenal and Advance Auto Parts -- make up the sponsorship package on the RT Racing no.14.

Ernesto's last outing with ARDC at New Egypt Speedway in New Jersey netted the Reading, Pa. pilot one of his best finishes of the '08 season, a fourth, behind Andy Martin, Billy Pauch, Jr and PJ Gargiulo. Maybe the RT Racing ship is just about righted.

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ARDC Midget points as of 8/17
1. Randy Monroe, Jr.  1411
2. Frank Polimeda  1389
3. P.J. Gargiulo, Jr.  1380
4. Brett Arndt   1368
5. Nick Wean   1358
6. Drew Heistand  1299
7. Tracy Readinger  1234
8. Bruce Buckwalter Jr.  1224
9. Steve Lenig   1178
10. Andy Martin   1123

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Martin Repels Pauch Jr. Charge in New Egypt ARDC
By Mark Kielblock

New Egypt, NJ - Andy Martin had a score to settle with New Egypt Speedway and he drove like it Saturday night. He simply dominated the field and holding off a charge on a late race charge by Billy Pauch Jr. to score his third main event win of the season. Martin drives NES like it was made for him -- in ARDC's first appearance at New Egypt in May, Martin was rocketing around the high side of the D-shaped oval and poised to take the lead when he hooked a rut and took a hard flip in turns 3 & 4. He authored a similar performance Saturday night to exact his revenge on the track.

Chris Zrinski and Carey Becker led the 26 car field to the green flag. Some good early dicing between Zrinski, Becker, Bruce Buckwalter and AJ Ernesto merely kept the crowd entertained while Martin was putting on his patented high side charge from his 7th starting slot en route to the top spot. Once out front the 2 time ARDC Champ began to wave good bye to the field, opening up a full straightaway lead.

Three drivers from mid pack starting spot provided the excitement throughout the 20-lap affair. PJ Gargiulo was moving from his 12th starting spot, while Billy Pauch Jr. charged from 17th spot. Steve Buckwalter, who won ARDC's previous NES feature had to run the consi due to a heat race flip and was relegated to a 19th starting spot. He and Pauch stage a thrilling race up through the pack and were battling for second as Martin continued to drive away.

A simple mechanical breakage ended Buckwalter's bid for the win. "The throttle linkage broke," Buckwalter said after the race. "It had nothing to do with damage from the heat race flip. We changed motors during the week, and I guess we just didn't get it tight," Buckwalter explained. Would he have had anything for Martin? "I don't know," Buckwalter said. "I wore the bottom groove out coming up through the field. Just before it broke, I tried moving around and went to the middle and felt the car bite."

With Buckwalter out, it was up to Pauch to try to do something with Martin. His chance came on a late-race yellow involving several cars, most notably point leader Randy Monroe Jr. who had to go pit side.

Pauch got one shot at Martin on a restart that went yellow before a lap was complete. On the final restart, Martin got as tight to the inside rail as he possibly could to prevent an inside move by Pauch. As the pair rounded turn two, Pauch was able to get along side Martin, and the fight to the finish was on. They continued side by side through the final two corners and Martin was able to hold just enough momentum on the outside to beat a hard charging Pauch in a thrilling drag race finish.

"I'm probably the most unpopular guy here," Martin joked in victory lane. "I know most of the people here wanted to see Pauch win. I know he really wanted his first win. but I have to give him credit. He really raced me clean, he could have very easily taken it from me, but he didn't," Martin emphasized.

Gargiulo completed a hard drive through the field going from 12th to finish third, while AJ Ernesto had one of his best runs of the year to take fourth and Nick Wean came out of 11th starting spot to take a top five finish.

Pit Patter: Chris Rupp missed the NES show, still fixing damage from a flip sustained at Big Diamond Raceway. 2007 URC Sprint Rookie of the Year Andrew Hannula made his debut with ARDC an impressive one with a fourth place finish in his first ARDC heat race. Stephanie Stevens rode out a crunching flip in hot laps due to a broken torsion stop. Her crew did a phenomenal job getting the car repaired for race action. Club President Ron Lauer wanted to send out his thanks to all Club members for their cooperation in having their Membership Cards at the ready for a smooth night in ARDC's Aug. 1 appearance at Big Diamond Raceway.

31 ARDC Midgets signed in for competition. Heat Races were won by Drew Heistand, Andy Martin and Billy Pauch, Jr. The consi went to Steve Buckwalter.

20-Lap ARDC Feature: 1) 21-Andy Martin 2) 49-Billy Pauch Jr. 3) 51-PJ Gargiulo 4) 14-AJ Ernesto 5) 78-Nick Wean 6) 83-Bruce Buckwalter 7) 44-Frank Polimeda 8) 25-Chris Zrinski 9) 29-Zack Martini 10) 46-Brett Arndt 11) 00-Greg Robinson 12) 5-Paul Kline 13) 26-Stephanie Stevens 14) 9-Steve Lenig 15) 34-Shane Penny 16) 99-Scott Zipp 17) 12-Drew Heistand 18) 20-Carey Becker 19) 55-Steve Craig 20) 2-Tracy Readinger 21) 27-Randy Monroe Jr. 22) 89-Andrew Hannula 23) 84-Jimmy Commock 24) 42-Jack Spence 25) 0-Steve Buckwalter 26) 64-Brett Conkling

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ARDC RETURNS to NES; Pauch Jr. to Compete
By Mark Kielblock

Felton, DE – “ARDC at New Egypt Speedway.” It sounds so nice; they decided to do it twice." With 13 events in the books in the 2008 season, the Wingless Warriors of ARDC are set to return to New Egypt Speedway this Saturday night.

Recent history would point to two-time and defending ARDC Champ Andy Martin as the driver to watch when the mighty midgets take to the D-shaped New Egypt Speedway clay.

In 2006 Martin took the second of twin 20’s for ARDC at New Egypt as he began the stretch drive for his first championship. The first of the twin 20’s that night was taken by the popular Michelle Miller. In the 2007 ARDC feature at NES, Martin was simply spectacular. He came out of the 13th starting spot and put on a dizzying charge to the front via the outside groove, and then proceeded to walk away from the field.

In the first appearance of ARDC at NES on May 31, Martin looked like he was ready to pull off a repeat of that remarkable performance when the cushion between turns 3 & 4 of the Ocean County Oval reached out and bit him hard. Martin’s Overhead Doors of Lancaster no. 21 dug hard into the clay and launched into a crunching series of flips that left him bruised, but not seriously injured.

Once Martin’s spell on the New Egypt oval was broken, it was time for a new dominator to take over. While Randy Monroe led the pack, all eyes were on the “Royersford Rocket”, Steve Buckwalter as he blasted through the field. Eventually Buckwalter would stick his car on the inside rail of the same turns 3 & 4 that had bitten Martin and unseat Monroe from the lead. Buckwalter would go on to take the first of his 3 wins for the season.

In what has proved to be a super-competitive season for ARDC, 9 different drivers have found victory lane in 13 events. 2008 has been a memorable season for 5 drivers; Scott Zipp, PJ Gargiulo, Bruce Buckwalter, Nick Wean and Ryan Smith, have all achieved their goal of first career win.

In the drive for the 2008 ARDC championship, Randy Monroe Jr. of Hampton Va, holds a 78 point lead over the “Topton Tornado” Brett Arndt and Frank Polimeda who sit in a flat-footed tie for second with 1282 points each.

The return of ARDC to NES closes a circle of sorts for Arndt who was holding the points lead going in to ARDC’s first appearance in May. Arndt’s point lead came to a crashing end when he flipped out of the speedway in turn 3. In the following weeks, Arndt dropped through the top 5 after suffering some tough luck, but now he is on the way back up as the Club heads back to the speedway that treated him so harshly.

Point leader Monroe is part of the Bryan Kobylarz-wrenched “Two Dogs” Racing Team. Kobylarz reported in on his team’s status heading into the New Egypt speedway round. “We’re fresh and ready to go with two cars this weekend,” Kobylarz said by phone. Kobylarz shared what he thought was the main reason why Monroe is the leader of the ARDC pack heading into the stretch run of the season. “Randy is so smooth coming off the corners, which comes from his training in the Go Karts,” Kobylarz explained. “You’ll see some guys coming off all crossed up, where Randy is straight, especially on the slick tracks.”

The second car, no. 49, will be driven by the versatile fan-favorite Billy Pauch, Jr. Pauch Jr. has run a handful of events with ARDC along with the Whelen Modified Tour and Dirt Modified competition at Big Diamond and New Egypt Speedway this season. Pauch could be poised to add his name to the list of first time winners in ’08. In the last ARDC round at Big Diamond, Pauch started 18th and drove all the way to 4th at the end of 20-laps.

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Ryan Smith Strikes Gold in Big Diamond ARDCBy Mark Kielblock
 
Minersville, Pa. - Ryan Smith has won the Gamblers Classic Slingshot race in Atlantic City. He was the 2006 USAC Northeast Ford Focus Champ. He was the 2007 ARDC Rookie of the Year and has won multiple features in Microsprints. He timed in on the front row for a USAC Silver Crown race and finished 6th. The one accomplishment that has eluded him is an ARDC feature win. As of Friday night at Big Diamond Raceway, Smith can now put that notch in his belt. Smith started from the pole and dominated the 20 lapper -- but the race was not without it's drama.
 
At the outset, Smith began to pull away from the field, but it wasn't long before the yellow was out for a huge pileup in turn one involving nearly a third of the field, including, Paul Kline, Scott Zipp, PJ Gargiulo, Steve Lenig, Zack Martini, Dave Shirk, Donnie Trent, and AJ Ernesto.
 
When they got down to racing, Smith powered away in the Burke Trucking Spike/Kriner no. 54 and the top 5 settled into Smith, Andy Martin, Carey Becker, Brett Arndt and Frank Polimeda. Becker was enjoying one of his strongest runs of the season, holding steady in third when contact with Brett Arndt sent him sliding backward down the frontstretch and into the infield on lap 8.
 
The next significant position change came when Tracy Readinger swept into the top 5 on lap 10. The biggest mover in the race was the always impressive Billy Pauch Jr in the Two Dogs Racing no. 49. Coming out of the 18th starting spot, Pauch made his way through the pack mainly using the outside groove -- a groove that most others couldn't make work. Pauch cracked the top 6 on lap 12, and the top 5 on lap 15. Pauch would eventually finish fourth.
 
While all this was going on behind him, Smith was simply dominating the field. However before he could enjoy his first win, he would have to endure one last restart as the yellow came out for Nick Wean on the backstretch with two laps to go. Two factors combined to make the finish a little more exciting than Smith would have liked. "It stuttered a little bit on the restart," Smith explained after the race. That stutter allowed Andy Martin to take a dive at Smith on the restart.
 
"I almost ran over him when he stumbled," Martin shared
 
Then, a little over adjusting in the cockpit by Smith made his last couple of laps a little less than comfortable. "I think I may have gone the wrong way with it," Smith said with a sheepish grin. "I got a little loose and a little excited."
 
Martin stuck his head into Smith's trailer after the race. "I saw you dialing in the cockpit," Martin said to Smith. "I don't know why you were changing anything, you had me by half a straightaway."
 
That looseness allowed Martin to stay close enough to attempt a drag race finish off the last corner that Smith won by half a car. Smith can now add an ARDC feature to his resume. Brett Arndt, Pauch Jr and Frank Polimeda rounded out the top five.
 
34 ARDC Midgets signed in for competition. Heat races were won by Brett Arndt, Ryan Smith and Andy Martin with the B main going to Drew Heistand.
 
Pit Patter: Second place points runner PJ Gargiulo ran out of gas on the last yellow. The crew was seen searching for a fuel leak after the race as they were sure they had started the race with an adequate fuel load...Friday's win closed out a phenomenal run by Ryan Smith as he won 270 and 600 Micro races at Kutztown, as well as a 600 Micro race at Greenwood Valley... Next up for Smith and the Burke Trucking Team is a trip to Indiana Midget Speedweek where they will run at Gas City, Bloomington and Union City...Drew Heistand had an outstanding run as well, coming from 19th to 7th.
 
20-Lap ARDC Feature: 1) 54-Ryan Smith 2) 21-Andy Martin 3) 46-Brett Arndt 4) 49-Billy Pauch Jr 5) 44-Frank Polimeda 6) 86-Tracy Readinger 7) 12-Drew Heistand 8) 26-Stephanie Stevens 9) 27-Randy Monroe Jr 10) 11-Eric Heydenreich 11) 00-Greg Robinson 12) 29 Zack Martini 13) 9-Steve Lenig 14) 55-Steve Craig 15) 20-Carey Becker 16) 34-Shane Penny 17) 99-Scott Zipp 18) 51-PJ Gargiulo 19) 77-Nick Wean 20) 5-Paul Kline 21) 83-Bruce Buckwalter 22) 61-PJ Pavlick 23) 17-Donnie Hoffman 24) 16-Dave Shirk 25) 10-Donnie Trent 26) 14-AJ Ernesto

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ARDC'S Lenig Searches for "Lightning" in Big D / Susky Doubleheader
By Mark Kielblock

Felton - DE - For his exploits in ARDC midget racing, Steve Lenig of Selinsgrove, Pa. has earned the nickname "Lightning". As the historic midget racing club digs well into the second half of it's schedule with a double header weekend Friday at Big Diamond and Saturday at Susquehanna Speedway Park, Lenig still seeks to capture that "Lightning" in a bottle. Asked in a telephone interview how he would describe his season so far, Lenig paused for a thought and said without emotion, "It's ok." Then after a little further thought he added, "It's getting better. We switched to our older car which is an '01 Hawk from the '05 that we had been running." 

Lenig then described how the tried and true can sometimes be better than the newer equipment. "That '01 car has 300 races on it, it's been flipped and crashed, but it's been good," Lenig shared. "Right now, with the '01 Hawk we are about a 6th to 12th place car."

When asked what his best finish has been this year, Lenig revealed that he is not the kind of driver who keeps his own score or pays attention to statistics, "I don't know what it is," he said with a laugh. "I guess that's why I am a lousy interview." 

For those of us who do keep score, Lenig has had a roller coaster season of up and down results. In 11 races, Lenig has shown some promise with two top-5's and two top-10's. Those strong finishes have been bracketed with finishes like 17th, 25th, 15th...well you get the idea.

If Lenig sounded somewhat drained and devoid of emotion, his next statement explained why, "I'm working pretty much 24/7 so that I can go race," he explained. Lenig works hard at his profession -- Auto Body repair. But his work on the race car -- the Nye's Body Shop Hawk/Mark Piazza Chevy no. 9, along with his crew, has resulted in a remarkable reliability record. "We've had no major breakdowns in 3 years," Lenig revealed. "Last year we blew an oil filter apart, that's about it, and that turned out to be a defective part."

That mechanical reliability has produced another fringe benefit for the Lenig team. "The high fuel prices has been hurting us on the travel, but not breaking things on the race car helps us out," Lenig explained.

As the interview went on, Lenig's responses started to gain momentum as his enthusiasm for ARDC racing began to show through. His view on the variety of tracks that ARDC travels to? "A lot of times you'll hear guys say 'I love this track, or hate that one' ", Lenig said. "But for me, there isn't one I don't like. Even New Egypt, which has been a tough track for me. I don't hate it, I want to conquer that place," Lenig said -- his determination and resolve coming to the surface.

Lenig has noticed a trend in ARDC that sets it apart from some other local racing series. "As the season goes on ARDC seems to gain cars, even though the teams have some bad stuff happen during the year," Lenig said. "As a whole, everybody gets along. You see other teams pitch in with parts and crew help when somebody breaks something or crashes."

His on track view of the competition? "It's fun, for the most part everybody drives with common sense -- that's why at some places we can go 4 or even 5 wide and everybody makes it through." Lenig enthused. "I see a lot of racing out in this area (Selinsgrove, Pa.) and I think ARDC has the best dirt tracking around."

Lenig goes to the track with a dedicated crew. It starts off as a family affair with Steve's two sons Scott and Austin along with his girlfriend, Judy Kauffman and nephew Josh Frank. Nick Lannon and Bill Rathburn are loyal crew members as well. Mark Piazza does the motor work on Lenig's well-worn power plants that are 14-15 years old.

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Robinson Looks to Rebound in ARDC
By Mark Kielblock

Felton, DE - Greg Robinson is a member of ARDC's "Sensational Sophomore" class. In 2007 the historic midget racing club was taken by storm by a class of rookie drivers such as Drew Heistand, Randy Monroe Jr and Ryan Smith -- among others -- that won races and racked up top 5's with regularity. After starting the '07 season slowly, Robinson began to drive his no. 00 to the front of the pack. In the second half of the season the Harrisburg, Pa. pilot racked up two fifth place finishes -- one at Susquehanna Speedway Park, the other at big Diamond Raceway -- and a pair of top-10's.

This season has seen Robinson's 00 run a limited schedule. "When the '08 schedule came out we looked at it and scratched off about 5 traveling races that we couldn't make because of our work schedule," Robinson pointed out. 

On top of that, the Robinson team ended up missing the first two shows due to a late-arriving motor. "We ended up finding off-season motor issues," Robinson continued. "When we took it apart we found a cracked crankshaft and pistons that were beginning to deteriorate. We got a late start because we were waiting for parts. It also put us behind because we wanted to upgrade other stuff on the car, but ended up having to spend that on the motor," Robinson shared.

Robinson has only gotten in a handful of shows in the '08 ARDC campaign. His assessment of the season so far? "It's been good and bad. When we don't break things, we run good. But I'd have to call it a "Sophomore Slump" so far," a realistic Robinson concluded. 

One story puts the Robinson season into perspective. "We planned on running the May 31 show at New Egypt," Robinson remembered. "We even took the car to one of the Susky test and tune sessions to make sure everything was set to go with the car. We went out and snapped a rear axle, so there went the New Egypt show," Robinson said.

Despite the lack of seat time and discouraging results, Robinson remains up beat. Barring any more bad luck, Robinson plans to make all seven shows remaining on the ARDC schedule, starting with a weekend double header on August 1 and 2 at Big Diamond Raceway and Susquehanna Speedway Park. "We try to make the best of every race," Robinson enthused. "I'm confident I can run with those guys."

One way of dealing with the discouragement for Robinson was remembering a fun racing adventure from this past winter. "At one point when I was really down, I thought about pulling out the Champ Kart that we got for Atlantic City to run it some where," Robinson said. "I got together with a bunch of my buddies and we all ran that race. I don't think any of us qualified, but we all had a good time. There is nothing like running on Coke Syrup, the way the car sticks and the G-forces you pull in the corners," Robinson enthused.

Every team needs inspiration when times are tough. Robinson's team gets theirs from Doug Cassatt. "He's a big supporter and he keeps us up," Robinson explained. "He has a way of looking at the bad and finding something good."

Beecher's Auto Body, AJ's Truck and Trailer, S&S Racing Fuels, Durham Masonry, Simpson Race Products and Hoosier Tire Mid Atlantic make up the sponsorship package on the Robinson 00.

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Heistand "Loves NY" Wins Accord ARDC
By Mark Kielblock

Accord, NY - Drew Heistand summed up his feelings on winning the first ARDC appearance at Accord Speedway since 1986 in four words. "I Love New York!" Heistand beamed from victory lane. A few weeks ago Heistand was a struggling race car driver trying to find results. His shoulders were slumped and he chose his words carefully as he tried to figure out what was keeping him from up-front finishes. That all changed with his victory Friday night. He was positively gushing in his post race interview. "This car was so hooked up, no one was going to catch me," he exclaimed.

Chris Zrinski and Bobby Goerner in Fred Schell's Hawk/Pontiac led the 25 car starting field to the green flag. The original start was aborted for a yellow flag, but when they got down to racing Heistand left no doubt that he wanted to stake his claim on this race. He shot out of his fifth starting spot to flash past a cluster of cars battling for the top spot to put the York Excavating no.12 into the lead. From there, Brett Arndt slotted into the second spot and all eyes were on PJ Gagiulo who was to storm out of his ninth place starting spot into third.

On lap 8 Gargiulo wrestled second from Arndt and the battle for the lead was on. Heistand has his car dialed to run against the cushion all the way around the speedway, while Gargiulo would mirror Heistand's groove in three and four then dive low in one and two. Lap after lap Gagiulo was able to pull even with Heistand in turn two, but Heistand's car was just too hooked for Gargiulo to complete the pass. "I saw him (Gargiulo) stick his nose in there and I saw Brett a couple of times too, but nobody was catching me tonight," Heistand said emphatically.

Gargiulo summed up his struggle in a post-race interview,"He was running where I needed to be in 3 and 4. On the original start in threw it in down low in 1 and 2 and it stuck, so I just kept trying it," Gargiulo explained. "I just kept the pressure on him, but didn't have quite enough. It was still a good points night for us, we just need to keep getting top fives every week to run down Randy (Monroe, current points leader)," Gargiulo said.

Other drivers having strong runs were Nick Wean, who came from 15th starting spot to register a fourth place finish and Steve Lenig who took fifth. A phenomenal run was turned in by semi-retired ARDC driver Donnie Trent. Trent, who dropped off the ARDC trail in early '07 made a rare appearance in Lou Zrinski's Earl Fellin Mid Atlantic no. 10. He made his night count as he came out of the 20th starting position all the way to a sixth place finish.

30 ARDC Midgets signed in for competition.

25 Lap ARDC Feature: 1) 12-Drew Heistand 2) 51-PJ Gargiulo 3) 46-Brett Arndt 4) 77-Nick Wean 5) 9-Steve Lenig 6) 10-Donnie Trent 7) 27-Randy Monroe 8) 26-Stephanie Stevens 9) 55-Steve Craig 10) 34-Shane Penny 11) 86-Tracy Readinger 12) 84-Jimmy Commock 13) 25-Chris Zrinski 14) 49-Tommy Tomasko 15) 75-Fred Schell 16) 37-Tony Montesi 17) 99-Scott Zipp 18) 5-Scott Viets 19) 54-Ryan Smith 20) 39-Justin Grosz 21) 1-Bethany Viets 22) 14-AJ Ernesto 23) 20-Carey Becker 24) 83-Bruce Buckwalter 25) 44-Frank Polimeda 26) 21-Andy Martin (DNS)

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ARDC Hauling to Accord; Grosz to Debut
By Mark Kielblock

Felton, DE - With eleven events in the books for 2008, the Road Warriors of ARDC look forward to something special at Accord Speedway for event number twelve. The inking of the Friday night, July 11 ARDC event at was announced in a February 31 press release and anticipation has been building ever since. The show will be sponsored by STS tires and will include the ACOT Midgets along with the track's regular divisions.

In conjunction with the ARDC announcement, the body of off season news coming out of the track known as the "Gem in the Catskills" was all about extensive track improvements that would lead to improved racing on the track and creature comforts for the fans.

The ARDC troops who are known for their brand of side by side and three wide wingless racing will be greeted by a track that has seen racing lanes widened, banking raised in the corners and improved lighting. Track Announcer and Media Rep. Steve Pados has felt the buzz building for this event. "It's going to open up a whole new avenue for people in the northeast sector of NY who have never seen midgets," Pados said in a telephone interview. "I've gotten emails from 4-5 states from fans just waiting to see the action. I honestly feel we'll pack the house," Pados enthused.

The enthusiasm and anticipation for ARDC midget racing at Accord Speedway starts at the top. "Our promoter Gary Palmer is a huge midget fan, he goes to the Chili Bowl every year," Pados shared. "Gary Palmer has done a lot of work to the track to raise the banking and widen it for better racing. I think the ARDC midgets are going to be a tremendous addition to our 5 regular divisions."

In addition to his duties at Accord, Pados also hosts the popular "Carquest Gasoline Alley" TV/Radio/Internet show. This past Monday the show greeted ARDC drivers PJ Gargiulo, Randy Monroe, Jr. Ryan Smith and "Two Dogs Racing" wrench Bryan Kobylarz to spread the word of Friday night's big show. "Whenever we have something new at the Speedway, we like to tie it in with the TV show. It's a combination that's hard to beat," Pados said.

What ARDC is bringing to the table is a super competitive racing series that has seen seven different winners in eleven events. Steve Buckwalter leads all drivers with 3 wins, Randy Monroe Jr. has two wins and is the ARDC point leader. Defending ARDC Champ Andy Martin has scored two wins, with single victories going to PJ Gargiulo, Scott Zipp, Bruce Buckwalter and Nick Wean. What makes those single victories special to those drivers is that they were their ARDC career first. Zipp started the roll of first time winners May 23rd at Penn Can. The month of June was very special as Gargiulo, Buckwalter and Wean ran off a streak of three first time winners in a row.

One driver who heads into the Accord show dreaming of a career first ARDC win is 16 year old Justin Grosz. The only thing keeping the Wallenpaupack, Pa. honor student from making his ARDC debut was age. Now that that hurdle has been cleared he will be in the field Friday night in a no. 39 midget that the team bought and reworked in the off season. Grosz -- a multi-time Go-Kart Champion who also has wins in Micro-Sprint competition -- has already done his part to promote the Accord show, with his car on display during last Friday's show at the "Ulster County Bullring".

Fans can look forward to meeting the stars of ARDC and getting an autograph as there will be five Mighty Midgets on display before the nights racing gets underway.

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ARDC Midgets
points as of July 4
1. Randy Monroe, Jr.  1,166
2. Frank Polimeda  1,118
3. P.J. Gargiulo, Jr.  1,070
4. Nick Wean   1,069
5. Brett Arndt   1,022
6. Bruce Buckwalter, Jr. 1,011
7. Drew Heistand  992
8. Tracy Readinger  984
9. Eric Heydenreich  970
10. Steve Lenig   924 

Steve Buckwalter Steals Susky Non-Stop ARDC Feature
By Mark Kielblock

Newberrytown, Pa. - Susquehanna Speedway Park promoter Todd Fisher and the entire SSP staff were hustling through Thursday night's program as quickly as they could with rain in the area. They needed all the help they could get from the ARDC drivers and the ARDC pilots delivered with 20-lap feature that ran caution free. Caution free features are great for promoters and fans, but for front running drivers who are handicapped to the middle of the pack -- like eventual winner Steve Buckwalter -- they make the job that much more challenging. Buckwalter started 10th, picked his way through the field and dove under Randy Monroe, Jr. on the white flag lap to steal the win.

"To be honest, in the beginning I really didn't think I was going to be able to get up there," Buckwalter shared after the race. "I was getting frustrated because I kept getting boxed in, then I started over-driving the car. When PJ (Gargiulo) got by me, I had to slow down in one corner and the car actually went quicker. Then I remembered the old saying, 'slow down to go fast,"  Buckwalter explained.

Randy Monroe Jr. and Scott Zipp brought the 26 car field to the green flag. Monroe showed his power as he immediately began to open a gap. Frank Polimeda showed early strength jumping from fourth starting spot to second. Scott Zipp faltered losing several spots in the early laps, but then began to recover by going to the high groove and re-passing several cars to get back to second spot. Polimeda began to struggle and started to go in the opposite direction, dropping through the pack where he would eventually finish 11th.

While all this shuffling was going on up front, fifth row starters Gargiulo and Buckwalter were making some noise of their own, with Gargiulo showing in the top five by lap 8 and Steve Buckwalter sweeping by on lap 9 to become the 5th place runner. From there Buckwalter began a quick but methodical climb to 4th on lap 11 and 3rd on lap 12. On lap 13, PJ Gargiulo slipped into fourth, and at the five lap to go sign Buckwalter moved into second.

Buckwalter now had a huge task ahead of him as Monroe had built a sizable lead and Buckwalter only had five laps to slice into it. The driver known as the "Royersford Rocket" did just that, as each lap the gap became noticeably smaller. Going into turns 3 and 4 with the white flag in the air Buckwalter dove to the extreme inside and got his car between the rail and Monroe's no. 27. When told that that move didn't exactly look like 'slow down to go fast,' Buckwalter responded matter of factly. "I knew I had to get by him in the corner, because his motor is so strong on the straightaway," Buckwalter remembered. "So I made sure I got alongside him, then used the brakes." Buckwalter completed the pass at the white flag and went on to take his 16th career ARDC win and third of the 2008 season.

Monroe was visibly disappointed at leading every lap and losing it on the last lap, but still showed toughness doing a victory lane interview. "Yeah it sucks leading every lap and losing it at the end," he said honestly. "I put that on myself slipping up a little bit on that corner. But I've still got to thank H&B Railroad, WO Grubb and Bryan Kobylarz for doing a great job for me. It was still a good night and a good points night," Monroe said. Monroe went into the night with a 3 point lead on Polimeda and stretched it with Polimeda finishing 11th.

33 ARDC Midgets signed in for competition. Heat races were won by Frank Polimeda, Drew Heistand and Randy Monroe Jr.

Feature: 1) 0-Steve Buckwalter 2) 27-Randy Monroe Jr. 3) 99-Scott Zipp 4) 51-PJ Gargiulo 5) 77-Nick Wean 6) 9-Steve Lenig 7) 83-Bruce Buckwalter 8) 29-Zack Martini 9) 21-Andy Martin 10) 86-Tracy Readinger 11) 44-Frank Polimeda 12) 14-AJ Ernesto 13) 11-Eric Heydenreich 14) 00-Greg Robinson 15) 12-Drew Heistand 16) 75-Ryan Watt 17) 54-Ryan Smith 18) 55-Steve Craig 19) 4-Michelle Miller 20) 84-Jimmy Commock 21) 3-Tracy Miller 22) 34-Shane Penny 23) 25-Chris Zrinski 24) 20-Carey Becker 25) 16-Dave Shirk 26) 46-Brett Arndt

-end- 

ARDC Midgets as of June 23
1. Randy Monroe, Jr.  1,031
2. Frank Polimeda  1,028
3. Brett Arndt   984
4. Nick Wean   952
5. P.J. Gargiulo  951
6. Drew Heistand  922
7. Bruce Buckwalter, Jr. 906
8. Eric Heydenreich  893
9. Tracy Readinger  892
10. Steve Lenig   816

Nick Wean Continues ARDC Streak of First Time Winners
By Mark Kielblock

Elm City, NC - Going into Saturday night's program at County Line Raceway, ARDC's Southern Swing to North Carolina had produced three straight first time winners going back to the 2007 season. Thanks to Nick Weans victory in the County Line feature you can make it four for four.

The short story of the race was simple; bad start - good finish. Scott Zipp and Nick Wean led the field to the green flag for the start of the 25 lapper. These two would be major players later in the race, but the ARDC racers would have to pass some rough waters before they could get down to serious business. First, Brett Arndt  brought out the red flag with hard wall contact in turn three with one lap in the books. An ambulance was brought to the scene to check on Arndt who was shaken, but otherwise ok.

One lap after the restart, the drivers all went up high in turn one searching for traction when Stephanie Stevens went a little too high. She caught the wall with her right rear and launched into a vicious series of flips that left her stunned and shaken. She was taken to the hospital for observation.

A long line of cars  locked up and slid and spun to avoid Stevens. Coming out on the short end of that chain reaction was PJ Gargiulo who damaged the entire front end of this no. 51 along with the tail tank and rear bumper.

This red flag led to a long break in the action for the ARDC field as they were sent pit side, while County Line's regular stock car divisions ran off their features. This allowed Gargiulo to effect repairs on his car, and the other teams to consider setup changes that might help them contend with early leader Zipp.

When they got back to green flag racing, Zipp pulled out to a lead over Wean and the rest of the field. Then the story of the race changed when Wean began to find superior bite down low off turn four that allowed him to pull even with Zipp and drag race down the front stretch. Zipp had a quicker line up high in one and two. This pattern would repeat itself lap after lap as Zipp and Wean treated the fans to an exhibition of clean, hard racing.

Just as Wean was finally able to clear Zipp on the front stretch and take the lead, the yellow winked on for an incident involving PJ Gargiulo between turns three and four. The lap wasn't complete, so Zipp was scored in the lead with Wean having to go back to second. As frustrating as this was for Wean, it was a treat for the fans as they got to watch the Zipp-Wean duel for a few more laps
Finally on lap 19, Wean was able to start his run a little earlier on Zipp. By the time they got to turn two, Wean had just enough momentum to clear Zipp and pull away for his first career win. How hard was it for Wean to hold his car on the bottom in 1 and 2 when no one else could? "Real hard," Wean said after the race. "I didn't want to get into him. I don't think we ever touched." Wean had been close to his first career win earlier this year at Susquehanna, coming in second to Steve Buckwalter. "I'm happy for the crew to get this one," Wean shared in victory lane, "We've been through some hard times lately."

Bruce Buckwalter was able to nail down third, coming off his first career win the night before at Dixieland. Frank Polimeda was fourth, followed by Randy Monroe Jr to round out the top five.

Heat races were won by Nick Wean and Bruce Buckwalter.

Pit Notes: A correction to pit notes posted from Dixieland are in order. Brett Conkling's team suffered a broken rear and it was Brett Conkling's dad who struggled to replace the rear to get the car back out for the feature. Conkling's team was mis-identified as Brett Arndt. Apologies go out to the effected teams. PJ Gargiulo had to replace the entire front end of his car along with repairing the tail tank and rear bumper. Once again ARDC spirit and sportsmanship was in evidence as seemingly every team in the Club was involved in the thrash on the no. 51 car.
 
1) 77-Nick Wean 2) 99-Scott Zipp 3) 83-Bruce Buckwalter 4) 44-Frank Polimeda 5) 27-Randy Monroe Jr 6) 9-Steve Lenig 7) 12-Drew Heistand 8) 54-Ryan Smith 9) 86-Tracy Readinger 10) 51 PJ Gargiulo 11) 29-Zack Martini 12) 11-Eric Heydenreich 13) 64-Brett Conkling 14) 75-Bobby Goerner 15) 25-Chris Zrinski 16) 26-Stephanie Stevens 17) 46-Brett Arndt

-end-

Bruce Buckwalter Grabs Career First at Dixieland
By Mark Kielblock

Elizabeth City, NC - ARDC's annual "Southern Swing" has been good for producing first time winners. The 2007 version saw Randy Monroe Jr and Brett Arndt achieve that career milestone. In the opening night of the 2008 "Swing" at Dixieland Speedway, Bruce Buckwalter Jr kept the trend alive entering the ARDC record book by scoring a dominating win in the 25 lap feature.

Buckwalter and Scott Zipp led the field to the green flag; right from the start Buckwalter served notice that it was going to be his night by opening a gap on the field. Zipp had a rough start as he slipped up in the first two corners and fell back to the middle of the pack. The only thing that drew the field back to Buckwalter's tail tank was a lap 5 yellow for Bobby Goerner who came to a stop between turns one and two in Fred Schell's no. 75 Hawk/Pontiac.

Shortly after the restart, Drew Heistand went high in turn one and clipped the wall with his right rear. Ironically this led to a left rear and right front flat on the DonCin Transport no.12. Quick work by the crew, aided by a another yellow allowed Heistand to get back in the race and eventually score a ninth place finish.

When the field settled into racing the top 5 shook out as Buckwalter, followed by Zack Martini, Tracy Readinger, Eric Heydenreich and Brett Arndt. Buckwalter clearly had the fastest car and began to stretch his lead. The only drama during the races long green flag run was when Buckwalter blew into turn one a little too hot and bounced his right rear off the wall. "After that, I was a little scared of the cushion and moved down to the middle for a lap or two to regain my composure," Buckwalter said after the race. "I had to move back up there though, because it was the fast way around."

The top groove was indeed the fast groove as the entire field danced on the edge of traction trying to gain an advantage. Last year's Dixieland winner, Randy Monroe Jr was one of the few who was able to make progress through the field moving from 10th at the start to challenge for a top 5 spot. He was the last driver to be bitten by the high groove as he slipped over the cushion and disappeared over the berm between turns one and two. Buckwalter resumed his lead on the restart and was able to pull away to a convincing win. Buckwalter thanked crew, both present and absent members. "Thanks to Davey, who couldn't make it tonight," Buckwalter said. "Also my Dad, Bruce Sr, Ryan, and 'Not-Too-Slick'. Also my cousin Stevie (15 time ARDC winner, Steve Buckwalter), he's really helped me alot."

Tracy Readinger who is well known for his bottom groove driving adapted well enough to the top side track to score a third place finish. "I bet you were surprised to see me up there, weren't you," he joked in victory lane. "I tried to go down low a couple of times, but it was obvious there was nothing down there." Readinger is a booking agent, board member and strong supporter of ARDC. Even with a third place finish, he was able to express enthusiasm for how the Club's recent races have turned out. "Another different winner and another first timer. Things are going great for the Club," Readinger enthused. Buckwalter was the 6th different winner in 9 ARDC races thus far in 2008. He was the third first time winner of the current campaign.

Pit Patter: It was a rough night on ARDC's traveling crew. Toughest of all on Brett Arndt's dad who was soaked in sweat and grease after changing a rear end on the Neptune Research no. 64. Arndt received much help in the task from Scott and Butch Zipp and Frank Polimeda's crew. Unfortunately he had to pull in after only a couple of laps in the feature. Stephanie Stevens had a throttle linkage break. Further complicating matters was the fact that some key linkage parts were lost on the track. Her dad was able to scrounge enough parts to get her out for the feature and a 11th place finish. Ryan Smith's Burke Truck no. 54 suffered from overheating problems in the heat race. Some tuning changes to the team's new Kriner motor were good enough to take him from a last place start in the feature to an 8th place finish. PJ Gargiulo had problems with a leaking radiator, but his crew was able to patch it together and he scored a 6th place finish. ARDC was well received by the Dixieland Speedway management and crowd; and much appreciation was expressed to ARDC for making the trip with the current fuel price situation.

Heat races were won by Scott Zipp and Eric Heydenreich

1) 83-Bruce Buckwalter 2) 29-Zack Martini 3) 86-Tracy Readinger 4) 11-Eric Heydenreich 5) 46-Brett Arndt 6) 51-PJ Gargiulo 7) 44-Frank Polimeda 8) 54-Ryan Smith 9) 12-Drew Heistand 10) 77-Nick Wean 11) 26-Stephanie Stevens 12) 99-Scott Zipp 13) 75-Bobby Goerner 14) 27-Randy Monroe Jr 15) 9-Steve Lenig 16) 25-Chris Zrinski 17) 64-Brett Conkling

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ARDC Drivers Take Their Battles South
By Mark Kielblock

Felton, DE - Familiar faces in familiar places. Randy Monroe, Jr. and Brett Arndt both had the "breakout" race of their rookie year on ARDC's "Southern Swing" to North Carolina in 2007. Ironically, as the pair join their fellow ARDC members for back to back shows at Dixieland Speedway in Elizabeth City on Friday night and Countyline Raceway in Rocky Mount on Saturday, they sit first and second respectively in the ARDC point standings.

Monroe has had a strong start to his sophomore season. He got things off to the best possible start with a win in ARDC's '08 opener at Susquehanna Speedway Park. He followed that up with a win in the high-profile ARDC/USAC show on June 4 at Big Diamond Raceway. Even on a bad night, the driver of the WO Grubb Crane Rentals/H&B Railroad, Spike/Fontana has showed strength. This past Sunday night at Susky, Monroe was involved in a tangle that bent the W-link and drove the right side rub rail into the right rear tire. 

The "Two Dogs Racing" crew led by Bryan Kobylarz shook off that bit of bad luck and put the no. 27 on the grid in 23rd place for the 20 lap feature. All Monroe did was drive the car up from the next to last row to a ninth place finish. It's those types of performances on a bad night that add up to a point lead.

What is the difference in Randy Monroe one year removed from being a rookie in the highly competitive ARDC ranks? "I'm a lot more confident this year," Monroe answered quickly. "I'm more confident and I'm more comfortable in the car and in the people around me on the track."

ARDC is a traveling Club, which means lots of different types of tracks to conquer. This doesn't phase Monroe at all, "I don't really prefer one over the other as far as big or small tracks," Monroe emphasized. "I like to think that I can adjust my style to whatever type of track we are on and go to the front."

Monroe's win at Dixieland last season was one of the feel-good stories of the season. It was the track where Monroe got his start in racing and was a go-kart champion. He had a huge fan following on hand that night, and when he won, the crowd -- one of the loudest and most enthusiastic on the ARDC circuit -- erupted in cheers and a wild front stretch celebration ensued.

On the competition side, Monroe did have some concerns about heading back to Dixieland. "We're going to be starting the feature in the back, and it's tough to pass there," he explained. "Of course, I'm excited as always about going back there, so I'll just come from the back and put on a good show for the fans."

Monroe applies a slightly different strategy now that he is the point leader. "I think about my moves and try to stay out of the wrecks; I try to drive smart and don't take some of the big chances I might have taken before," he shared. Monroe made a quick point, lest anyone think he is turning into a "Pointer-Sister". "I still drive with the same intensity and determination to get to the front," Monroe emphasized.

Adding intrigue to the story of last year's ARDC "Southern Swing" was the "Topton Tornado" Brett Arndt following up Monroe's win with a win of his own at County Line Raceway. Monroe's and Arndt's early ARDC careers have a thread of commonality running through them. They started the 2007 season as teammates on the Bryan Kobylarz - wrenched "Two Dogs Racing" team. Just before the 2007 Southern Swing Arndt and "Two Dogs" decided to go their seperate ways with Arndt now wheeling a family-owned F5 Gaerte no. 46 backed by E. Schneider and Sons.

It seemed only appropriate on the second night of the Swing that Arndt would complete the loop by winning the second half of the double header, scoring a sweep for the rookie former teammates. Arndt would go on to thank Kobylarz in victory lane at County Line for helping him get started in ARDC and also for his help in preparing the no. 46 for battle.

The '08 season has been an almost perfect model of consistency for Arndt and crew, now under the "Essay Racing" banner. In the eight events contested so far, Arndt has scored three top-5's including a second to Monroe (who else?) and four top-10's. The only finish in the back half of the field for Arndt came in a night the team would probably rather forget at New Egypt Speedway. Early in the race Arndt got into a wave of ruts that caused the car to bicycle, flip, and go sailing out of the speedway in turn 3. Thankfully, Arndt emerged from the car in good shape. He would need to be. 

Brett, along with dad Scott and crew member Bobby Barclay would spend the remainder of that Saturday night stripping the car down to the bare frame. After finishing up at 6:30 am Sunday morning and a short nap, it was off to Tracy Readinger's shop to purchase a new frame, just in case. Next up was a trip to Mike Ely's shop to have the crashed frame and drive line checked. All was straight and after replacing rub rails, bumpers, W-link and rear axle, Essay Racing was back in business without missing a race.

It's that type of determination, along with top-5 consistency that make Brett Arndt and the E.Schneider and Son sponsored Essay Racing Team a contender for the 2008 ARDC championship. They would like nothing better than to add a repeat win on this weekend's Southern Swing to that record of consistency.

For track info on this weekend's ARDC races log onto: http://www.dixielandspeedway.com/home.htm or http://www.countylineracewaync.com/

Club Notes: ARDC Officials and membership extend their condolences to Denise Smith, mother of 2007 ARDC Rookie of the Year Ryan Smith on the sudden loss of her father last week.

-end- 

Gargiulo Wins ARDC First in Epic Susky Battle
By Mark Kielblock

Newberrytown, Pa. - At the conclusion of his "Rookie of the Year" campaign in 2006, PJ Gargiulo missed winning the Susky season closer to Ray Bull by inches. Gargiulo was to say later that that experience left a "fire burning in his belly" to get the job done; to get an ARDC win. Sunday night Gargiulo successfully extinguished that flame by defeating ARDC's best in a classic clash of the titans at the Newberrytown oval.

Tracy Readinger and Scott Zipp led the 26 car field to the green flag. To no one's surprise Readinger went immediately to the inside rail to try to take an early lead. What was a surprise was that Scott Zipp went to the top side and was able to keep pace with Readinger throughout the early laps. A race that would later have thrilling conclusion, started out with a thrilling side by side battle that would see Readinger and Zipp see saw back and forth down the straights and run almost dead even in the turns.

Finally on lap 5, Zipp was able to complete the pass of Readinger coming out of turn two. That was the good news. The bad news for Zipp and Readinger is that by lap 6, sixth row starters Andy Martin and PJ Gargiulo had already cracked the top 5 with Martin third and Gargiulo fifth. Andy Martin saw the high groove that Zipp was running and made it work even better as he went a lane higher and eventually swept past Zipp and Readinger into the lead.

The stage was now set for a classic battle as Martin hung in the extreme high groove, Readinger went to his familiar spot on the inside rail and PJ Gargiulo now third was rolling through the middle of the corner. On lap 15 Gargiulo went for it all as he dove for the inside between turns 3 and 4 and passed both Readinger and Martin in one move to blast into the lead.

Gargiulo looked determined to put his stamp on this race as he immediately began to open a gap on Martin and Readinger, but first wins never seem to come easy. Gargiulo had to endure a restart after a lap 18 caution. His first restart was flawless as he rolled high in the corner, then shot low to prevent an inside pass. It worked to perfection and he was able to open a gap, but yet again the caution winked on -- this time for a stopped Frank Polimeda in turn 2. Gargiulo used exactly the same tactic on the next restart and he made it work just as successfully as he was able to open a gap. This time there would be no more interruptions as Gargiulo was able hold his lead all the way to the checker.

Gargiulo wasn't totally sure this race was his. "I saw Andy up high and I said, oh no," Gargiulo explained in victory lane. "My car was good enough to go up there, but we changed the gear and didn't have the gear to run high. I had to be on the bottom. When I got the lead, I kept expecting to see Andy come back by me on the high side, but he never did." Gargiulo then ran down a list of people to thank for the long awaited first win. "I've got to thank Crew Chief Bill Jackson. Of course, I've got to thank my dad Paul Sr, make sure you put dad in big capitol letters," Gargiulo joked. "Also Sperrs Fuel Oil, Church's Auto Parts, Team RTP, the Pistorios and Joe Farrell."

Third Place finishing Readinger runs the same Gamester Racing Products Chassis as Gargiulo; Readinger is also a distributor of the brand. "I've been helping PJ with some advice, where to put bars and stuff," Readinger said. "Now I don't think I'll be helping him any more," he laughed. "It's tough starting on the pole and not winning, but if I have to get beat, I'm glad it was PJ."

Night Notes: The Susky track crew put some water on the upper groove just before the ARDC feature. It worked to perfection, bringing alive a track surface that saw many laps completed in blazing sunshine by the ARDC, 358 Sprints and Legend Cars. There was much passing throughout the field as the winner and second place came from the sixth row and Randy Monroe advanced from 23rd to 9th. AJ Ernesto advanced from 15th to 6th. Shane Penny overcame heat race ignition issues with Jerry Steward's Bishop/Fontana to finish 11th after starting 25th. Steve Lenig posted a 4th place finish and pressured Readinger for third, after a series of frustrating runs for the Selinsgrove, Pa. driver this season. Stephanie Stevens struggled with race-ending brake problems. The York County Racing Club was on hand and presented winner PJ Gargiulo with a plaque in victory lane.

26 ARDC Midgets signed in for competition. Heat races were won by Steve Lenig, Andy Martin and Scott Zipp.

20 Lap ARDC Feature: 1) 51- PJ Gargiulo 2) 21-Andy Martin 3) 2-Tracy Readinger 4) 9-Steve Lenig 5) 46-Brett Arndt 6) 14-AJ Ernesto 7) 11-Eric Heydenreich 8) 12-Drew Heistand 9) 27-Randy Monroe Jr 10) 75-Ryan Watt 11) 34-Shane Penny 12) 29-Zack Martini 13) 83-Bruce Buckwalter 14) 77-Nick Wean 15) 84-Jimmy Commock 16) 20-Carey Becker 17) 44-Frank Polimeda 18) 99-Scott Zipp 19) 42-Jack Spence 20) 00-Greg Robinson 21) 25-Chris Zrinski 22) 16-Dave Shirk 23) 0-Steve Buckwalter 24) 95-Mark Lawshe 25) 38 Bobby Goerner 26) 26-Stephanie Stevens.

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Stevens and Bruce Buckwalter Eye ARDC Doubleheader at Susquehanna Speedway Park
By Mark Kielblock

Felton, DE - Stephanie Stevens is entering her second full season of ARDC competition -- after dipping her toe into the water with a few races in '06. Going into this weekend's Saturday/Sunday ARDC doubleheader at Susquehanna Speedway Park she has her sights set on getting her first career win.

During last Thursday's ARDC/USAC combo show Stevens was just four laps away from fully coming of age as an ARDC competitor. The start of the 20 lap feature at Big D was a "herky-jerky" affair. If nothing else, Stevens ability to make a good restart was put to the test. No less than four times the green flag flew to start the race, on three of them (Steve Lenig beat her to the punch on one, only to spin) Stevens jumped to the lead only to have the start negated by a yellow flag. Once the race got underway, it was quite simply hers for 16 laps. With all due respect to the furious battle going on behind her -- as Steve Buckwalter and Darren Hagen came from the back, and while Randy Monroe and Ryan Watt battled up front -- Stevens owned the race.

"There was a red flag that allowed my tires to cool off," Stevens said in her weekly newsletter. "Until lap 15 of the 20 lap feature it was our night to win. I led for one lap after the restart, but on lap 16 Randy Monroe was able to slide underneath me in turns 3 and 4 as I was spinning tires," she remembered. There was a bright spot to the night for Stevens, however. "I finally finished in the top 3 for my hard working crew, our sponsors and fans," Stevens enthused. The top 3 finish for Stevens bested her previous career high which was 4th -- a placing she achieved four times in the 2007 season. A post-race check of the fuel tank showed that Steven's luck may have been better than she originally thought. "There was only 2 1/2 gallons left, and that's where it usually stops picking it up," she explained.

Her next attempt at Susky wouldn't happen without some work from the crew, a group which Stevens praises often. "A rear engine seal leak was discovered after the Big Diamond feature," Stevens shared. "Dad removed the engine, called Bob Wirth, and with his help he already replaced the seal and has the engine bolted back in the midget, nice work!" Stevens exclaimed two days after the Big D race.

Stevens is driving a new Spike Chassis, which has taken some getting used to. "As a driver, things started to click for me halfway through last season," she said. "I'm starting to learn this new car. We ran a Stealth last year, and the adjustments on the Spike are totally different. All the different tracks we've run this season have helped me and now I feel totally comfortable in the car and I love racing it," Stevens enthused. "That Big Diamond Race was a big boost." The Bob Wirth Chevy is bolted firmly between the frame rails of Stevens SBF Race Products no. 26 Spike Chassis and the driver's eyes are firmly fixed on victory lane.

Second year competitor Bruce Buckwalter knows just what obstacles he faces to getting his first career win at ARDC. All he has to do is read off the Club roster, "Stephanie Stevens ran great last week, Carey Becker along with his teammate AJ (Ernesto), Zippy (Scott Zipp, first time winner at Penn Can), Nick Wean is running great," Buckwalter pointed out. He continued down the list, "Randy Monroe, Billy Pauch, Jr and Drew Heistand. You never know who is going to be fast on a given night. The competition is getting tougher, everyone is getting faster as a club," Buckwalter said. "Of course there's my cousin Steve (2 ARDC wins to date). "I think he is one of the best out there. He brings alot of fans to the race track."

When asked about Steve Buckwalter's uncanny ability to get a car to stick like glue on the bottom of the racetrack, Bruce Buckwalter just chuckles. "That's just a few years of experience there. He's taught me a lot and I'm still learning. Sometimes we find things out on our own, too," Bruce emphasized. "Steve just gets us pointed in the right direction."

Things have been a little rough for the Royersford, Pa pilot going into this weekend's action at Susky. "We had some tough luck at Big Diamond and New Egypt. We did start deep in the pack at New Egypt and passed 10 cars, so it wasn't all bad," Buckwalter remembered.

The Penn Can/Five Mile Point swing was a better memory for Buckwalter. "We got our best finish of the season (3rd) at Penn Can, but I actually consider our 4th at Five Mile Point a better run because we came from 18th and had a great battle with Pauch Jr. We just missed out on third," Buckwalter said.

Buckwalter is going to battle with some different equipment this season. "We bought a couple of Gaerte motors from someone who ran NEMA," Buckwalter explained. "We had a Fontana in our Stealth chassis last year. We've got a lot more power than last year. Now it's just a matter of me getting better," Buckwalter summed. Buckwalter hopes that Gaerte power can carry him to victory at Susky this weekend.

Note: Buckwalter continues to take donations for the Victory Junction Gang Camp. He is working in conjunction with Ms. Motorsports Tiffany Skias to raise money for the charity and will accept donations through the Sunday night race at Susky.

The ARDC Midgets will join the Street Stocks, Xtreme Stocks and Late Models at Susquehanna Speedway Park for "Fab 4 Stock Car Saturday Night." Then on Sunday it will be a "Fathers Day Spectacular" with the ARDC, 358 Sprint Cars and the Legend Cars

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ARDC Midgets
points as of June 9
1. Randy Monroe, Jr.  758
2. Frank Polimeda  738
3. Brett Arndt   695
4. Nick Wean    652
5. A.J. Ernesto   650
6. Drew Heistand  631
7. P.J. Gargiulo, Jr.  623
8. Eric Heydenreich  591
9. Andy Martin   591
10. Bruce Buckwalter, Jr. 566

Monroe Spoils Stevens Party in Big Diamond ARDC
By Mark Kielblock

Minersville, Pa. - Stephanie Stevens has been running stronger of late in ARDC competition. Thursday night she seemed ready to "close the deal" in front of a huge crowd that turned out for the ARDC/USAC doubleheader at Big Diamond Raceway. She started from the pole and lead every lap up until a lap 16 red flag. That proved to be her undoing as Randy Monroe Jr. of Hampton, Va. was able to slip by and take the win when they got back to racing.

Stevens and Steve Lenig brought the 26 car field to the green flag. "Yellow fever" was the order of the night as the ARDC troops struggled to get the 20 lap feature event under way. There would be a grand total of four yellows before they were able to settle down and get into some green flag racing. Stevens showed her power on most of the restarts and was able to open a gap. On one restart, Lenig was able to get the upper hand, but that effort was to go for naught when he spun between turns 3 and 4.

When they finally got going, Stevens established herself at the front of the pack, opening a gap over 7th place starter Randy Monroe Jr. who avoided the early trouble to get up to the front. Andy Martin also worked his way into the front group, but had his hands full with 13th place starter Ryan Watt who hauled Fred Schell's vintage Pontiac powered Hawk to the front, mainly via the outside groove.

A lap 10 red flag was thrown for a multi-car flip that involved Johnny Heydenreich, who was making his first ARDC start in quite some time, nephew Eric Heydenreich and Nick Wean. 

When the race was restarted, Stevens showed no signs of buckling under pressure as she held about five car lengths over Monroe. While she led the field, all kinds of action was going on behind her as Martin and Watt battled for third, with Watt finally moving into that spot. Other phenomenal runs were being turned in by Steve Buckwalter who went from 16th into the top 5 with five to go and visiting driver Darren Hagen who had the run of the night -- starting 25th, riding 7th at lap 15 -- and finally cracking the top five by the end of the race.

Lap 16 was the end of the party for Stevens as she slid just high enough for Monroe to sneak underneath coming out of turn four. "I was really focused tonight," Stevens would say later. "I stayed consistent and hit my marks on just about every lap. The track was slick at the end and I just slipped up a little bit. I'm just glad to get a podium finish after all those fourth place finishes last year. The crew really needed this one"

"Stephanie had the car to beat tonight," Monroe said. "She slipped up just enough where I could slide her and then I had to just hang on. I learned a little bit following her and her lines -- I got a chance to play with my shock adjustments," he explained. 

Steve Buckwalter made one of his patented late-race charges and was up to second when the race was on the line. There was a restart with one lap to go and Monroe had to hold off the cagey ARDC vet. "I didn't know who was behind me until I looked up at the scoreboard and saw that big number "0" up there," Monroe said. "Then I got a little nervous. I knew with him back there I had to make the car as wide as possible, and when we got to 3 and 4 I had to get as low as I could."

Even with all that, somehow Buckwalter managed to squeeze between the inside rail and Monroe to make it a drag race to the finish, which Monroe was able to win. It was Monroe's second victory of the season. Stevens was able to hang on for third in front of some major shuffling which saw the amazing Hagen come home fourth. Drew Heistand rounded out the top five, up from 12th starting spot. Hagen's run netted him the $1000 "Mike Grassmeyer Memorial" Hard Charger award. The award was the result of a fund raising effort by a group of fans from the Williams Grove Speedway message board to honor Grassmeyer (aka "Dusty Brew") a long-time wingless racing fan who passed away from cancer last year.

Night Notes: Thursday night marked the first time in two years that all three member of the Miller Racing Family, Mike, Tracy and Michellt took to the track at the same time. Penn-Can winner Scott Zipp left the track with a broken front end in his heat race. The B-main was called to the track so quickly that there was no time to make repairs. Andy Martin's strange season continued as he ended the night with a rollover in turn 2 in a tangle that also involved PJ Gargiulo and Ray Bull. Tracy Hines ran the "Two Dogs Racing" no.49 usually driven by Billy Pauch Jr. 6-time ARDC Champ Ray Bull made his first start of the year in Donnie Hoffman's no.17.

33 ARDC Midgets signed in for competition. Heat races were won by Tracy Readinger, Drew Heistand and Brett Arndt.

20-lap ARDC Midget Feature. 1) 27-Randy Monroe Jr. 2) 0-Steve Buckwalter 3) 26-Stephanie Stevens 4) 5-Darren Hagen 5) 12-Drew Heistand 6) 75-Ryan Watt 7) 14-AJ Ernesto 8) 44-Frank Polimeda 9) 46-Brett Arndt 10) 4-Michelle Miller 11) 20-Carey Becker 12) 9-Steve Lenig 13) 29-Zack Martini 14) 49-Tracy Hines 15) 21-Andy Martin 16) 17-Ray Bull 17) 51-PJ Gargiulo 18) 96-PJ Pavlick 19) 54-Ryan Smith 20) 57-Johnny Heydenreich 21) 11-Eric Heydenreich 22) 77-Nick Wean 23) 3-Tracy Miller 24) 414-Taylor Malsom 25) 16-Dave Shirk 26) 2-Tracy Readinger

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Mother Nature Foils ARDC "Thunder" at Grandview
By Mark Kielblock

Bechtelsville, Pa. - The long anticipated ARDC/USAC Wingless double header finally arrived. The heat racing was great, expectations were high  -- and then it rained. An impressive 36 ARDC midgets signed in for competition; a mixture of the usual suspects with a few surprises thrown in for good measure.

Surprise number one came in the form of car no. 1. This one carrying the name of Mike Miller. Miller -- who those familiar with recent ARDC history credit with planting the seeds of the current revival of the club -- was on hand with a Bullet chassis sporting a black paint job. "I was planning on running this car next year," Miller said. "It just came together."

Then Miller went on to explain where he's been since he's been among the missing with ARDC. "I've run a couple of Sportsman Micro races at Lanco. We're just looking to keep it fun." He also revealed some news that's sure to raise the curiosity of ARDC fans. "We might see Tracy and Michelle on Thursday," Miller said referring to his two race driving daughters. Michelle was the first female feature event winner in ARDC history. The Miller's look to repeat last year's schedule when the USAC eastern swing combo shows were the only races they ran. Mike Miller looked strong in his heat race, but in the B-main he spun and did a light roll onto his side in turn 4.

Other surprise entrants were Darren Hagan of Riverside Ca, Taylor Malsam of Washington State, Johnny Heydenreich and Randy Reid of Odenton Maryland.
 
Hagan is a Sprint Car driver who is billed as the "Fastest Sprint Car Driver in the World" by virtue of his 142 mph lap at the paved 7/8 mile Iowa Speedway.

Malsam is a young 410 sprint driver from Washington State who also runs the full ARCA stock car circuit for Bob Cunningham Motorsports with the number 4 Dodge. The Cunningham team also owns a midget no.44 (reportedly a former Donnie Trent car). "The only other midget race I've run was the Chili Bowl," Malsam explained. He will be running the ARCA event at Pocono.

Johnny Heydenreich is an accomplished driver in USAC competition; he is equally accomplished in ARDC as well showing 36 feature wins in the ARDC record book. He was on hand in a black no. 57

Randy Reid is a former microsprint competitor who had an unfortunate beginning to his ARDC career in 2007. He suffered brake problems with his car which led to a hard crash in turn 3 at Susquehanna Speedway Park at the season opener. That was to be his first and last race of the season. He showed up at Grandview with a white no. 53 and suffered new car teething problems.

Three heat races and a B-main were run for the 36 ARDC Midgets on hand before the rains came. The feature will be made up on a date to be determined later in the 2008 season.

Heat Race 1: 1) 86-Tracy Readinger 2) 26-Stephanie Stevens 3) 27-Randy Monroe Jr. 4) 54-Ryan Smith 5) 51-PJ Gargiulo 6) 83-Bruce Buckwalter

Heat Race 2: 1) 0-Steve Buckwalter 2) 21-Andy Martin 3) 11-Eric Heydenreich 4) 75-Ryan Watt 5) 12-Drew Heistand 6) 29-Zack Martini

Heat Race 3: 1) 5-Darren Hagan 2) 9-Steve Lenig 3) 46-Brett Arndt 4) 77-Nick Wean 5) 14-AJ Ernesto 6) 44-Frank Polimeda

B-main: 1) 414-Taylor Malsom 2) 20-Carey Becker 3) 99-Scott Zipp 4) 49-Billy Pauch Jr. 5) 25-Chris Zrinski 6) 00-Greg Robinson 7) 16-dave Shirk 8) 42-Jack Spence

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Fans Support "Charging", Martini Pulls "Double Duty'; ARDC Pairs Up with USAC
By Mark Kielblock

Felton, DE - For all but one week of the racing season, the Midgets of the American Racing Drivers Club hold the corner on the market of wingless racing in the Northeast. The "exceptional" week has arrived as ARDC will join the USAC National Sprint Cars in wingless double headers for 3 straight nights starting with Tues. June 3 at Grandview Speedway, followed by double bills at Williams Grove Speedway on Wednesday night and closing out the tour Thursday night at Big Diamond Raceway.

A group of fans have gotten together to make these shows even more lucrative for both ARDC drivers and their USAC counterparts. "We held a fun