2010 ARDC schdule
Sunday  March 28 Big Diamond Raceway
Sunday  April 11 Susquehanna Speedway Park
Friday April 30 Williams Grove Speedway
Sunday  May 2  Big Diamond Raceway
Saturday May 8  Williams Grove Speedway
Saturday, May 15  Grandview Speedway
Friday  May 28  Penn Can Speedway
Tuesday June 1  Grandview Speedway TOTH w/USAC
Wednesday June 2,  Lincoln Speedway w/USAC
Sunday June 13  Susquehanna Speedway
Saturday June 19 Bridgeport Speedway (1/4 mile)
Saturday July 10  Williams Grove Speedway
Friday July 16   Accord Speedway
Friday July 30  Clinton County Speedway
Saturday July 31 Mercer Raceway
Friday, August 6 Dixieland Speedway
Tuesday August 24 New Egypt Speedway
Wednesday August 25 New Egypt Speedway (Rain Date)
Saturday September 11 Bridgeport Speedway (1/4 mile)
Saturday October 2 TBA Big Diamond Raceway
Sunday October 3 TBA Big Diamond Raceway
Saturday October 16  Grandview TOTH
Saturday October 30 Susquehanna Speedway Park
Sunday October 31  Susquehanna Speedway Park (Rain Date)
TBA- Georgetown Speedway

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ARDC CONTINGENT HEADS WEST TO TULSA OKLAHOMA TO COMPETE IN THE 24TH ANNUAL CHILI BOWL
By Steve Williams

Several stars of the ARDC will represent the East Coast in a race that has truly become the biggest All Star racing event in the country, The 24th Annual Chili Bowl being held January 12th through the 16th, 2010 at the Tulsa, Oklahoma State Fairgrounds QuikTrip Center.

Heading the charge West will be the third place finisher in last year’s points race, Slick Nick Wean of Phillipsburg, NJ. Wean, making his second attempt to qualify for the A Main, will be behind the controls of the Wean Heating & Tank Maintenance, Jim''s Auto Body, Warren Pallet, Hilltop Petroleum, Spike, Gaerte Chevy.

Wean, will qualify on Tuesday as will Royersford, PA’s Steve Buckwalter. Buckwalter will be piloting the Buckwalter''s Roofing, VRP Shocks, Don Ott Engines, Sunnyhill Trucking, Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic, Stealth, Don Ott Chevy. Buckwalter, making his 8th Chili Bowl appearance will try to improve on a career high 9th place finish in last year’s race. Also in Tuesday’s qualifying will be World of Outlaw Sprint Car Rookie, Cody Darrah of York, PA.

Wednesday’s qualifying will feature, Matawan, NJ’s Andrew Hannula, Donnie Trent of Honey Brook, PA and Central Pennsylvania sprint standout, Aaron Ott of York Spring, PA.

Hannula, a Chili Bowl rookie will be driving Lou Zrinski’s, Radical Designs, Butler Built, Stealth Gaerte while Trent will be making his 5th appearance in the, Earl Fellin - Mid-Atlantic, Equipment Services Co. Spike, Mopar.

Ott, who won a 410 and URC feature on the same night at Williams Grove Speedway last June, will make his second appearance as part of the Buckwalter team.

Thursday night Billy Pauch Jr. of Frenchtown, NJ, will take his 5th shot at The Chili Bowl onboard the, Courtyard by Marriott Tulsa, Auto Ron''s, Speedquip Inc., Jeronimo''s Bar & Grill, The Cuckoo''s Nest, Phantom SB-2 Chevy.

Friday nights qualifying will be an East Coasts fans dream as, Dusty Heistand of Manheim, PA, Chris Zrinski of Forked River, NJ, Trevor Kobylarz of Birdsboro, PA and Bruce Buckwalter Jr. of Royersford, PA will attempt to make the A-Main, as will current World of Outlaw Late Model star, “Scrub” Rick Eckert of York, PA and former East Coast Midgeteer and former Chili Bowl Champion, Johnny Heydenreich, now residing in Indianapolis.

Last years, Dixieland Speedway runnerup, Heinstand, will be racing in Tulsa for the second time and will be driving the DonCin Transport, Spike, Chevy while, Zrinski will also be making his 2nd appearance, where as a rookie last year took a serious flyer down the frontstretch. Zrinski will be a teammate to Hannula.

Kobylarz and Buckwalter Jr. will both be Chili Bowl Rookies. Kobylarz aboard the Two Dogs Racing, Becker Painting, Century 21, Cafe Waldorf, Awesome Racewear, Chuck''s Auto Salvage, Spike, Hawk and Buckwalter Jr. in the, BDB Construction, BDB Graphics, DirtMag Online, Joel Detwiler Networking Solutions, VRP Shocks, Stealth, Gaerte.

Just as in the previous 23 Chili Bowls, the entry list is a Who’s Who in US Motorsports. Champions from all the major sanctioning bodies are entered including, Sammy Swindell, Danny Lasoski and Joe Saldana from the WoO Sprint Cars, Eckert and Tim McCreadie from the WoO Late Models, Dave Darland and Levi Jones from the USAC Sprints, P.J Jones from Indy Cars, Kasey Kahne from Nascar Sprint Cup and Cruz Pendregon from the NHRA.

Practice gets underway on Monday January 11th. Qualifying and the Vacuworx International Race of Champions is on Tuesday. The balance of the qualifying will be Wednesday through Friday.

Gates open on Saturday at 9:00am with a Trade Show. Warmups and the J through B Mains get underway at noon with the 50 Lap A-Main spinning off at 10:00pm.

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Polimeda Crowned Champ at ARDC 70th Anniversary Celebration; RAACE Foundation Fundaraiser

By Mark Kielblock
 
Hazleton, Pa. - ARDC crowned Frank Polimeda as it's newest Champion as the Club celebrated it's 70th Anniversary at Lobitz Catering Hall on Nov. 28. Several ARDC legends were present at the celebration including National Midget Racing Hall of Fame member and 5 time ARDC Champion car owner Ken Brenn Sr, 4 Time Champion driver Leigh Earnshaw Jr, 2 Time Champ Hank Rogers, Jr. and 14 time race winner Jimmy McGuire. Polimeda was well aware of his place in history as he accepted his Championship award. "I look at the list of past Champions and to see my name added to that list is a true honor that I will cherish for the rest of my life," Polimeda said.
 
When asked what the highlight of his Championship season was, Polimeda remembered how he and his team responded to the adversity of a crash at the Chili Bowl. "I came out of the Chili Bowl all busted up and I had a busted up race car, I was demoralized," Polimeda recalled grimly. But the highlight was what came next. "We came out at the ARDC opener at Big Diamond and got a feature win," Polimeda related. "It wasn't so much that it was just a feature win, but it was how our team responded -- that made it extra special and set the tone for the rest of the season." Polimeda followed up that win in the opener at Big Diamond with six top-5 and 4 top-10 finishes on his way to the Championship. Brett Arndt, Nick Wean, Bruce Buckwalter, Jr. and PJ Gargiulo picked top 5 point standing awards.
 
Polimeda's Crew Chief Milt Acquilini was the winner of the Ken Hickey Crew Chief of the Year Award. Acquilini's name was previously etched in ARDC history as he racked up Owners and Drivers Championships with Mega Motorsports and legendary ARDC driver Ray Bull. Acquilini was complimentary of his most recent Champion driver. "Frank Polimeda is going to be a great Champion for ARDC and he is going to be a good representive for the Club," Acquilini said as he accepted his award. Polimeda spoke equally highly of Acquilini, "He's been the difference for us," Polimeda said. "Milt came on board with us this year and made us fast. Milt's body of work speaks for itself," the newest ARDC Champ added.
 
Bruce Buckwalter Jr. and Sr made a family affair of winning awards at the Banquet as Bruce Jr. picked up the Most Improved Driver Award. Buckwalter was a feature winner in 2009 on the inner bullring at Bridgeport Speedway. Bruce Buckwalter Sr. was honored for the second year in a row as the owner of the PPG Best Appearing Car. The BDB Construction/BDB Graphics Stealth/Gaerte no. 83 was selected for the Best Appearing award by vote of the fans at the ARDC Website www.ardcmidgets.com.
 
ARDC had an outstanding crop of rookies in 2009, so much so that there were Co-Winners in the Rookie of the Year category; Trevor Kobylarz and Dusty Heistand. Kobylarz is the son of ARDC Champion Driver and Car Owner Bryan Kobylarz. Highlights of his rookie season included top five finishes at Lincoln Speedway and New Egypt Speedway. His New Egypt run was especially strong as he led the first fifteen laps before being past by the veteran midget ace Steve Buckwalter. Dusty Heistand came close to being a feature winner in his rookie year with a second place finish at Dixieland Speedway. His other season highlight came in June as he was in the lead pack battling for the win at Lincoln in a race that was eventually won by his brother Drew, Dusty finished fourth.
 
Club Treasurer and Owner of car no. 75 Fred Schell was the popular winner of the Presidents Award, selected by ARDC President Bruce Buckwalter, Sr. "I care alot about the Club," Schell said. "It's alot of work. In my job as treasurer I'm responsible to take care of others people's money. I take better care of the Club's finances than I do my own."
 
The 2009 ARDC Banquet was also billed as a fund raiser the RAACE Foundation. The RAACE Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating the epidemic of child sexual abuse by raising public awareness. The RAACE Foundation was represented at the Banquet by Brad Brickel. Raffle tickets were sold throughout the night and at the conclusion of the night Club representative Deanna Kobylarz presented Brickel with a check for $639. "We wanted to do something special with our Banquet this year, we wanted to follow the theme 'ARDC gives back', " Kobylarz summed. Information on the RAACE Foundation can be obtained by logging on to http://www.raace.org
 
Lobitz Catering Hall was transformed into an ARDC Museum with memorabilia covering the span of ARDC's 70 year history. There were classic restored midgets were on display along with a plethora of posters, photos and drivers suits. ARDC legends Ken Brenn, Leigh Earnshaw, Hank Rogers Jr and Jimmy McGuire both moved and entertained the crowd as they shared their memories and passion for ARDC from the podium.
 
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ARDC Season Review: 2009
By Mark Kielblock
 
Felton, DE - "Say, did you hear that the second half of the ARDC Season was pretty much rained out?"
 
"Yeah, that was a bummer. I kept hoping to catch an ARDC race, but they got rained out at every show I went to. I like my modifieds, the winged sprinters are pretty cool. But there's just something about those wingless midgets when they go 3 wide lap after lap. The way they handicap those guys, watching Arndt, Polimeda, Heistand, the Buckwalters, Pauch Jr, Wean and Gargiulo come through the pack -- that's just awesome racing. How many shows did they get in anyway."
 
"Twelve."
 
"Twelve?" That's not much of a season. How much could happen in 12 races?"
 
How much could happen in 12 races? How about this:
 
March 28, Big Diamond Raceway.  Minersville, Pa. - It's been a long winter for Frank Polimeda, shaking off the effects of a violent crash in January's Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa. After a feature triumph in the ARDC midget season opener at Big Diamond Raceway, all that is forgotten now. Polimeda was even able to joke about the Tulsa tumble in victory lane as he revealed his new racing strategy. "I decided I was going to keep all four wheels on the ground this season, and it worked -- I won!" Polimeda exclaimed.
 
April 11, Susquehanna Speedway Park. Newberrytown, Pa. - Felton, DE PJ Gargiulo became a dad earlier in the week. He picked up a last minute ride in the Martin Racing no.71 after hurting the motor in his no. 51 in the ARDC opener at Big Diamond. Gargiulo was driving the Martin family-owned machine to victory at Susquehanna Speedway Park to cap off a dream week, but he had just one problem -- Steve Buckwalter. Gargiulo led laps 7-18 of the 20-lap ARDC main, but Buckwalter made one of his patented late race charges to grab the lead and hold on for the win.

May 9, Grandview Speedway. Bechtelsville, Pa. - Billy Pauch Jr. and Steve Buckwalter were involved in a "fight to the finish, race for the ages" at Grandview Speedway last May. They were again players in a wild finish at the Bechtelsville oval, but the driver whose name should have been in the headline was not. Drew Heistand led over half the feature, but a last lap yellow wiped out a several car length lead over Buckwalter and ultimately cost Heistand the race which saw Pauch Jr. grab the lead off the last corner going from third to first to score his first career ARDC feature win.

May 22, Penn Can Speedway. Susquehanna, Pa. - Drew Heistand suffered a bitter defeat at Grandview Speedway on May 9 as last lap caution cost him a seemingly sure victory. He didn't wait long to avenge that defeat as he blasted out of the 6th starting spot to take the lead on lap 3 and drove away to score his fourth career ARDC victory at Penn Can Speedway on Friday night. When asked if the Penn Can win was poetic justice, Heistand didn't agree. "I think I cost Stevie Buckwalter the win with my last lap move at Grandview, he should have won that race," Heistand said.
 
May 23 Five Mile Point Speedway. Kirkwood, NY - After skipping the opening race of ARDC's northern tour at Penn Can Speedway, Steve Buckwalter showed up at Five Mile Point and won a thrilling 25 lapper. At feature time, Buckwalter lined up in 17th starting spot and veteran ARDC observers knew the fans were in for a treat. The stage was set for an epic battle between Heistand, Buckwalter and Polimeda. Heistand favored the low groove while Buckwalter and Polimeda sailed around the top groove of the speedway, putting on a tremendous display of driving for the crowd. Buckwalter grabbed the lead from Heistand, but the best was yet to come as Polimeda used a tremendous surge off of turn two to pull off an unheard of outside pass on Buckwalter in turn three. Buckwalter would have none of it as he grabbed the lead back from Polimeda and opened a small gap.
 
June 2, Grandview Speedway. Bechtelsville, Pa. - Steve Buckwalter has had a lot of success in ARDC Midget racing. With ARDC's handicapping procedure that success leads to him from deep in the field in the feature races. With an average starting spot of 16th and only 25 laps to get to the front, no matter how good Buckwalter is, he usually ends up pulling out a victory in the late laps. Tuesday night at Grandview Speedway, Buckwalter stomped on the loud pedal and threw all that late-race stuff out the window as he drove to a dominating victory in the Thunder on the Hill feature.
 
June 13, Lincoln Speedway. Hanover, Pa. Drew Heistand has had a nose for the front of the pack in recent weeks, and at Lincoln Speedway Saturday night he charged fom 14th starting spot to his second win of the season. Heistand found the upper groove earlier in the evening in his heat race and continued that path in the feature. "I watched Brian Montieth (In the All Star Sprint Car race) and I got fired up," Heistand said in victory lane."I thought, 'I'm gonna go faster than Brian'. I almost went a little too fast and made a couple of mistakes." Heistand was referring to a mid race bobble that cost him several spots after he had cracked the top 5.
 
July 10, Accord Speedway. Accord, NY - Drew Heistand won in ARDC's return to Accord Speedway in 2008. A year did nothing to diminish Heistand's love affair with the "Ulster County Bullring" as he shot forward from his 16th starting position to take the lead on lap 6 and drove off to a dominating win Friday night. Heistand has run strong at every stop on the ARDC trail in recent weeks. When asked what his secret is, he replied, "I'd like to say it's all because of the motor I put together, but it's really due to a great handling car and my crew. I also have to thank Gary Palmer (Accord promoter) for giving us an awesome, racy racetrack tonight."

July 15, Grandview Speedway. Bechtelsville, Pa. Steve Buckwalter started 18th in Wednesday nights "Thunder on the Hill" 25 lap ARDC feature, took the lead on lap 16 and drove to his fourth victory of the season. Truth be told, he could've started in Indiana and still won the race. Buckwalter is known as the "Royersford Rocket" and living up to his nickname, he can simply orbit the Grandview Speedway faster than anyone else in ARDC. That is not to say that the competition in ARDC is easy to beat. "I looked up and I was 14th on lap 5," Buckwalter related. "We tried some stuff on the car and it had a different feel to it. Not bad, just different. It was a struggle to move up, but once they got single file I was able to pick them off one at a time."

July 25, Bridgeport Speedway. Bridgeport, NJ - It's been four years since ARDC ran at Bridgeport Speedway, but Bruce Buckwalter and PJ Gargiulo made it worth every bit of the wait as they staged a thrilling duel on the 1/4 mile inner oval. Gargiulo did his best to steal the win away late, but Buckwalter held on for his second career win in ARDC competition.

August 7, Dixieland Speedway. Elizabeth City NC - Something about the state of North Carolina agrees with ARDC's "Slick" Nick Wean. The Phillipsburg NJ driver prevailed in a battle with rookie Dusty Heistand to take the lead and drive on to his second win in as many years in the Tarheel State, this time at Dixieland Speedway. "I do love North Carolina," Wean grinned in victory lane. Wean took his first career ARDC win at County Line Raceway in Rocky Mount, NC in 2008.
 
August 26, New Egypt. New Egypt, NJ - Steve Buckwalter thought he was destined for a third-place finish. Buckwalter, the winningest active driver with the American Racing Drivers Club (ARDC), capitalized on evolving track conditions to take the lead in the second half of Wednesday night's 25-lap ARDC Midget A-Main at New Egypt Speedway. The Royersford, Pa., driver registered his fifth victory of the season and 22nd of his career in the only ARDC event of 2009 at the Garden State three-eighths-mile oval.
 
So, Frank Polimeda leaves Tulsa OK. with a battered and bruised body only to take the ARDC opener and score the ultimate victory taking the 2009 ARDC Championship... PJ Gargiulo picks up a last minute ride with former Champion car owners, Martin Racing and comes within an eyelash of winning the feature the same week his daughter was born... Steve Buckwalter shows why he is considered one of the best midget drivers in the country by winning a season high 5 features, all coming from the back of the pack...Rookie drivers Dusty Heistand and Trevor Kobylarz blaze on the scene to battle with the big boys and score top 5 finishes...Billy Pauch Jr. wins his first ARDC feature in spectacular style, going into turn 3 in third place and taking the lead off of turn four at Grandview Speedway...Drew Heistand catches fire to win 3 mid-season features...ARDC races are described once again with phrases like, "side by side...thrilling duel...fight to the finish...race for the ages." That's what can happen in 12 races. Imagine what ARDC can do with a full slate of races in 2010.

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Readinger Right At Home When ARDC Returns To Grandview Saturday
 
BECHTELSVILLE, PA - Call it home sweet home for Tracy Readinger.
 
Readinger will find himself just 15 minutes from his Oley, Pa., residence when he pulls into the pit area of Grandview Speedway on Saturday evening. The American Racing Drivers Club (ARDC) is set to be part of the 'House of Thunder Halloween Party' Five-25s promoted by Bob Miller and Bruce Rogers at the one-third-mile oval.
 
Readinger can look back to the 2008 edition of this event with fond memories.
 
After all, one year ago it was the former Grandview NASCAR Whelen All-American Series 358-Modified driver in Victory Lane at night's end.
 
The triumph at the Berks County track was emotional for Readinger, who painted his Midget in the colors and number (86) run by his father, Dan, at the long-gone Reading (Pa.) Fairgrounds, in lieu of his own No. 2T.
 
"We went to Grandview last year with the car lettered to look like my dad's Modified," Readinger said. "I wanted to put the 86 in Victory Lane. It was pretty neat."
 
As a rain-marred 2009 campaign (and his fifth running with ARDC) winds down, Readinger and his Donnie Hoffman-owned team are in search of their first checkered of the year. He is scheduled to start ninth in Saturday's feature.
 
However, Midget racing remains enjoyable for the 42-year-old talent.
 
"With open-wheel cars, you just respect each other more," he said. "You can race three- or four-wide and still give room and respect."
 
For Readinger, visiting a variety of facilities is part of the club's allure.
 
"That's the part I enjoy most of all," he said. "You aren't pulling in the same gate every week. You don't get burned out."
 
Of course, it's nice to come home every now and then, too.
 
"Grandview is a perfect track for the Midgets," he said. "It's a track we look forward to visiting."
 
*****
 
UNLUCKY 13: Weather has kept ARDC on the sidelines since Aug. 26 at New Egypt (N.J.) Speedway. The season's scheduled 13th race has fallen to rain on three occasions - Grandview on Aug. 29, Big Diamond (Pa.) Raceway on Sept. 26 and Clinton County (Pa.) Raceway on Oct. 2.
 
*****
 
NO QUALIFYING: Saturday's 25-lap ARDC feature, which will be accompanied by similar events for the 358-Modifieds, Sportsman, URC Sprints and Legends Cars, has a 26-car starting field that has already been established. There will be no heat races or consolations.
 
*****
 
NON-WINNER'S RACE: A 15-lap Non-Winner's Race boasting a total purse of $1,500 will be run as part of Saturday's program. The race is open to any ARDC member who has not won an ARDC feature. That member must have attended and attempted to qualify for five ARDC events in 2009.
 
The starting lineup will be determined by a draw. Drivers currently eligible are Stephanie Stevens, Greg Robinson II, Trevor Kobylarz, Dusty Heistand, Carey Becker, Chris Zrinski, Dave Shirk, Ryan Watt, Jimmy Cammock Jr., Shane Penny, Jason Rice, Justin Grosz, Donnie Hoffman, Steve Craig and Randy Reid.
 
*****
 
TIME TO THINK: ARDC point leader Frank Polimeda of Fort Lee, N.J., certainly has endured plenty of time to think about securing his first point title with the 70-year-old touring group. Polimeda leads Brett Arndt of Topton, Pa., by 128 points with two events remaining.
 
*****
 
SPECIFICS: Grandview gates open at 4 p.m. Racing begins at 6 p.m. General admission is $20 and pit admission is $25. The Thunder on the Hill Racing Series is on the web at: www.thunderonthehillracingseries.com.
 
*****
 
STARTING LINEUP: Scott Zipp, Drew Heistand, Dave Schirk, Carey Becker, Steve Lenig, Trevor Kobylarz, Greg Robinson II, Chris Zrinski, Tracy Readinger, Stephanie Stevens, Eric Heydenreich, Dusty Heistand, Bruce Buckwalter Jr., Brett Arndt, Nick Wean, P.J. Gargiulo, Frank Polimeda, Steve Buckwalter, Ryan Watt, Jimmy Cammock Jr., Jason Rice, Justin Grosz, Donnie Hoffman, Curt Michael, Steve Craig, Donnie Trent.

2009 ARDC Winners
March 29 – Big Diamond (Pa.) Raceway - 25 laps: Frank Polimeda
April 11 – Susquehanna (Pa.) Speedway Park – 20 laps: Steve Buckwalter
May 9 – Grandview (Pa.) Speedway – 25 laps: Billy Pauch Jr.
May 22 – Penn-Can (Pa.) Speedway – 20 laps: Drew Heistand
May 23 – Five Mile Point (N.Y.) Speedway – 20 laps: Steve Buckwalter
June 2 – Grandview (Pa.) Speedway – 25 laps: Steve Buckwalter
June 13 – Lincoln (Pa.) Speedway – 25 laps: Drew Heistand
July 10 – Accord (N.Y.) Speedway – 25 laps: Drew Heistand
July 15 – Grandview (Pa.) Speedway - 25 laps: Steve Buckwalter
July 25 – Bridgeport (N.J.) Speedway – 25 laps: Bruce Buckwalter Jr.
Aug. 7 – Dixieland (N.C.) Speedway – 25 laps: Nick Wean
Aug. 26 - New Egypt (N.J.) Speedway - 25 laps: Steve Buckwalter
 
Totals (12 races): S. Buckwalter (5 wins); Dr. Heistand (3); F. Polimeda, B. Pauch Jr., B. Buckwalter Jr. & N. Wean (1 each)

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