Welcome to the New GargiuloRacing.com!
Please
check back often as we are continuing to update the subsequent
pages; Schedule, Sponsors, Team Profiles, Photos and more!
ARDC
Schedule is now posted!
January 12th, 2011
ARDC
has posted its tentative racing schedule for 2011.
The kick-off and closing events for the 72nd year of
East Coast Midget competition will be the home of Gargiulo
Racing's
first
Midget Victory, Susquehanna Speedway Park. The remaining
26 races sandwiched between will consist of venues throughout
PA, NJ, NC, and VA including:
Williams
Grove,
Port Royal, Bridgeport 1/4 mile, Penn Can, Big Diamond, Grandview, Pittsburg
PA Motor Speedway, Clinton County,
Mercer, Dixieland, County Line, Winchester and New
Egypt.
There
is an exciting Memorial Day Weekend setup with four races
in seven nights! Penn Can kicks things off Friday May 27th,
then down Rt 61 to Big DIamond on Monday May 30th, followed
directly by Grandview on Tuesday May 31st, and cleaning
up the week will be Port Royal on Saturday June 4th!
Gargiulo to appear on TheDirtTrackChannel.com!
December 12th, 2010
PJ
Gargiulo will be interviewed this week by Shawn Wood of
The Dirt Track Channel for an upcoming web-broadcast of
a midget race in New Zealand. PJ was asked to come on to
talk about the excitement of ARDC Midget Racing on the
East Coast, and preview this year's roster of ARDC competitors
who are competing in the Chili Bowl.
Broadcast
date TBA
PJ
recognized for hard work and dedication to ARDC
November
27th, 2010: Written by Steve Williams
It
is part of the great tradition of ARDC that its much beloved
late past president Galen Halteman is both honored and
posthumously honors one of ARDC's own with awarding of
the Galen Halteman President's Award.
According
to the ARDC Rule book: "This award is selected by
the President with approval from the Halteman family. It
will be awarded to said person provided that it is not
for performance of commissioned duties."
This
year, ARDC President Brice Buckwalter has chosen ARDC's
Driver Representative, PJ Gargiulo as the 2010 recipient.
Buckwalter
said, "There are many individuals who could qualify
for this award yet PJ was an easy choice. He really puts
a lot of effort into the club and and has devoted a lot
of time despite his family obligations."
The
31 year old Morton, PA resident, husband of the lovely
Nicola Gargiulo, also holds the important title of "World's
Beat Daddy" from his daughter, Olivia Rose. And, equally
important, he's a pretty decent midget driver too.
Wheeling
the Sperr's Fuel Oil, Church's Auto Parts, Simpson Race
Products, PRO Shocks, Cannon Court Apartments car number
51, Gargiulo had a tremendous season with ARDC winning
five heat races with six A-main top fives, and finishing
ninth in points; doing just about everything except win
a feature. The points finish was a tick off of the last
two seasons (fifth in four of the last five years) and
he wasn't able to to add to his one career win, earned
at Susquehanna Speedway Park on Father's Day in 2008.
Gargiulo
comes from a Go-Kart and Micro-Sprint racing background
and has been a full time ARDC supporter since he joined
the organization in 2006; a season when he was also crowned
Rookie of the Year.
PJ's
lauded role is one of ARDC's most able administrators. "PJ
does a lot for the club behind the scenes," said President
Buckwalter. "He helps with the website, he'll take
his car to speedways on off nights and take laps and sign
autographs to excite fans and get them to come back when
ARDC races there. PJ dedicates a lot of time to the club.
He's above and beyond the call."
In
his duties as Driver Representative to the Board of Governors,
Buckwalter stated, "PJ has a great way of explaining
things to the Owners and Drivers of the club. He is very
patient, puts ideas into words/actions and is not afraid
to make tough decisions. PJ gives is everything he's got
and wants to see the club grow and prosper."
Indeed,
the qualities embodied in PJ Gargiulo both on the track
and off in service to ARDC are attributes that make him
a most worthy recipient of the Galen Halteman President's
Award, an honor he is likely to be equally deserving of
in 2011.
Late
string of Top Finishes makes Gargiulo hopeful for 2011
PJ
opened the 2010 season with a heat win at Big Diamond,
but a string of mechanical failures and racing mishaps
made a title run impossible.
He
did however end the 2010 season in a more characteristic
fashion scoring eight top 10 finishes in the final nine
races, five of them in the top 5, and two were podium (top
3) finishes.
Unfortunate
circumstances at Big Diamond (which sent PJ into the air
flipping) broke PJ's hot streak, but he was running well
inside the top five at the time of the accident.
In
the ARDC Finale at Susquehanna Speedway Park's Candy Bowl,
PJ started 24th in the feature and passed 15 cars to bring
home his final top 10 of the year, and securing his final
position (ninth) in the 2010 ARDC Championship points run.
On a national midget racing scale, PJ was ranked 35th in
the Nation amongst 580 other drivers in the National Midget
Driver Of The Year (NMDOTY) championship
.
