Contact - Deb Smith
For Immediate Release
Phone (610) 972-6176
Email - dsfotog@aol.com

ALEX BRIGHT RACES TO SECOND WIN OF THE SEASON AT PPMS

Alex Bright of Collegeville, PA raced PJ Gargiulo for the lead in the final laps of the twenty lap ARDC feature event at Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Motor Speedway, picking up his second win of the season in the Lightcap Electric #77. The wingless midgets put on a show for the loyal supporters of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins and gave the folks in the Three Rivers area something to talk about!

Polesitter, Brian Gilmore of Hackettstown, NJ led the starting field to the green flag to start the feature event. Parker Evans from Owego, NY used the outside line to grab the lead as the field crossed the starting line. Trevor Kobylarz quickly advanced from his fourth place start to challenge Evans for the lead, pulling out in front as the drivers headed down the backstretch of the wide, half mile speedway. Kobylarz had the race lead and started to put some distance between himself and the rest of the field.

For several laps, the action was all behind the leader as PJ Gargiulo drove into second on lap two after starting tenth. Brett Arndt took over third one lap later from his seventh place start. Alex and Brenden Bright ran in the top five with five laps complete.

With the half way point approaching, Alex Bright raced into third using the high outside line and made a bid for second. With Bright contesting, Gargiulo shot to the bottom of the track to take the lead. Gargiulo had pulled to a ten car length advantage when Bright took over second from Kobylarz.

While Alex Bright concentrated on Gargiulo in the lead, Arndt, Kobylarz, Brenden Bright and Nick Wean jockeyed for top five positions.

Bright went right to the top of the track during warm-ups and found his line of choice while many chose to run the shortest way around the track by running on the inside. Gargiulo moved to the top of the track and for a while, Bright ran in the tracks of the Morton, PA driver. As the laps counted down, Bright began to close on Gargiulo, moving within striking distance with just three laps to go. As the leaders came to the line with three laps remaining, Bright found an even higher line, running just inches from the wall. Gargiulo and Bright were even going across the line but Bright had the advantage as the cars exited turn two.

"I really didn't think that I had left him any room out there," Gargiulo stated. "But he found some - that's for sure!" Bright said his car was a "rocket" on the top of the track. "I moved up a little bit more and it was even better," Bright explained. "I know I was just inches from the wall but there was good bite up there!"

Bright led the final laps, taking the checkered flag for the second time this season. Gargiulo had his best outing of the 2012 season, leading laps and finishing second. Unlike his brother, Brenden Bright used the low, inside of the track and made some headway in the final laps, racing to third and the final podium finish. Kobylarz raced home in fourth with current ARDC point leader, Wean in fifth.

Bright was quick to thank his grandfather and car owner, Joe Hemler when he reached Victory Lane. "I want to thank my grandfather for all that he's done for me," Bright said. "I wouldn't be able to do this if it weren't for him!" , it was Bright's second win of the season and sixth podium finish in the last seven races.

Bright and Wean were the winners of the qualifying heats.

RACE NOTES:

Twelve races have produced seven different winners. Five drivers - Tim Buckwalter, Steve Buckwalter, Trevor Kobylarz, Brenden Bright and Alex Bright - each have two wins so far this season. Nick Wean and Steven Drevicki have one win a piece.

ARDC returns to Western PA to compete at Mercer Raceway Park for the second time this season. Steven Drevicki was the winner at Mercer just a few weeks ago.

ARDC continues to keep former car owner, George Stevens in their thoughts and prayers. The blood drive through the Miller Blood Bank has been extended through Saturday, August 11th. Cards of cheer will reach George at 3165 Belevider Road, Phillipsburg, NJ 08865.

Feature Finish (20 laps)
1-Alex Bright 2-PJ Gargiulo 3-Brenden Bright 4-Trevor Kobylarz 5-Nick Wean 6-Brett Arndt 7-Tim Buckwalter 8-Bruce Buckwalter, Jr. 9-Mark Gilmore 10-Parker Evans 11-Brian Gilmore 12-Steve Craig 13-Joe Butera 14-Bret Guzik 15-Brett Wanner 16-Steven Drevicki

Contact - Deb Smith
For Immediate Release
Phone (610) 972-6176
Email - dsfotog@aol.com

ARDC made it's annual trek south for a weekend of racing in North Carolina's Dixieland Speedway and County Line Raceway with Brenden Bright and Nick Wean coming home with the wins.

For Brenden Bright, it was a return to the track where he won his first ever ARDC feature a year earlier at the Dixieland Speedway in Elizabeth City, NC. Bright had struggled in recent ARDC events but had done his homework prior to the trip south and discovered what he believed to be the problem with the Presidential HVAC #88. "We took everything a part," Bright explained. "We found some bars that had gone bad...the car was much better this weekend!"

Brian Gilmore led the ARDC field to the green flag but it was 2011 ARDC Champion, Drew Heistand that was the early race leader. On lap three, Dusty Heistand made the pass for the lead. B. Bright passed Drew for second one lap later as B. Gilmore and PJ Gargiulo completed the top five with five laps on the board.

Gargiulo moved up to third, behind Dusty Heistand and Brenden Bright but was soon challenged by Alex Bright for that position. Alex moved up to third as the battle for second was on between the Bright brothers as Dusty Heistand continued to lead. With ten laps remaining, Gargiulo ran in fourth with Tim Buckwalter running fifth.

A late race caution realigned the field with five laps to go. Cars were jostled on the restart as Alex Bright made his bid for the lead but the caution waved quickly when T. Buckwalter got turned around in turn four on the restart.

Dusty Heistand again led the field to the green but was challenged this time by Brenden Bright. As the leaders raced side by side down the homestretch, the close racing resulted in some contact between the leaders. Heistand spun toward the inside guardrail before getting airborne. Heistand's #6 rolled in the air and landed back on the track upside down. The red flag was thrown. A disappointed Dusty Heistand walked back to the pit area, uninjured.

On the final restart, it was a battle of the Brights as Brenden held off Alex for the win, his second of the season and second consecutive Dixieland Speedway victory. Gargiulo finished third as Bruce Buckwalter, Jr. edged Brett Arndt for fourth at the checkered flag.

Rookie Brian Gilmore won his first qualifying race in heat number one as Brenden Bright and Dusty Hiestand picked up wins in the other two heat races.

Dixieland Speedway Feature Finish (25 laps) 1. Brenden Bright 2. Alex Bright 3. PJ Gargiulo 4. Bruce Buckwalter, Jr. 5. Brett Arndt 6. Trevor Kobylarz 7. Mark Gilmore 8. Parker Evans 9. Brian Gilmore 10. Joe Butera 11. Andy Cardinale 12. Dusty Hiestand 13. Tim Buckwalter 14. Nick Wean 15.Drew Heistand 16. Steven Drevicki DNS

Nick Wean ended a bad luck streak at the County Line Speedway on Saturday night of the Southern Swing as he led from green to checkered to pick up his first win of the 2012 season.

With five laps to go, Wean thought his bad luck was going to continue. A vibration indicated motor problems for the driver from Phillipsburg, NJ. When Bruce Buckwalter, Jr. took a nasty ride with just a few laps to go, Wean had the opportunity to consult his car owner/father what he should do. "I told him the motor was going to go. I asked him what he wanted me to do," Wean said the response was "Blow 'er up!" He had his orders.

Drew Heistand challenged Wean in the early going and ran second throughout the race. Alex Bright moved up to third in the final laps and both Heistand and Bright knew that Wean was in trouble. But Mother Nature smiled on the Wean car on this night and everything stayed together for Wean to take the checkered flag first.

Tim Buckwalter raced his way as high as third but lost a battle with Alex Bright for the spot, finishing fourth at the flag. PJ Gargiulo battled back to finish fifth after restarting in the rear of the field after an incident in turn two. Gargiulo ran into trouble when he hit a wet area in turn two but was able to get the car stopped before hard contact was made.

The race was red flagged on two occasions. The first, when rookie, Brian Gilmore got upside down on the backstretch. With three laps remaining, Bruce Buckwalter, Jr. got into the outside wall in turn one, getting airborne and end for end. Both drivers exited their cars on their own but Buckwalter was later treated and released.

Race Notes:
Alex Bright had the best North Carolina weekend with a second and third. PJ Gargiulo also had a strong run in the south with a third and fifth place finish while Brett Arndt continued his consistent performance with a fifth and sixth place result. Dusty Heistand was able to return to action on Saturday after getting upside down on Friday but had more work to do when he made hard contact with the homestretch wall during Saturday warm-ups. Andy Cardinale ran his first ARDC laps in the Buckwalter rental. Cardinale, who resides in South Carolina, has family ties to ARDC. His grandfather was a wrench on the ARDC championship teams of the early and mid-sixties, wrenching for the Bennet Brothers. Bruce Buckwalter, Jr. had the unfortunate situation of finding himself upside down at both speedways on the North Carolina trip.

Next race on the ARDC schedule is Friday, July 13th at the Big Diamond Speedway

County Line Raceway Feature (25 laps) 1. Nick Wean 2. Drew Heistand 3. Alex Bright 4. Tim Buckwalter 5. PJ Gargiulo 6. Brett Arndt 7. Dusty Heistand 8. Brenden Bright 9. Mark Gilmore 10. Joe Butera 11. Bruce Buckwalter, Jr. 12. Andy Cardinale 13. Brian Gilmore 14. Steven Drevicki 15. Parker Evans 16. Trevor Kobylarz

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Contact - Deb Smith
phone (610) 972-6176
email dsfotog@aol.com
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The American Racing Drivers Club (ARDC) heads south this weekend for their first of two nights of racing at Maryland's Potomac Speedway and Virginia's Winchester Speedway.

On Friday night, the midgets will make their first of two appearances of the 2012 season at the Potomac Speedway in Mechanicsville, MD. The fans at the 3/8 mile Potomac Speedway will be introduced to open wheel racing ARDC style as the midgets join a program of Limited Late Models, Street Stocks, Hobbystocks and Strictly Stock divisions. It will mark the return of the ARDC Midgets to the Potomac facility after an absence of nearly ten years.

Friday, May 18th is also Put on the Purple Day - a special day created by the Lupus Foundation to promote awareness of this debilitating diseases. May is Lupus Awareness month and ARDC competitor, Bruce Buckwalter Jr. has asked that his fellow competitors and fans show their support by wearing purple throughout the day on Friday.

Ryan Watt of Boyertown, PA will make his first ARDC appearance of the 2012 season at Potomac. Watt, who competes with ARDC as his Modified schedule allows, will return to the cockpit of the Fred Schell owned #75 for this event. Watt combined forces with ARDC team owner, Donnie Hoffman for the 2011 season and will continue to pilot the green and white #17 later this season.

Saturday night, ARDC travels west to Winchester, VA for a second night of racing on another 3/8 mile track. When ARDC competed at Winchester last season, it was Ryan Smith in the Jerry & Karen Steward owned #33 who went to Victory Lane.

Will the first repeat winner of the 2012 season finds his way to Victory Lane on one of the 3/8 mile clay tracks at either Potomac or Winchester? Tim Buckwalter, Brenden Bright and Steve Buckwalter have each won one of the first three events of the 2012 season and could be the first repeat winner but their are a host of drivers looking for their first wins of the season that will have something to say about the outcome on Friday and Saturday.

ARDC officials have announced that rookie drivers, Brett Wanner of Shoemakersville, PA and Jimmy Glenn of Branchburg, NJ have been cleared to be handicapped for the first time this season. ARDC rookies are started at the rear of the field for their heats and features for at least their first three events or until club officials feel that they are ready to be handicapped based on points. Both Wanner and Glenn have a tenth place finish to their credit this season, coming from the rear of the field to pick up a top ten finish.

ARDC is also pleased to announce the addition of three shows to their schedule at the Big Diamond Speedway in Minersville, PA. ARDC had eight shows remaining at the Schuylkill County speedway when Big Diamond was forced to discontinue their Saturday night schedule. Big Diamond Speedway management and ARDC worked together to adjust their schedules to include the midgets in the existing 2012 Big Diamond Speedway calendar.

ARDC will be added to the schedule of events at Big Diamond for Friday night racing on July 13th and 27th. ARDC was already on the Friday night schedule for July 6th when Big Diamond presents their annual Georgie Stevenson Memorial Race. The midgets of ARDC have also been added to the biggest event of the Big Diamond season when they will join the Station House 358 Modifeds on Sunday, September 2 for the running of the Coalcracker 72.

As always, ARDC racing is all about wheel to wheel competition. "Where three wide and side-by-side is standard."