American Racing Drivers Club
The American Racing Drivers Club (ARDC) is an open-wheel midget car racing sanctioning body that operates primarily in the Mid-Atlantic area of the United States.
History
The American Racing Drivers Club was organized in 1939, making it one of the oldest sanctioning bodies in the United States, predating NASCAR by nearly a decade. The purpose of the organization was to represent the drivers and car owners in dealing with track owners and promoters. The club's first president was Bill Schindler.[1] and the first vice presidentfrom 1939 was tony bonadies till his death at Williams Grove pa in 1964.Ed "Dutch" Schaefer was elected president in 1952.[2] Schaefer reigned until 1968, when the series featured 51 races and $93,000 in prize money.[2]
Events
The club currently sanctions approximately 25 events. The venues are located between New York State, New Jersey, Western Pennsylvania, and Virginia. 2010 events include:
Sunday, March 28, 2010 Big Diamond Raceway
Sunday, April 11, 2010 Susquehanna Speedway Park
Friday, April 30, 2010 Williams Grove Speedway
Sunday, May 2, 2010 Big Diamond Raceway
Saturday, May 8, 2010 Williams Grove Speedway
Saturday, May 15, 2010 Grandview Speedway
Friday, May 28, 2010 Penn Can Speedway
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 Grandview Speedway TOTH w/USAC
Wednesday, June 2, 2010 Lincoln Speedway w/USAC
Sunday, June 13, 2010 Susquehanna Speedway
Saturday, June 19, 2010 Bridgeport Speedway (1/4 mile)
Sunday July 4, 2010 Georgetown Speedway
Saturday, July 10, 2010 Williams Grove Speedway
Friday, July 16, 2010 Accord Speedway
Friday, July 30, 2010 Clinton County Speedway
Saturday, July 31, 2010 Mercer Raceway
Friday, August 6, 2010 Dixieland Speedway
Tuesday, August 24, 2010 New Egypt Speedway
Wednesday, August 25, 2010 New Egypt Speedway (Rain Date)
Saturday, September 11, 2010 Bridgeport Speedway (1/4 mile)
Saturday, October 2, 2010 TBA Big Diamond Raceway
Sunday, October 3, 2010 TBA Big Diamond Raceway
Saturday, October 16, 2010 Grandview TOTH
Saturday, October 30, 2010 Susquehanna Speedway Park
Sunday, October 31, 2010 Susquehanna Speedway Park (Rain Date)
- - All events will be wingless (heats and features)
ARDC Midget Car Series
ARDC Midget Car Season Champions
- 1940 - Bill Schindler
- 1941 - Henry Banks
- 1945 - Bill Schindler
- 1946 - Bill Schindler
- 1947 - George Rice
- 1948 - Bill Schindler
- 1949 - Mike Nazaruk
- 1950 - Nick Fornoro Sr.
- 1951 - Fred Jiggs Peters
- 1952 - Steve McGrath
- 1953 - Mike Nazaruk
- 1954 - Vernon Land
- 1955 - Len Duncan
- 1956 - Ed Dutch Schaefer
- 1957 - Ed Dutch Schaefer
- 1958 - Len Duncan
- 1959 - Len Duncan
- 1960 - Ed Dutch Schaefer
- 1961 - Len Duncan
- 1962 - Len Duncan
- 1963 - Len Duncan
- 1964 - Len Duncan
- 1965 - Ed Dutch Schaefer
- 1966 - Joe Csiki
- 1967 - Len Duncan
- 1968 - Johnny Coy Sr.
- 1969 - Johnny Coy Sr.
- 1970 - Tom McAndrew
- 1971 - Johnny Coy Sr.
- 1972 - Johnny Coy Sr.
- 1973 - Leigh Earnshaw Jr.
- 1974 - Leigh Earnshaw Jr.
- 1975 - Leigh Earnshaw Jr.
- 1976 - Bob Cicconi
- 1977 - Lenny Boyd
- 1978 - George Ferguson Jr
- 1979 - Hank Rogers Jr.
- 1980 - Leigh Earnshaw Jr.
- 1981 - Hank Rogers Jr.
- 1982 - Nick Fornoro Jr.
- 1983 - Nick Fornoro Jr.
- 1984 - Nick Fornoro Jr.
- 1985 - Nick Fornoro Jr.
- 1986 - Nick Fornoro Jr.
- 1987 - Brett Mowrey
- 1988 - Billy Hughes
- 1989 - Billy Hughes
- 1990 - Billy Hughes
- 1991 - Lou Cicconi Jr
- 1992 - Joey Coy
- 1993 - Lou Cicconi Jr
- 1994 - Lou Cicconi Jr
- 1995 - Nick Fornoro Jr.
- 1996 - Phil DiMario
- 1997 - Ed Stimely Jr
- 1998 - Bryan Kobylarz
- 1999 - Bryan Kobylarz
- 2000 - Ray Bull
- 2001 - Ray Bull
- 2002 - Ray Bull
- 2003 - Ray Bull
- 2004 - Ray Bull
- 2005 - Ray Bull
- 2006 - Andy Martin
- 2007 - Andy Martin
- 2008 - Randy Monroe Jr.
- 2009 - Frank Polimeda
- 2010 - Steve Buckwalter
- 2011 - Drew Heistand
- 2012 - Tim Buckwalter
- 2013 - Trevor Kobylarz
- 2014 - Steven Drevicki
- 2015 - Steven Drevicki
- 2016 - Alex Bright[3]
- 2017 - Ryan Greth[4]
Reference (1940-2015):[5]
Other notable racers
- Bobby Adamson
- Mario Andretti, 1961 to mid-1962
- John Heydenreich
- Van May
- Jan Opperman
- Mitch Smith
- Johnny Thomson
2010 Final Point Standings (top 10)
1st Steve Buckwalter
2nd Ryan Smith
3rd Drew Heistand
4th Eric Heydenreich
5th Brett Arndt
6th Alex Bright (R)
7th Tim Buckwalter (R) Rookie of the Year
8th Bruce Buckwalter, Jr.
9th P.J. Gargiulo
10th Steve Lenig
The Cars
Registered midget Chassis in ARDC range from Spike, Stealth, Bullet, Hawk, F5, Bishop, and Beast. The engines range from Chevy, Ford, Volkswagen, Pontiac, and Mopar, with big-name motor builders such as Alan Johnson, Ed Pink, Gaerte, Brayton, Hawk, Fontana, and Don Ott. With one competitive Personal Motor Builder, Mark Piazza. Today, all the motors are 4 cylinders, but have approximately 350 to 400 horsepower (300 kW), while weighing only 900 pounds.
References
- Biography Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine for Bill Schindler at the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame
- Biography for Dutch Schaefer at the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame
- "USAC Partners with ARDC for 19-Race Eastern Regional Midget Slate in 2017". United States Automobile Club. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
- "2017 Points". ARDC Midgets. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
- says, Tom Avenengo. "Driver Champions". ARDC Midgets. Retrieved September 8, 2020.