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Giangrande
Looks Back with Gratitude on Pro Stock Return
PLEASANT GARDEN, N.C. (December 12, 2017): The off season
is the perfect time to reflect on the previous season,
taking stock of the season’s pros and cons in preparation
for the season to come. For Matt Giangrande, this was an
important season on which to reflect. After being out of
the driver’s seat for a large part of two years, 2017 was
Giangrande’s comeback year. Suitably, it was also a
comeback year, of sorts, for the class he chose to run.
The Long Islander-turned-North Carolinian became a door
car fan from his youth and has never swayed from that
first love. He’s driven and served as crew chief in both
Pro Mod and Pro Stock. He sold his Pro Nitrous car in
2014, which began his break from driving. When he chose to
jump back into the driver’s seat this year, he did so in
PDRA’s Extreme Pro Stock. Knowing the recent history of
mountain motor Pro Stocks, Giangrande took the bull by the
horns, so to speak, and helped organize and unify the
class to have a strong showing with the PDRA this season.
His efforts paid off both personally and with the class as
a whole.
“It was so satisfying to see everyone racing there and
having a good time,” Giangrande expressed. “We had 16 or
more cars multiple times this year. There’s a lot of
excitement going into 2018. I know that Bob, Tommy and
Jason from the PDRA were happy with what we accomplished
in 2017. There were quite a few unknowns [prior to this
season], but I think that the PDRA saw support in ways
that they’ve never seen before, and I think we had to do
that as a group. We were able to go out and put on a good
show. We got great feedback from the fans. It’s obvious
that they love the normally aspirated hotrods with
clutches. As a group we always want more cars and we
always want more participation, but I feel like this year
no one had to pick up our slack. We held up our end of the
bargain.
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“I forgot how much fun it is
racing with those people - Montecalvo, Carr, Eman, Goforth, Morton,
O’Brien, Pluchino, Cooper, Boone, Deflorian and Powers. We definitely,
from time to time, had our share of controversy, but when it comes right
down to it, anybody will do anything for you almost more so than I have
seen in any other class. It’s really a tight knit group.”
Giangrande finished sixth in his first season back and feels like he has
much to be thankful for from this kickstart season.
“My wife, Jennifer, is the most important person in this whole deal,” he
said of his wife of 11 years. “Anybody that knows me knows we’re
inseparable. We do everything together and racing is no different. She
loves it as much as I do. She’s a super important part of everything that
goes on. She works on the car in between races, not your typical female,
very car oriented. She’ll help me with the engine, the clutch, and with
every aspect of the car. When we weren’t racing, I think she missed it
almost more than I did.
“My buddy Jered and his wife Jody Gall are the other half of our team,”
Giangrande continued. “Jered is my right hand man. The four of us do it
together. It’s two husband and wife teams that run this Pro Stock deal,
which is pretty untypical of the people we’re competing against. We all
take pride in finishing sixth in the points. We set our goal to finish in
the top 10 this year and we accomplished that. And at just about every
race this past season, we went out and set a new personal best.”
The team focused this year on getting a baseline and hopes next year to
continue closing in the gap on the Pro Stock frontrunners.
“I hadn’t done anything with a Pro Stock car for almost ten years now. So
this was kind of a reinitiation to Pro Stock for me. I had to get
reacclimated with driving and tuning a Pro Stock car. It is very different
from anything else out there. This was a learning year for all of us on
the team.”
Giangrande is a self-proclaimed underdog, wheeling a nine year old car and
twelve year old powerplant. He’s been able to compete close to the top
teams by paying close attention to all of the details regarding the tuning
of the car, not just the engine. “When you don’t have some sort of power
adder, such as nitrous, supercharger or a turbocharger, a premium is put
on every aspect of the car” he added. “You can’t leave anything on the
table in the clutch, transmission and suspension department.
“We did our own motors this year,” Giangrande continued. “We take a lot of
pride in doing a lot of this ourselves, because I’m really racing in a
class that I should not be racing in from a monetary standpoint. But when
you’re a car guy, and you love racing, you just figure out a way to get it
done. That’s why the vendors that help are just so important.
“I work at CV Products and XceldyneTechnologies. Xceldyne is our
manufacturing division. CV is our distribution portion. Really without
them I can’t get it done because they allow me the time off of work to
represent our companies at the track. We’re involved sponsorship-wise with
PDRA, and we hope to grow that in 2018. Xceldyne provides me with all of
the valvetrain components for my race car. Xceldyne provides the highest
quality titanium parts, which includes the valves, retainers, a lot of
other internal engine components.
“I’ve also formed a relationship with CP Pistons and Carrillo Connecting
Rods over the last eight or nine years. They’re like my family. Cindy,
Snake, Richard and the whole group out there at CP and Carrillo take care
of me like I’m one of their own. They’re very instrumental in getting me
the absolute best and most current parts I need for my engine. PSI Valve
Springs, Maxima Racing Oils, and VP Racing Fuels are all essential parts
of our program. Those companies provide me the best products to help us
compete against the fastest naturally-aspirated door cars in the country.”
Giangrande also expressed tremendous gratitude for partners Total Seal
Piston Rings, Cometic Gaskets, Clevite Bearings and T&D Rocker Arms. These
companies played a key role in Giangrande’s successful return, and he’s
looking forward to growing his program in the coming years.
“We’re working on our engine program right now. Unlike last year where we
were just trying to develop a baseline, this next year we’re trying to
make some more horsepower. Our approach to the engine will be very
different this next year as we try to close the gap between us and the
frontrunners. Instead of being a big underdog, maybe we’ll be a bit less
of an underdog.”
ABOUT THE PDRA
Based in Pittsboro, North Carolina, the Professional Drag
Racers Association is the top sanctioning body in the
United States for the sport of eighth-mile drag racing.
The PDRA’s professional categories include Pro Extreme,
Pro Nitrous, Pro Boost, Extreme Pro Stock and Pro Extreme
Motorcycle along with several sportsman and various
exhibition categories. The 2017 PDRA schedule consists of
eight national events. For more on the world’s premier
eighth-mile drag racing organization visit
www.pdra660.com. Follow the PDRA: Facebook, Instagram,
Youtube.
Photo: Gary Rowe / RaceWorks.com / PDRA660.com
PRESS CONTACT: Lisa Collier
Professional Drag Racers Association
lisa@pdra660.com
704.692.4636
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