After being out of the driver’s seat for nearly two years, Matt Giangrande returned to the cockpit in 2017.

The New York native, who now calls North Carolina home, drove in PDRA’s Extreme Pro Stock.

Giangrande, who has driven and been a crew chief in Pro Mod and Pro Stock, was happy about making his presence in the Extreme Pro Stock class this past season.

“It was so satisfying to see everyone racing there and having a good time,” Giangrande said in a press release. “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 hot rods 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.”

Giangrande acknowledged being around friends and fellow drivers again was enjoyable.

“I forgot how much fun it is racing with those people -  Montecalvo, Carr, Eman, Goforth, Morton, O’Brien, Pluchino, Cooper, Boone, Deflorian and Powers,” he said. “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 is quick to thank his wife, Jennifer, for her support.

“My wife is the most important person in this whole deal,” he said of his wife of 11 years. “Anybody who knows me knows that 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, and 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.”

In addition his wife, Giangrande was quick to praise his other team members.

“My buddy Jered and his wife, Judy Gall, are the other half of our team,” Giangrande said. “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 the 2017 campaign on getting a baseline and hopes to make even bigger strides in the upcoming season.

“I hadn’t done anything with a Pro Stock car for almost 10 years now,” Giangrande said. “So this was kind of a re-initiation 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. We did our own motors this year. 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.”
 
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,” Giangrande said. “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.”