AJ DeSantis had deep roots in northeast dirt modified racing. His grandfather, Meme DeSantis Sr., owned multiple cars at the historic Reading Fairgrounds while his father, Meme DeSantis Jr., raced in the Northeast for the past 35 years and won various racing divisions, including central PA Sprint Cars.
Growing up around racing, it was just a matter of time before AJ got behind the wheel. Starting with go-karts at age 12, he worked his way up to 358 dirt small block modifieds at PA’s premier division and raced at premier tracks such as Grandview Speedway and Big Diamond Raceway.
In 2009, AJ won his first race during his rookie year. He also served as crew chief for his brother, Nick DeSantis, in the sportsmen series, helping him win his sixth race behind the wheel.
In 2014, AJ headed south to join the Ultimate Performance team. AJ was quick to master challenging concepts, could think on his feet, and spent exclusive training time with several of UP’s partners, including Detroit Speed Engineering and Mike Maier Inc. These prestigious experiences gave AJ extensive firsthand knowledge about our partner’s products, and allowed him to assist in preparing vehicles for the 2016 racing season.