OAKS, PA (Thur.) – The PPB Motorsports Race Car & Trade Show, which officially opens on Friday, Jan. 19 inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pa., is moving into the Center’s 250,000 square feet of exhibitor space.

As of Thursday aftenoon, a little over twenty hours before the Show’s doors open to the public at 2:00 PM Friday, an estimated 75% of the more than 150 commercial exhibitors and a like percentage of the 250 race cars registered for the Show were in the building.

“The weather is good for move-in day and we’re seeing more and more of our exhibitors arriving earlier than usual,” Len Sammons, show organizer, said. “And with very nice weather forecast for the three days of the show, we are expecting very good crowds.”

At the lavish Pioneer Pole Building Display, PPB staff was vacuuming the carpet its booth, after having placed the Modifies of Billy Pauch, Sr., and Craig Von Dohren and several others.

The Short Track Super Series and Georgetown Speedway booths were taking shape. Brick pavers and landscaping mulch featured the Georgetown Speedway featured car, the Super Late Model owned and driven by Ross Robinson. Robinson himself was helping promoter Brett Deyo and Deyo’s wife Heather even out the decorative material.

Preparations were in high gear at the Behrent’s Performance Warehouse booth were Jeff Behrent, Jeff Heotzler and others were pricing fire suits, helmets and related personal safety equipment. Behrent’s is among many exhibitors that have been in all 33 previous Motorsports Shows.

Booth building was also proceeding at a rapid pace Thursday afternoon at the Bridgeport Speedway display, the New Egypt booth, the Lincoln Speedway exhibit and dozens of others.

The 34th PPB Motorsports Race Car & Trade Show officially opens Friday, January 19 at 2:00 PM. Featured Friday, beginning at 7:00 PM, is a racing themed reprise of television’s The Tonight Show, starring Dino Oberto, and featuring reflections of the Pine Brook Speedway, which raced from 1962 through the late eighties before it closed.

PPB Motorsports runs from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM Saturday, January 20. The full day will be highlighted by the personal appearances of three time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart, who will sign autographs from 12:00 Noon through 2:00 PM. Also making an appearance will be former NASCAR Crew Chief and current on air personality Larry McReyolds, and The King, Steve Kinser, the all time World of Outlaws Sprint Car champion.

Top northeastern race winners will appear throughout the day to sign autographs. And a gallery of former stars from Pine Brook Speedway will be on hand to swap stories with one another and with fans.

The festivities heat up beginning at 7:30 PM with the staging of the annual Ms. Motorsports Pageant, sponsored by Oliver Construction. Ms. Motorsports 2017, Taylor Albert will crown her successor at the end of the always well-attended event.

The Show’s third and final day, Sunday, January 21, is dedicated to the younger race fans, featuring the Little Ms. Motorsports pageant and Kids Big Wheel Races. Doors on Sunday swing open at 11:00 AM.

For more information about the 2018 PPB Motorsports Race Car & Trade Show, visit www.MOTORSPORTSTRADESHOW.com

OAKS, PA January 15, 2018 . . . School will be in session, sort of, at the Pioneer Pole Buildings Motorsports 2018 Race Car and Trade Show taking place at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA January 19-21.

In addition to the show, filling 250,000 square feet of show space with just about everything imaginable in motorsports, opportunities to learn are being offered. For just the price of an admission ticket to the show attendees will be able to attend seminars on the basics of racing, legal issues, Micro Sprint racing with Mike Dicely of Hyper Racing, Dirt Late Model Set-Ups with the Bernheisels, Basics of Sponsorship with John Snyder, Safety at the track with Warren Alston and more. Some highly respected people in the industry to be part of the long list of seminars.

Wingless open cock-pit racing has been growing in popularity in recent years. Levi Jones, a seven-time USAC national champion and current top runner Chad Boespflug will help guide local winged racers into the world of wingless Sprint Car racing at a Saturday seminar. They will talk about the changes needed for what will be a new journey for many planning to race the new regional USAC wingless 360 Sprint Car series this year as well as the annual Eastern Storm events for the National USAC Sprint division.

More than 250 racing vehicles and booth displays will be in place for the three day show with three time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart topping the list of participants. In addition former NASCAR Cup winning crew chief and FOX TV personality Larry MacReynolds will be there along with 20-time World of Outlaws Sprint Champion Steve Kinser and rising Sprint Car standout David Gravel along with a long list of local and regional racers.

A long list of speedways and sanctioning organizations will be offering information on their 2018 season plans.

The Pine Brook Speedway Reunion will be a big part of the show featuring cars and drivers from that era.

Show attendees will have many, many opportunities to meet racers and collect autographs, take photos and get up close with the many racing vehicles on display during the three days.

The show opens on Friday, January 19 at 2 p.m. and closes at 9. Doors open on Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. The box office and D-Hall exhibit area open one hour earlier each day. Free parking is available.

Check out www.motorsportstradeshow.com or call 609-888-3618 for further information.

MOTORSPORTS 2018 SEMINARS

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

Friday, January 19: (Show Hours 2 to 9 p.m.)

5:00 – 6:00 PM: (Room 1) The Basics of Racing – Set-up, tire and general maintenance on Street/Pure/Factory Stock and Front Wheel-Drive (asphalt and dirt) “U-car” divisions. Presented by Roy Anderson of Anderson Race Cars.

6:30 -7:15 PM: (Room 2) Legal Issues in Racing, and with the Racing Business – Presented by attorney Meri Van Blarcom-Gupko of Wiley, Malehorn, Sirota and Raynes legal firm. A practicing lawyer with an auto racing background, she will answer racing-related legal questions that you may have, such as sponsor liability, insurance and what responsibilities you need to be aware of as a racer and/or track operator. Open to racers and promoters/track managers. (Note: Legal questions will be answered at no charge during the presentation).

Saturday, January 20: (Show Hours 11 Am To 9 P.M.)

11:30AM – 12:00PM: (Room 2): NEW DIVISION! The Pennsylvania 600 Restricted Micro Sprint class will make its debut in the area in 2018. Wayne Lesher and Mike Dicely will share their vision for the division from young racers ages 10-16 years old.

1:00 – 3:00 PM: (Room 2): INTRODUCTION TO 600cc SPRINT RACING AND 600cc SPRINT CHASSIS SETUP – An introduction to 600cc Sprint racing and 600cc Sprint chassis setups presented by Mike Dicely of Hyper Racing. The first 15 minutes will be dedicated to offer the basic information needed for a race team considering a move to 600cc Sprints. This is ideal for the beginner, someone moving from Quarter-Midgets or anyone interested in the sport. The next 45 minutes will be dedicated to an introduction to 600cc Sprint chassis setups. There will be a Q & A after.

1:15 – 2:15 PM: (Room 1) – Dirt Late Model Set-ups and Chassis Tuning – presented by Jim Bernheisel, and sons Brandon and Bryan, of Bernheisel Race Components/ Lazer Chassis. The Bernheisel family, one of the sport’s experts in dirt Late Model chassis building and driving.

2:30 – 3:30 PM: (Room 1): BRIDGEPORT CRATE SPORTSMAN MEETING – Bridgeport Speedway will be allowing only 602 crate engines in their Sportsman division in 2018. At the meeting Pace Performance, KillerCrate, Bridgeport tech, and Bridgeport’s service centers will be present for comments and questions. All 602 Crate- Sportsman drivers who intend on competing at Bridgeport are encouraged to attend.

3:15 – 4:15 PM: (Room 2): The Basics of Race Team Sponsorship – Presented by race team Media Relations consultant and motorsports journalist John Snyder. The basics you need from writing proposals and who do send them to is covered from an expert who has had winning success for decades with several drivers including Brett Hearn.

3:45 – 4:45 PM: (Room 1) INTRODUCTION TO WINGLESS SPRINT CAR RACING – Levi Jones, one of the most decorated drivers in the history of the United States Auto Club (USAC) and current top series racer Chad Boespflug, will help guide local winged racers into the world of wingless Sprint Car racing. They will talk about the changes needed to your race car, help in set-up as well as what you need to be prepared for in what will be a new journey for many in the northeast with the new regional USAC wingless 360 Sprint Car group starting this year as well as the annual Eastern Storm events for the National USAC Sprint division.

5:00 – 6:00 PM: (Room 1) SAFETY AT THE SPEEDWAY – Presented by Warren Alston, a veteran racing flagger and official; and by profession an Emergency Medical Services Chief and Occupational Health Technician. The first part of the seminar will cover what safety measures are, or should be, in place at local racetracks. Topics will include Safety Terms, Kinematics of Trauma, Scene Survey in an accident, Rapid Assessment (RPM) and Treatment Priorities. It will be followed by an actual demonstration, with a race car, of the “team approach” to remove an injured driver. A “must attend” for racetrack first responders, but also open to fans and track management/officials.

4:30 – 5:30 PM: (Room 2) WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RACING SHOCKS – Presented by Mike Walton and Bruce Harwood of Fox Shocks. Hear from the experts how you can tune your race car with shocks, what effect gas PSI has, linear vs. digressive valving, shock maintenance and how to read a dyno sheet. This informative seminar will conclude with a question and answer session.

5:45- 6:35 PM: (Room 2): Taking Photos at the Track – For the “amateur” or the person looking to enter the business, this seminar provides “the basics” of racing photography. One attendee will get a chance to take photos at the Ms. Motorsports competition, with the professionals! Hosted by award winning racing photographer Bob Yurko of Area Auto Racing News

6:15 – 7:15 PM: (Room 1): SPRINT CAR HELP – Greg Hodnett’s winning crew chief Ryan “Roach” Hand will share his knowledge of preparing a Sprint Car for dirt track competition from the work in the shop to pre-race jobs at the speedway. Hand will be open to answer questions from attendees as well.

Sunday, January 21: (Show Hours 11 Am To 4 P.M.)

Noon – 1:30 PM: (Room 1) – USAC Quarter-Midgets Regional Meeting – With the addition of several new quarter-midget clubs in the area, USAC will be conducting a meeting with new and old members to outline the exciting season ahead for the .25 Midgets both locally and nationally.

-END-

OAKS, PA JANUARY 14, 2018 . . . Variety could be a word to describe the Sunoco Race Fuels/Insinger Performance display at the Pioneer Pole Buildings Motorsports 2018 Race Car & Trade set to take place Friday, January 19th through Sunday, January 21st at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA.

Five different racing vehicles, representing a variety of divisions of motorsports, will be part of the display along with the popular Sunoco Race Fuels Prize Wheel that give all attendees a chance to participate and have the chance to win small apparel and other items by spinning the wheel.

Hurlock Auto & Speed Sports of Hurlock, MD will be using their participation in the show with Sunoco to announce their team plans for 2018. Their dirt Modified will be part of the huge display at the front of B-Hall at the show.

Veteran Dirt Late Model racing talent Mark Pettyjohn will have his new Swartz by PJ1 race car on display. “We are really excited to have our new car on display,” said Pettyjohn. “We are proud to have Sunoco Race Fuel as a marketing partner, their products are the best in the industry and results show it.” In addition to be a winner at eight different tracks over the years, Pettyjohn was the 2013 Three State Flyers Dirt Late Model Series Champion and in 2017 won the Camp Barnes Benefit Race at Delaware International Speedway.”

Philadelphia Racing Engine/Products will have their National Hot Rod Association Competition Eliminator Drag Car there. The I/SM Chevy Cavalier is driven by Richard Schonberger who is a member of the Schonberger family that has been involved in the sport for several generations and operate Philadelphia Racing Engines. Richard also competes in the I/A class within the NHRA Competition Eliminator division driving an Oldsmobile Cutlass.

Alex Mayer will attract attention with his Mayer Motorsports North America Formula 1000 entry out of Harleysville, PA. He is fresh off his 2017 National Championship effort.

Another attention getter will be the two American Racing Mower Association modified mowers one with Insinger Performance sponsorship and the second one sporting the Sunoco Fuels sponsorship. The spec fuel for the series is Sunoco Optima, unleaded non-ethanol fuel for 4-cycle small engines in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. These machines are capable of reaching speeds of 70 mph. The Gas plus Oil Premixed fuel will be the featured product sponsor on the Insinger Performance mower. Also Insinger Performance is launching the Opitimal Premix Non Ethanol Fuel for 2 cycle small engines.

Teams involved with the display will have hero cards and handouts for attendees and will be able to sign them during the three day show.

More than 300 racing vehicles representing all forms of motorsports will be on display during the three days of Motorsports 2018, January 19-21 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA.

Headlining the show will be three time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart along with 20-time World of Outlaws title holder Steve Kinser, rising Sprint Car talent David GraveL, FOX TV personality Larry MacReynolds and a number of local and regional racing talents.

The show, the 33rd annual edition, offers just about everything imaginable in motorsports and includes free seminars, Oliver Construction Ms. Motorsports Pageant, autograph opportunities and a large number of speedways and sanctioning organizations showing what is new for 2018.

For more information check in at www.motorsportstradeshow.com.

OAKS, PA January 5, 2018 . . . Waterloo, N.Y.’s Matt Sheppard will be honored by national trade publication Area Auto Racing News as the top 2017 Northeast feature race winner at Pioneer Pole Buildings Motorsports 2018 presented by Sunoco and fueled by Insinger Performance. Sheppard, who won 41 dirt Modified feature events will be in the spotlight on that Saturday of the show held at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pa., on January 19-21.

On his way to the AARN’s top honors, Sheppard became the first driver since Brett Hearn to win more than 40 features in a season. Hearn, the veteran driver from Sussex, N.J., won 42 features in 2002 and reached 900 career victories this past season.

Sheppard was also the top AARN winner in 2016 when he won 29 times. For his 2017 accomplishment, he will receive a beautiful painting by Ken Frantz, a plaque for winning the most in the dirt Modified division and $700.

Sheppard and other divisional top 2017 winners will be honored at the stage prior to the Oliver Construction Ms. Motorsports competition. Others receiving divisional awards are David Gravel (Open-Cockpit, 20 wins) Matt Hirschman (Asphalt Modifieds, 17 wins), Mike Sweeney (Asphalt Late Model, 10 wins), Max Blair (dirt Late Model, 23 wins) and Tyler Walton (600 Micro-Sprints, 10 wins).

Despite living in Watertown, Ct., an area rich in asphalt racing, David Gravel has become a super star in dirt Sprint Car competition. In 2017 he won 20 features, including 18 on the World of Outlaws tour where he finished third in points. At the Motorsports Show, Gravel’s CJB Motorsports Muddy No. 5 team will have both their new car and its hauler on display for the fans.

Hirschman, a second-generation racer from Northampton, Pa. won 17 feature events last year despite racing less. Like Sheppard, he won over 50% of the asphalt Modified feature races he entered.

For the second straight year Max Blair and Mike Sweeney topped the dirt and asphalt Late Model division respectively. Blair was a big winner at many Western Pa. dirt tracks. Sweeney dominated at his home track, Pa.’s Mahoning Valley Speedway, where he won the championship.

Tyler Walton of Mifflintown, Pa. was a big winner in 600cc Micro-Sprint competition for the second straight year as well.

All the award winners will participate in an autograph session signing a special colored poster available free only at the show to fans at the AARN booth display from 5 to 6 p.m. on Saturday.

Going back to 1978 when Area Auto Racing News started keeping track of the most wins in a Northeast season, the record is 52 jointly held by three drivers. Former NASCAR star Geoff Bodine won 52 mains in 1978, NASCAR Hall of Famer Richie Evans did so in 1979 and Sprint Car racer Doug Wolfgang tied the mark in 1985 while battling Central Pa. competition. There has not been another driver to reach the 50 win mark since.

The most wins recorded since 1978 by a dirt Modified racer such as Sheppard was 48 by Billy Pauch Sr. in 1990. Bob McCreadie took 47 wins in 1994.

Also headlining the show on Saturday, January 20, will be three time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart who is now turning his racing efforts to the Sprint Cars. Former NASCAR Cup Series crew chief and FOX TV personality Larry MacReynolds will also be part of the Saturday activities along with 20-time World of Outlaws champion Steve “King” Kinser.

More than 250 racing vehicles and booth displays will make up the three day event that fills 250,000 square feet of show space.

The show opens on Friday, January 19 at 2 p.m. and closes at 9. Doors open on Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. The box office and D-Hall exhibit area open one hour earlier each day.

Check out www.motorsportstradeshow.com or call 609-888-3618 for further information.

By HERBANASTOR

OAKS, PA – One of the cars that is sure to be a “must-see” at the 33rd Annual Pioneer Pole Buildings Motorsports 2018 Race Car and Trade Show presented by Sunoco and fueled by Insinger Performance here at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center (Jan. 19-21) is Ray Evernham’s 1936 Chevrolet Sedan Modified Stock Car.

And what makes this “currently one-off,” pearl-white, blue and red “No. one 9 teen” so special is that it was designed by Evernham from a clean sheet of paper using all of his knowledge from over 40 years of racing in combination with some of the most-modern technology available.

“We did it the old-school way with modern technology, but without CAD [computer-aided drafting] and simulation,” said the 60-year-old Evernham who will not be at Motorsports 2018 due to his induction that weekend into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“The 1936 Chevy Sedan was my favorite race car when I was a kid watching the races in New Jersey and I just wanted to see what I could do building a car without regard to any rules or specifics; something that was neat.”

As Evernham sees it, “The Ghost” – which got that name due to the pearl white Axalta-provided paint scheme – is what a modern-day Modified Stock Car would look like if it combined his admiration for old-school automotive styling and aesthetics with his knowledge and access to modern-day technology and performance.

And he certainly has the background to design and build such a machine for prior to his years as a three-time (1995 and 1997-1998) NASCAR Cup Series Champion Crew Chief for Jeff Gordon in the famed No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets, Evernham raced Asphalt Modifieds at New Jersey’s old 5/8-mile Flemington Fair Speedway and on the one-third-mile at Wall Stadium where he won seven feature races on the Belmar high banks (1976-1981).

Although primarily funded by Valvoline, the car was built on a small budget by Evernham, along with lead mechanic Eddie Bohn and lead fabricator and painter Dan Baker at his Big Iron Garage in Mooresville, North Carolina.  And he plans to compete with it in some Sportscar Vintage Racing Association events this year at Road Atlanta, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Pikes Peak and some other places just to see how his ideas turned out.

To get things started, the chassis was designed as a combination of a current NASCAR Asphalt Modified, an SCCA Trans-Am Sports Car and a little bit of a NASCAR Cup Series car.  And while the main frame rails are rectangular 2” x 3.125” mild-steel tubing, a NASCAR-style 1.75” round .095 mild-steel DOM-tubing integral roll cage is what provides the driver’s protection.

Weighing-in at 2,650 pounds with driver and fuel, the 52.5”-high “concept car” features a nicely-done, all-steel body with opening doors and a Plexiglas windows while the cockpit contains: Sweet Manufacturing Rack and Pinion Steering; an MPI-GT-13-A Steering Wheel by Max Papis; a Kenny’s Components Carbon Fiber Racing Seat; a Schroth Racing 5-Point Safety Harness; a Tilton 800-Master Pedal Assembly and Cylinders; a Safecraft AT10 Dual-Hose Fire-Suppression System; and an accessible oil tank and battery.

A custom-fabricated ATL 22-Gallon Fuel Cell is mounted in the rear, an AirJax Air-Powered Racecar Lifting System get “The Ghost” off the ground when that occasion arises and hand-formed chrome bumpers give the car some of the glitz that was evident in former days.

Under the car’s pleasingly-shaped aluminum hood (no fiberglass is used anywhere) is an all-aluminum, 410-cubic-inch/850-horsepower Chevrolet SB2 engine built by Pro Motor Engineering that uses an old-school Kinsler fuel-injection unit controlled by a new-school electronics system from AEM Performance Electronics.  And to get the most out of that package Evernham opted for: Kooks Stainless Steel Headers and Exhaust Pipes; a custom-built C&R Racing Radiator and Oil Coolers; a Jerico Performance Products 4-speed transmission; a custom carbon fiber driveshaft; and, a Winters Aluminum Center Section Quick-Change rear end with a 4:12 ring and pinion.

“The Ghost” has a 63” front tread and its suspension features unequal length A-arms with mono balls, adjustable degree steel spindles and coil-over shocks by JRi Shocks with Hyperco springs.  While in the back the 67” rear tread’s suspension uses 36” aluminum radius rods and FK Rod Ends with a single adjustable Neuline torque arm, front-center-bearing-mounted Watts link, coil-over shocks by JRi Shocks and springs by Hyperco.

As far as tires go, front Goodyear Eagle Racing D1570s are on 13” x 16” Aluminum Wide 5 Real Racing Wheels, while in back Goodyear Eagle Racing D1751s use 14” x 16” Aluminum Wide 5 Real Racing Wheels.  PFC Brakes with ZR94 Zero Drag Calipers (41mm and 44mm staggered pistons front and 29mm and 36.5mm staggered pistons rear to reduce pad taper and wheel locking) and Zero Failure Discs with V3 disc technology control the stopping.

And the car’s final inventory is it electronics: an AEM Performance Electronics Infinity Series 7 Engine Management System; an AEM Performance Electronics CD-7 Digital Dash Display; an AEM Performance Electronics Vehicle Dynamics Module GPS/G-Meter; AEM Performance Electronics Smart Coils; and, wiring from Brown and Miller Racing Solutions.

Because Evernham wants “The Ghost” to perform in a variety of situations, it was constructed with a wide range of adjustability so it can be set up to compete on ovals, road courses, drag strips and hill climbs.  And to accommodate its open wheels, downforce was created through a top-rear-mounted aerodynamic wing and making the underside of the chassis like that of a 1980s Indy 500 racer – flat all the way until it reaches the back where the air meets a huge rear diffuser.

If anyone who sees this car would like to have one for his or her own, that can be arranged as Evernham is interested in building some others.

“As much as I like coming to work every day and just creating whatever comes to mind, we need to run a business, too,” said the designer and builder.

“I think it is dang cool.  It’s something I want to drive, and I hope that others feel the same way and want one, too.

“That’s what it takes to let us come up with other ideas like this moving forward.”

Oaks, PA — Pine Brook Speedway, the purpose-built race track in northern New Jersey where drivers ranging from World Champion Mario Andretti and NASCAR Hall of Fame member Ray Evernham to current stars “Liquid Lou” Cicconi and “Jersey Jet” Joey Payne cut their racing teeth, will be the focus of this year’s speedway reunion during the Pioneer Pole Buildings Motorsports 2018 race car and trade show, presented by Sunoco and fueled by Insinger Performance at the Greater Philadephia Expo Center January 19-20-21.

Each year a different regional track from racing’s past is highlighted at the show, and this year a special display dedicated to Pine Brook will be erected in Hall D of the spacious Expo Center, which will offer more than a quarter million square feet – some six acres – of racing related exhibits over the three day period.

Activities at the Pine Brook display will include interviews and autograph sessions with drivers who raced at the tight and highly-competitive speedway, and attractions will include a lineup of race cars representing the evolution of the machinery through the three decades that the track was in operation.

A special added attraction will be a live television production on Friday evening, January 19, where in a one-hour late-night talk-show format personalities from the track’s history will tell their stories. Among those scheduled to appear on the stage in Hall E are Bob Dini, winner of the very first race at Pine Brook in 1962, brothers Drew and Noki Fornoro, prolific winners at the track through the years, Jack Duffy, who raced at Pine Brook in each of the track’s 28 seasons, Lenny Boyd, a championship driver in TQs, Midgets, and Modifieds, and Johnny Coy, Jr., who raced at Pine Brook against both his father and his brothers.

Music and additional entertainment will be part of the show.

Pine Brook Speedway, originally named Pine Brook Stadium, opened in Montville Township, New Jersey, in 1962, having been built specifically for the open-cockpit TQ Midgets of the American TQ Midget Racing Association. The TQs raced weekly at Pine Brook through the track’s closure at the end of the 1989 racing season, and Micro-Stocks were added to the weekly program in the early 80s.

Pine Brook Speedway, which sat on leased land, closed when the property was earmarked for retail development. A Home Depot occupies the site today.

In addition to the drivers already mentioned, a virtual Who’s Who of racing in the northeast raced at Pine Brook, including early Modified stars Jim Hendrickson and Al DeAngelo, “The Old Master” Frankie Schneider, and Syracuse winner Gary Balough. Pine Brook racers who made it to Indianapolis include Andretti of course, but also Wally Dallenbach, Al Loquasto, Jerry Karl, and others.

But Pine Brook grew its own stars, too. Drivers such as TQ champions Doug Craig, Tony Romit, Larry Michaels, and Jack Bertling became household names in racing on the strength of their Pine Brook successes. Still others, including the innovative Jerry Wall and the outgoing Bob Cicconi, made their mark at Pine Brook before gaining the attention of race fans nationally.

Additional information concerning The Pioneer Pole Buildings Motorsports 2018 race car and trade show, presented by Sunoco and fueled by Insinger Performance at the Greater Philadephia Expo Center, can be found at https://motorsportstradeshow.com.

OAKS, PA December 28, 2017 . . . David Gravel’s Sprint car racing season went from very good to outstanding in 2017. The rising star of the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series kicked off his season with a win in the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint car race at Volusia Speedway Park in Barbourville, Florida and then closed it out with a huge win in the in the Textron Off Road World of Outlaws World Finals at the Dirt Track in Charlotte.

Gravel and his CJB Motorsports team, owned by Chad and Jenn Clemens, will part of the Pioneer Pole Buildings Motorsports 2018 Racecar and Trade Show Presented by Sunoco and Fueled by Insinger Performance at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA January 19-21.

The win at Charlotte put Gravel third in the final World of Outlaw standings. Overall during the season he won 18 WoO features and a total of 20 features. The Connecticut racer, a fast rising star in Sprint car racing, earned 72 top-10 finishes out of 86 races entered. He led a total of 421 laps.

One of the team’s rare disappointments came on Sprint Car racing’s biggest stage. While leading this year’s $150,000 to win Knoxville (Iowa) Nationals the motor blew. The team rebounded quickly by winning the Williams Grove (PA) Speedway National Open to pocket $50,000.

“We obviously still have the goals of winning an Outlaws championship, a Knoxville Nationals title and a Kings Royal. We have identified areas where we can do better,” said Gravel recently

Unique will be the opportunity for show attendees to meet Gravel on Saturday afternoon and collect an autograph while hearing him talk about his great season and plans for 2018 in a casual setting near the team display. CJB Motorsports will have one of their new GoMuddy.com. Big Game Treestands sponsored No. 5 410 Sprint Cars and their hauler on display and will be open for tours. The team will be debuting a new sponsor, Wiekert’s Livestock, who will join C&S Lawn & Landscape, Nyce Crete and Landis Block and Concrete, Bair’s Tree Service, J.R.C. Transportation and Ecynbro Trucking on his year’s race cars.

Gravel will be honored by the Area Auto Racing News on Saturday along with other top Northeast winners. The group will include top Northeast dirt Modified and overall biggest winner Matt Sheppard at the stage prior to the evening’s Oliver Construction sponsored Ms. Motorsports competition at 6:30 p.m. along with overall top winner and top Modified winner Matt Sheppard at the stage prior to the Saturday evening Mr. Motorsports competition.

Gravel, the top 2017 Northeast driver in open cockpit racing, will also be part of a group autograph session at 5 p.m. at the Area Auto Racing News display. Drivers will be signing a special full-color poster depicting all the top divisional winners during the season that will be given away only at the show.

Top winners that are scheduled to be part of the signing include Sheppard who won 41 events, Matt Hirschman (tops in Asphalt Modified wins with 17), Mike Sweeney (winner of 10 Asphalt Late Model victories) and Tyler Warren (top winner in 600 Micro Sprints with 16).

Also headlining the show on Saturday will be three time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart who is now turning his racing efforts to the Sprint cars. Former NASCAR Cup Series crew chief and FOX TV personality Larry MacReynolds will also be part of the Saturday activities.

More than 250 racing vehicles and booth displays will make up the three day show that fills 250,000 square feet of show space.

The show opens on Friday, January 19th at 2 p.m. and closes at 9. Doors open on Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. The box office and D-Hall exhibit area opens one hour earlier each day.

Check out www.motorsportstradeshow.com or call 609-888-3618 for further information.