OAKS, PA January 20, 2017 . . . With a large and enthusiastic crowd in attendance, the 2017 Pioneer Pole Buildings Motorsports Race Car & Trade Show opened at 2:00 p.m., for the first day of a three-day run in the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center.

“Our Short Track Super Series and Georgetown Speedway booths were very busy all day,” said Heather Deyo, wife of STSS and Georgetown promoter Brett Deyo. “They were still three deep at our booths when the announcement was made that the show was closing for the day.”

Elsewhere, Hoffman Speed & Performance owner Keith Hoffman, who also is involved in the operation of Bridgeport Speedway, was extremely pleased with the turnout at the show and the business Hoffman Speed did.

“This was one of the best Fridays we have had since we started coming to show many years ago,” Hoffman said. Hoffman further noted that Bridgeport Speedway’s staff was doing a brisk trade in pit licenses, pit parking space sales and even 2016 souvenir merchandise liquidation.

Kevin Olson’s two hour autograph signing of his new book, ‘Cages Are For Monkeys’ kept the USAC star busy signing copies of books being purchased.

“The book is doing well, in its second printing, and I’m happy with the sales at the show so far,” Olson said.

Max McLaughlin was the winner of the Celebrity Go Kart Challenge, conducted at the Motorsports Show Indoor Electric Kart Oval Track. McLaughlin outran Anthony Perrego, Eric Kormann, Ryan Grim, Ryan Godown and DJ Hunt. The six were the qualifiers from a twelve driver celebrity field that ran two heat races.

A rear engine Midget that was designed, built and driven by Jerry Wall, now 82 years of age, was unveiled by Gary Mondschein, the architect of the restoration project while George VanVarick, owner of the car, looked on with pride. The car was campaigned by Wall in the early seventies, won eight times, then was effectively banned by rule changes that specified the route through the chassis the driveshaft was required to take.

“I thought about building the car after driving several Midgets including a mid-engine one,” Wall said. “I spent a year building it and wasn’t sure it would work. But did, too well,” Wall laughed.

The festivities of Day One served as a prelude to Day Two which will feature guest appearances by NASCAR Superstar Richard Petty and second generation NASCAR racer Jeffrey Earnhardt and the day will conclude Saturday night with the annual Ms. Motorsports Pageant.

Ms. Motorsports 2016, Arynne Moody will crown her successor.

The PPB Motorsports Race Car & Trade Show and Len Sammons Motorsports Productions advises those planning on traveling to the Show from New Jersey that the Pennsylvania Turnpike Delaware River Bridge has been closed indefinitely. Attendees should seek alternate Delaware River crossings north or south of the PA Turnpike Bridge.

The vast majority of the hundreds of race cars and exhibitors are in place on the floor of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center as of Thursday night at 8:00 p.m., seventeen hours before tickets go on sale for Day One of the PPB Motorsports Race Car & Trade Show in Oaks, Pa.
The Show runs from Friday, January 20 through Sunday, January 23.

Kevin Olson, noted for his USAC Sprint and Midget race car driver prowess and his outspoken nature, arrived at Philadelphia International Airport at 2:54 p.m., where he was met by Motorsports staffers Phil and Mary Good, who transported Olson back to his hotel room in King Of Prussia, Pa.

Olson will sign copies of his new tell-all book beginning Friday afternoon at the Coastal 181 Publishing Booth.

Second year exhibitor Jerry Higbie, Jr., owner of Hig Fab Chassis in Goshen, N.Y., shared the enthusiasm of most every exhibitor on Thursday set-up day, commenting, “No show in the forecast, you gotta love that.”

Higbie was referring to the 2016 Show which was weather affected. Nevertheless, Higbie was among a huge number of returnees for the 2017 Show. Numerous first time exhibitors including Extreme Energy Solutions of Sparta, N.J. are awaiting public scrutiny over the next three days,

Doors to the Show officially open at 2:00 p.m. Friday with pre-show viewing in the C-Hall section of the Expo Center starting at 1:00 p.m. On Saturday, Show hours are 11:00 a.m. through 9:00 p.m. and on Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Saturday will feature guest appearances by NASCAR Stock Car racing legend Richard Petty and aspiring talent Jeffrey Earnhardt. Saturday night will see the staging of the annual Ms. Motorsports

Pageant that will culminate with the crowning of Ms. Motorsports 2017 by her predecessor, Arynne Moody.

Visit www.aarn.com for a comprehensive schedule of events, exhibitors and days and times of guest appearances. Attendees are reminded that many drivers who are not scheduled for specific appearances are annual visitors to the Motorsports Show.

OAKS, PA January 17, 2017 . . . Racers coming out to the Pioneer Pole Buildings Motorsports 2017 Fueled by Sunoco Race Fuels and Distributed by Insinger Performance Race Car and Trade Show taking place this weekend, January 20th thru January 22nd, will be able to see, touch and purchase just about everything imaginable in motorsports. And there will be several opportunities to improve their knowledge with a variety of FREE seminars.

The Hard-Core racing section is located in B-Hall with several race car chassis builders showing their wares including Bernheisel, Bicknell, Hyper, Xcel, Hig-Fab, Speedway Entertainment, Teo, Troyer and West Fabrications.

Then there are the part manufacturers such as DMI, Winters, Wilwood, Art’s Radiator, Jones Racing Products, Calaman Radiators, Keizer Wheels, Beyea Headers, Henry Stainless Steel Exhaust, ERK Steering and Fastners Specialty.

Bilstein, Eibach, Fox and VRP will be showing off shocks and springs.

Great deals on safety equipment is being offered with all noted brands including Simpson, Bell, Impact, Design 500, Velocita, K-1 Race Gear, Highside, Schroth, Stilo and Hinchman at the show.

Containment racing seats will be available to see and sit in with Butler, Kirkey and LaJoie.

Need to see what is available in tires you can check in with American Racer and Hoosier.

Sunoco and VP will have representatives there to talk about fuel.

Cargo Trailer Sales, Pit Pal Products and Capital Renegade will show what is new for race car trailers and haulers.

A number of speed shops that offer a large variety of products along with special manufacturer dealers will be display at the show.

Bring your note pads, pencils and recorders so you can keep track of what you will be learning at the FREE seminar sessions that include sponsorship, legal issues, the basics of racing, what you need to know about racing shocks, safety at the track and more.

Sure to gain a lot of attention is the Dorney Park and the New York State Fairgrounds Moody Mile Reunions.

Of course “King” Richard Petty, Jeff Earnhardt, Hall of Fame Midget racer Kevin Olson, Gary Balough, Jeff Hammond, Bobby Dillner and a host of other well-known names in the sport will be on hand to meet with fans and sign autographs. And there will be more than 250 vehicles on display representing just about all areas of the sport. Definitely do not forget the camera.

The popular Oliver Construction Enterprises sponsored MS Motorsports Pageant takes place Saturday evening. Youngsters get their day on Sunday, Family Day, with Little Miss Tiny Miss Motorsports along with Big Wheel Racing. Anyone interested in entering any of the different competitions can do so by arriving early at the show the day of the event and checking in at the stage area.

And for the young and old the go-kart raceway will be open each day starting 15 minutes after the show officially opens.

Check in at www.aarn.com to get full details on the show along with admission prices, show hours and much more.

For more info telephone 609.888.3618

Matt Sheppard, who turned the most potentially adverse moment of his driving career into the most productive season of his life, will be among the honorees on Saturday.

Sheppard will be recognized at Motorsports for winning 29 feature races in 2016, five more than any other driver in the Area Auto Racing News readership area. Each of the wins were in the Dirt Modified category.

“I didn’t have a lot of time to put a team together,” Sheppard remarked of the organization he nad his supporters formed after his release from HBR Racing in early December. “I hadn’t planned on being a driver-owner but it has worked out pretty well I’d say.”

Sheppard, of Waterloo, N.Y. ,will receive a check at the Motorpsorts Show for $200 as a divisional winner and $500 for the overall Northeast winners. Sheppard earned his fifth Super DIRT Car Series title with a record twelve wins and claimed track titles at Canandaigua and Utica-Rome Speedways in 2017.

Asphalt Modified driver Keith Rocco, on the strength of fifteen 2016 wins, is the Northeast winner in that category, Rocco, of Wallingford, Ct., earned a total of 23 features in 2016, with his 15 asphalt Modified wins the standard in that bracket. He also won seven asphalt Late Model races Rocco will receive $200 from Area Auto Racing News.

Mike Sweeney, asphalt Late Model specialist of Nesquehoning, Pa. topped all others in the AARN readership with nine features and will receive $200 from Area Auto Racing News for that achievement.

Tyler Walton of Mifflintown, Pa.. topped the 600cc Micro Sprint division with twelve wins to earn the Area Auto Racing News Top Northeast Winner title for the second straight year. Like Sheppard, Rocco and Sweeney, Walton will be honored at Motorsports.

Two other Top Northeast winners will be unable to attend the Motorsports Show for the best possible reason: they will be racing.

Dirt Late Model standout Max Blair, Titusville. Pa., won twenty Dirt Late Model features in 2016, fifth overall over the AARN readership. Blair will be ‘on the road’ during the Motorsports Show, en route to Dirt Late Model races beginning the next week in Georgia and Florida.

And Central Pennsylvania 410 Sprint star Greg Hodnett of Thomasville. Pa., is already racing Sprint cars, in Australia where he will remain until early February.

Sheppard, Rocco, Sweeney and Walton will meet and greet race fans at the Area Auto Racing News Booth No. 224 beginning at 5:00 p.m. and running through 6:00 p.m. Each will sign the annual Motorsports Show commemorative Top Northeast Winner color poster and pose for pictures with admiring fans.

The Northeast Top Winners will be interviewed on stage prior to the 2017 Ms. Motorsports pageant on Saturday beginning at 7:00 p.m. commemorative plaques will be presented and checks will be presented on stage by members of the Area Auto Racing News staff.