OAKS, PA January 17, 2020 . . . Matt Sheppard and Mike Mahaney made headlines in different ways on Friday, Day One, of the PPB 2020 Motorsports Race Car & Trade Show in the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center.

Sheppard, winner of 35 Dirt Modified features in 2019, shared trade secrets and offered advice on buying used race cars for the more than 80 racers who attended his Q&A seminar.

“I learn more about setups when things go wrong than when things go right,” Sheppard shared. “You remember what not to do.”

Mahaney was the winner of a Celebrity Go Kart race run Friday night. To win, he executed a last turn, last lap pass against Ryan Watt to register the top prize. Eric Kormann was third.

“It was a lot of fun,” Mahaney shared. “The track was pretty slippery and it made for some good racing.”

Day Two of the Motorsports Show will feature guest appearances by NASCAR fan favorites Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett.

Petty, a third generation NASCAR Cup driver prior to retirement, is now one of the top NASCAR TV commentators. He will sign autographs and meet and greet Motorsports attendees from 1:00 to 3:00 PM.

Second generation Cup driver Jarrett is a three-time Daytona 500 winner and one time NASCAR Cup season champion plus being a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame and a TV personality. Jarrett will sign autographs from 4:00 to 6:00 PM Saturday afternoon.

Following the autograph signing sessions by Petty and Jarrett, the stage will be set for the 35th annual Ms. Motorsports Competition, sponsored by Aqua Duck Water Transport. Fifteen contestants have entered the competition in advance with more expected. At stake is a $1,500 top prize, a poster deal and the opportunity to travel the nation’s speedways as the official representative of the Motorsports Show.

On Sunday, the closing day of the show, three competitions, each centered on the sport’s youth, will be held. The Little Ms. Motorsports pageant and Tiny Ms. Motorsports competition transpire followed by Kids Big Wheel Races, featuring youngsters racing in various age groups with trophies presented to all winners.

The Best In Show awards will be presented to deserving exhibitors on Sunday afternoon as well.

Dates on or about the second weekend in January, 2021 are anticipated to be released in the near future.

OAKS, PA January 16, 2020 . . . The preparations necessary to transform the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center into the Pioneer Pole Buildings Motorsports Race Car & Trade Show 2020 were continuing in earnest through 8:00 PM Thursday evening. The 36th annual rendition of the event under the direction of Len Sammons Motorsports Productions opens to the public at 2:00 PM Friday, January 17 and continues Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 18-19.

“This year’s show is shaping up to be one of the best,” said event organizer Sammons. “Move in day was very smooth and we expect big crowds for all three days with all that we have going on at the 2020 Show.”

Much of the work centered around the Orange County Fair Speedway Display, which will feature the track’s past, present, and future. The speedway celebrated the 100th anniversary of the running of its first automobile race this past August. A never-before-seen restoration of the Statewide Hi-Way Safety No. 3 Gremlin, built by Kenny Weld, driven by Jimmy Horton, owned by Halmar International’s Chris Larsen, and restored by Eric Mack is among the features in the display and of the entire Motorsports 2020 Show.

Another vintage car, this one owned and restored by Bruce Bowen, in the entrance lobby of the Motorsports Show, is a restoration of the No. 29 Weikert’s Livestock Sprint driven by Doug Wolfgang in 1987. The car is unique in that it ran the season with a 410 Steel Block motor. The car has been displayed by Bowen only once before.

“It has been a lot of work but I’m very happy with the way it turned out,” Bowen, who hand-lettered the car, said.

Two big displays near the main entrance of the show are certain to command attention. At the Pioneer Pole Buildings display, the Modifieds of Billy Pauch and Craig VonDohren as well as the 410 Sprint of Freddie Rahmer are to be seen while the Sunoco display has cars spanning the spectrum of motorsports including a stunning Funny Car and an equally attention-grabbing Sports Car Prototype.

A new livery for Matt Sheppard’s Modified can be seen at the American Racer Tire exhibit and Joe Toth’s Crate Sportsman, displayed at the Georgetown Speedway booth, is also a dramatic contrast from Toth’s previous cars.

An oddity in this year’s show features two of Mike Gular’s Modifieds, one in the Bicknell Race Cars display and a second in the Sunoco booth.

Once doors open Friday and throughout the three-day run of the show a series of valuable Seminars will be conducted on a wide range of topics of interest to car builders, track operators, and fans alike.

On Saturday, personal appearances by Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett will highlight the three-day event. Petty will sign autographs from 1:00 to 3:00 PM with Jarrett putting pen to paper from 4:00 to 6:00 PM.

At 7:00, the festivities will begin that culminate in the crowning of Ms. Motorsports 2020.

Sunday is Kid’s Day at PPB Motorsports 2020 with Little Ms. Motorsports and Tiny Ms. Motorsports competitions as well as Big Wheel Racing competitions.

For more information about the 2020 PPB Motorsports Race Car & Trade Show, visit motorsportstradeshow.com

OAKS, PA January 15, 2020 . . . Looking for a great day and night of fun? Gather up your camera (cellphone) and autograph book. Put on your most comfortable shoes and head on out to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA. It is time for the 36th annual PPB Motorsports 2020 Racecar and Trade Show. For three days, January 17th through 19th, the giant hall is loaded with just about everything you could imagine that has to do with the exciting sport of motorsports. It is truly a diversified show with powerboats, stock cars, drag racers, motorcycles and more included.

Arnold’s Family Fun Center, located in Oaks, is offering the opportunity to drive an electric kart right there at the Expo Center in the C Hall. Here is a chance to see if you just might have the talent to be a race car driver. The cost is just $10 and there are two seaters so the youngsters can be included in the fun with an adult.

Over 200 race cars, representing all forms of motorsports (Modifieds, Sprints, Midgets, Sportsman, Late Models, Drags and more), will be on display. Of special interest will be a newly design Camaro for NASCAR Cup racing that will make its debut in the Daytona 500. There will be two Hendrick Motorsports cars on display, a new 2020 No. 24 to be driven by William Bryon and a 2019 No. 48 of Jimmie Johnson so fans can compare the changes being made.

There will be huge displays by Orange County Speedway in Middletown, N.Y. which celebrated its 100th season in 2019. Pioneer Pole Buildings, Sunoco, and other major players in the sport.

Speedway displays will offer news of what is happening during the 2020 season. Dozens of tracks and sanctioning organizations will be represented.

Many manufacturers will be on hand to show what is new and offer great deals.

Your autograph book will come in handy as NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett and NASCAR Fox broadcast Kyle Petty, along with other national names, and area racers will be on hand along with well-known personalities. Take photos and collect autographs. You just never know who you will come across during the three day.

Seminars designed to educate about important topics in the sport will be taking place throughout the weekend. And admission is free.

The very popular Aqua Duck MS Motorsports Pageant always draws a big crowd on Saturday evening. Gals interested can still enter by using the application found on the show web-site.

On Sunday, all children 12 and under are admitted FREE with a parent. A Little Miss pageant will be held as well as Big Wheel races. Children can enter both events by stopping at the stage area upon early arrival at the show. Big Wheels are supplied and trophies go to top performers.

PPB Motorsports 2020 opens on Friday, January 17 at 2 p.m., then at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The show closes at 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Tickets are available daily at the door beginning one hour before the show opens. And the Expo Center offers a large number of FREE parking spaces. To stay informed on the latest show news to obtain booth information or enter one of the competitions, check in at www.motorsportstradeshow.com or call 609-888-3618.

Saturday, January 18, 2:30 – 3:30 PM: (Room 1): WINNING DIRT MODIFIED/SPORTSMAN PREP – ERICK MACK, of DKM built Modified race cars, will available to answer you questions regarding preparing and setting up a Modified or Sportsman car for competition. The long-time winning crew chief for Stewart Friesen will freely give you advice on preparing your race car in the shop and what to do once you unload at the races. Bring your questions and he’ll have answers.

Friday, January 17, 4:30 – 5:30 PM: (Room 1) Q&A with MATT SHEPPARD – Dirt Modified’s biggest winner the last four years will be in the seminar room to answers questions from racers from various topics. While he won’t let out all the secrets on how to beat him, he’ll be willing to offer advice on weekly maintenance, how to scale a car properly, reading an ever changing dirt track and driver tips. Racers would be smart to ask questions regarding the purchase of used equipment such as engines, cars and parts. Come with your questions and you’ll get the answers.

Saturday, January 18, 1:00 – 2:00 PM (Room 1) TIRE PREP – Dustin Leverknight of American Racer Tire (Northeast Distributor- Lias Tire of Indiana, Pa.) is an expert on race tires! A long-time tire guy himself, Dustin keeps a close eye on what racers do to their tires and how it reacts. He’ll address tire preparation and equipment to use for grooving, siping and needling. He’ll talk about where on the tire to do the work, which blocks, how deep and what direction. When to use it, when not… plus tire compound choice and watching an ever-changing race track before making a decision. The discussion will also include tire maintenance and care. Bring your questions to the tire expert!

OAKS, PA January 9, 2020 . . . Sure to attract a lot of attention at the Pioneer Pole Buildings Motorsports Racecar and Trade January 17-19 is the Hendrick Motorsports NASCAR Cup team cars. The 36th edition of the popular show takes place at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA.

Show attendees will have the opportunity to get an up close look at a new 2020 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE that will debut on the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series starting in February at Daytona International Speedway.

In honor of seven time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson participating in his last full-time season of Cup competition, a 2019 No.48 Ally Chevrolet will be on display. The second Hendrick display car at the show will be a 2020 No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE driven by young sensation William Byron.

Hendrick Motorsports entries have won a record 12 Cup championships and tallied 256 Cup wins.

For many years Hendrick Motorsports was the home for NASCAR Hall of Famer, now TV broadcaster, Jeff Gordon.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett along with legendary NASCAR driver Kyle Petty will be appearing on Saturday during the show. Both Jarrett and Petty are part of the NASCAR Sports TV broadcast team. A large number of other well-known names in the sport will also be making appearances.

Middletown, New York’s Orange County Speedway 100th Anniversary display continues to grow becoming a major part of the popular show.

The display will feature an Orange County “Past, Present and Future” theme. Many Modifieds along with other divisions that have raced at Orange County over the years will be on display along with special exhibits.

Many drivers who have competed at the popular track during the last 100 years will be on hand to sign autographs on Saturday afternoon.

One of the most popular events during the three day show has been, and will again be, the Ms. Motorsports Pageant sponsored by Aqua Duck Water Transport. One contestant will walk off with a $1,500 cash prize along with a poster deal. Best in swimwear, chosen by the crowd, will also receive $500. Entry blanks for this event as well as Little Miss Motorsports are available at the event website, motorsportstradeshow.com.

Many racing facilities and sanctioning bodies will be represented, using the show to announce their 2020 racing plans and schedules. Tracks already registered include Pocono, Dover, Lincoln, New Egypt, BAPS, Bridgeport, Mahoning Valley, Georgetown and Kutztown. Organizations include DIRTcar, Short Track Super Series, USAC East, URC, MASS, ATQMRA, Xcel and Slingshots by Tobias.

Hotel rooms are available at the nearby Valley Forge Casino Resort at the special show rate of $91 per night. Call 610.354.8118 and be sure to ask for the Motorsports Show Room Block in the Valley Tower.

PPB Motorsports 2020 opens on Friday, January 17 at 2 p.m., then at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The show closes at 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

On Sunday, all children 12 and under are admitted FREE with a parent. A Little Miss pageant will be held as well as Big Wheel races.

Tickets are available daily at the door beginning one hour before the show opens. And the Expo Center offers a large number of FREE parking spaces. To stay informed on the latest show news to obtain booth information or enter one of the competitions, check in at www.motorsportstradeshow.com or call 609-888-3618.

OAKS, PA January 8, 2020 . . . It has been the tradition of the PPB Motorsports Show to feature an annual exhibit heralding the glory of race tracks that are no longer active.

Flemington, Reading, Trenton, Dorney Park and East Windsor are among featured ‘fallen flag speedways’ of recent Motorsports shows.

At PPB Motorsports 2020, the Sammons family has broken with tradition by featuring a speedway that has a rich tradition, but it is still going full speed ahead – Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, NY.

The fairgrounds oval first hosted an auto race at its 1919 Orange County Fair, won by Katonah, NY driver Jim Benedict driving a Duesenberg that ran previously in the Indianapolis 500.

The first Stock Car race was run on September 18, 1948 and was won by well-known regional hot shot Rocky DiNatale of Trenton, NJ.

Beginning in 1950, Orange County began hosting ‘Stock Car’ races. The racing proved to be so incredibly popular in Middletown (as elsewhere) that Stocks became the principal class, though Midgets and Sprints were still included.

As racing evolved at Orange County, one man, Frankie Schneider, took charge. He was one of the first to make a living racing Stock Cars and by the end of his career, had won 58 Modified features, the last in 1972. Nearly half a century later, Schneider’s standard has been eclipsed by only one man.

That man is Brett Hearn, who came to OCFS as a teenage rookie in 1975. In the years that have followed, Hearn rewrote the record book from cover to cover, winning more Modified features, more Small Block Modified features, and more track championships – by far – than any other driver.

Hearn, who returned to OCFS this past season and won yet another Modified championship, has recently assumed a key position with Orange Motorsports Entertainment, the entity that was formed when Halmar International’s Chris Larsen became involved with the speedway three years ago.

The OCFS Motorsports Show display will serve as the opportunity for drivers, owners, fans and media to dialogue with Hearn, who has scaled back his 45-year driving career to assume the reigns at Orange County.

All of the elements of OCFS, its century of racing history, the evolution of its classes, the depth of its on-track talent, along with priceless artifacts and historic racing machinery will be part of the Orange County Fair Speedway display at this year’s PPB Motorsports Racecar and Trade Show.

The development of OCFS’s nostalgic sentiment is due to the efforts of Middletowner Doug Dulgarian, who watched the races at the speedway as a youth, became a Sportsman driver when he was old enough, and continued to spectate at the track when his driving career ended. Dulgarian is bringing together historic race cars, Stock Cars and Open Cockpit cars alike, artifacts such as trophies, vintage driver attire, programs, and hundreds of photos spanning the 100 years of operation.

The focal event at the Orange County Fair Speedway display will be the once-in-a-lifetime autograph signing session that will take place from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM on Saturday afternoon.

Drivers who are planning to attend the Autograph Signing Session include the 2019 Modified champion and new General Manager Brett Hearn, 2019 Small Block and 2018 Big Block track champion Anthony Perrego, popular Pennsylvanian Mike Gular, Modified veteran Jerry Higbie and his teenage Sportsman rookie son Cody, past Modified champions Jimmy Horton and Tommy Meier, new Big Block regular Ryan Krachun, reigning Sportsman champion Grant Hilfiger, past Sportsman king and current Modified rising star Tyler Boniface, and popular Modified veteran Craig Mitchell.

Also, Centennial 100 winner and Super DIRT Series champion Mat Williamson, fast rising Small Block driver Richard Smith, father and son Modified and Sportsman second year regulars Sam Martz, Sr. and Sam Martz, Jr., NASCAR Truck Series driver and returning OCFS Modified regular Tyler Dippel, will be signing autographs.

Past favorites Gary Balough, Tighe Scott, Leroy Amy and Anthony Ferraiuolo, IV will put pen to paper for fans at the Saturday signing session as well. Many more drivers and car owners are expected to be signing at the Motorsports Show.

While drivers will be meeting and greeting fans as a group on Saturday, many of the legendary cars they drove at Orange County will be on display from the time the show opens Friday until it closes Sunday.

Featured will be the No. 20 Big Block Modified driven to the 2019 championship by Brett Hearn, the Behrent’s No. 3 driven by Mat Williamson to the Centennial $100,000-to-win race last August, the Halmar No. 44 Stewart Friesen won the Eastern States 200 from last starting spot with, Grant Hilfiger’s 2019 Sportsman championship-winning No. 78, and Sportsman rookie Cody Higbie’s No. 97Jr. Sportsman car.

Vintage cars that will be in the Orange County Fair Speedway display are the No. 112 Gary Balough 1980 Syracuse winner, the No. 73 Balough 1979 Eastern States 200 winner, two of the late Frankie Schneider’s most famous cars, his Grant King car owned by Skip Tetz and his Coach car owned by Rusty Smith, and a recently completed restored Statewide No. 3 Weld car driven by Jimmy Horton.

The three day show, January 17-19, takes place at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA and offers just about everything imaginable in motorsports. For more information check in at aarn.com.