Exciting Late Breaking News from Motorsports 2014 Racecar & Trade Show, Saturday, January 11th
More to Come on Sunday, 11AM- To 4 PM
Cassi Pinder, a 21-year-old redhead from Boyertown, Pa, was crowned Ms. Motorsports 2014 Saturday night at the Pioneer Pole Buildings Motorsports 2014 show. “I am so thrilled to win,” said Ms. Pinder. Ms. Pinder earned $1,500 in cash and other awards.
First runner-up was Lainey Shaw Reinhart, 26, of Corsica, Pa., and Brittany Loss, 22, of Hanover, Pa., was voted second runner-up.
Ms. Pinder also was recognized as Best Sportswear, and in a separate contest-within-a-contest, earned $500 in a special Fan Vote Swimwear competition.
Other award winners were Amy Costello in judged Swimwear, Lainey Shaw Reinhard for Best Interview, Erika Decker for Ms. Congeniality, and Paige Ott for Most Photogenic.
Shane Andrews and Mike Mallett emceed the pageant that was attended by a packed house in the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pa.
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Area Auto Racing News publisher Len Sammons presented trophies and cash awards to the Northeast drivers who won more races in their respective divisions in 2013.
Keith Rocco was acknowledged as the winningest driver overall in 2013 with 31 feature wins. Rocco also won the most asphalt Late Model features as well. Rocco’s home track, Waterford Speedbowl, was having its awards banquet on Motorsports Saturday; his twin brother Jeff accepted the honors on his brother’s behalf.
Other winners earning awards for most wins, by category, were Matt Hirschman for asphalt Modified, Matt Sheppard for dirt Modified, Pat Cannon for Open Wheel and Gene Knaub for dirt Late Model. Stewart Friesen, who had tied Sheppard for most dirt Modified wins, was at the Motorsports Show Friday but was unable to attend Saturday owing to a family obligation.
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NASCAR’s 2012 Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski arrived at mid-afternoon Saturday to sign autographs, pose for pictures and exchange pleasantries with Motorsports fans. Keselowski signed every autograph fans requested. He also met with representatives of regional Miller Lite distributors prior to going on stage.
Bill Simpson, a motorsports racing pioneer in auto racing development, an outstanding sports car and Indy Car driver, gave his views on his the state of the sport, based on his own personal experiences. He was accompanied by the author of his two recently published and released books, Bones Bourcier.
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Racing legend Frankie Schneider signed posters at the Area Auto Racing News booth Saturday afternoon. Schneider had been named as one of the ten ‘Area Auto Ten Greatest Drivers of AARN’s First Fifty Years’ the previous year but was stricken with ill health on the eve of his intended appearance. Now looking fresh and far younger than his 87 years, Schneider signed hundreds of personalized driver cars and several posters that had been autographed the previous year by the seven living ‘top ten’ drivers.
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Lines were long and sales were brisk at the Pioneer Pole Buildings Motorsports 2014 Show. Rainy weather notwithstanding, the crowd came out and stayed for most of the day, so much so that the temperature of the A-Hall main exhibit arena rose considerably.
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At Behrent’s Performance Center, based in Florida, NY, business was so good that long lines were at the register most of the day. Harry Behrent, founder of the company, was hands-on as racers and car owners sought good deals for the pre-season of racing ahead. Jeff Behrent and Jeff Heotzler, Jr. were part of the sales team that kept the traffic flow moving as well as they could.
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At Bob Hilbert Sportswear’s booth, Bob and Anne Hilbert and staff signed up all business all day, drawn to their exhibit in part by an autograph signing session in late afternoon that included Kenny Brightbill, Billy Pauch, Davey Sammons, Ryan Smith, Ashley DeTurk and Austin Kochenash. Hilbert’s booth backdrop it deceptively simple: the designs of his customers’ shirts form the walls. It’s a dramatic demonstration of the size and scope of Hilbert’s presence in the sport.
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World Racing Group’s booth may not have been the most artistic of the lot at PPB Motorsports 2014 Show, but big news was emanating out of their 10 X 20 space. On the World of Outlaws Late Model trail, the first two races scheduled at Screven, Ga., are off the calendar. The races will still take place – but as open competition, events with $10,000 to win payoffs promised.
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On the DIRTcar Series circuit, the on-again-off-again relationship between DIRTcar and Jeremy Corcoran’s Canandaigua Speedway was off, according to WRG’s Julia Foy. An early season Super DIRTcar Series race is now off the schedule.
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Billy Colton, head honcho at Troyer Engineering, has made some evolutionary changes to his company’s Dirt Car chassis and more subtle changes to the Asphalt chassis.
“We’re the only company that I know of that is building dirt and asphalt cars out of the same shop,” said Colton. “It’s something that we have managed to make work.”
Colton’s main initiative in Dirt racing development is the use of coil over shocks, not a new concept in racing history, of course, but new thinking in contemporary racing. “Rear suspension is one thing we are working with is coilovers. Our thinking is that coilovers are more reliable in performance than conventional suspensions. There’s more predictability. It is a difference that we can capitalize on.
“On the asphalt side, the car we are running is in its second year and has not changed all that much.”
Colton also revealed his company’s strong belief in full containment seats. “Troyer cars have full containment seats. If a customer wants something else, we will sell him the car without a seat. If they want to install something else, that’s their business.”
Colton’s production system consists of two men working on dirt and two men working on asphalt bodies. Two guys work on the dirt chassis side and one on the asphalt side. Troyer dirt and asphalt cars will be in action in abundance at Volusia Speedway Park and New Smyrna Speedway during Florida’s Speedweeks in February.
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ERK Power Steering owner Eric Kormann was a first time exhibitor at the PPB Motorsports 2014 Show. ERK, the ‘new kid on the block’, has become a top power steering rebuilder in the region. Kormann was answering questions, handing out business cards (he ran out early Saturday afternoon) and taking orders for his new enterprise.
Kormann’s racing endeavors in 2014 will consist of driving for two car owners, Frank D’Antonio, Sr. and Bill Hewlett. Owner Hewlett outlined an unusual strategy between the two owners for Kormann. “I’ll run Eric in two races, then Frank will have him in back to back races,” said Hewlett. “I think this way the engines will last longer. Just a theory.”
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Activities continue at the 29th edition of the Pioneer Pole Building Motorsports 2014 Racecar & Trade Show at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pa on Sunday. A schedule of events can be found at www.aarn.com. Activity will include Metal Fab sponsored Sunday with Big Wheel Racing, Little & Tiny Miss Motorsports Pageants and more. Children 12 and under are admitted FREE.
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Sources: Steve Barrick /Ernie Saxton Communications, Inc.