29th Annual Berks-Schuylkill Oil Heat Association Racing Legends Reunion & Car Show Gets Underway Sunday, February 23; Invite To 25 Years Of Thunder On The Hill Series Winners To Friday, February 28 Celebration; Weeklong Schedule Announced For Pre-Season Kickoff
READING, PA – It has been 35 years since the Reading Fairgrounds Speedway hosted its final racing event, yet the passion remains in the Berks County Region.
To celebrate cherished memories and promote the auto racing of today and tomorrow, the 29th annual Racing Legends Reunion & Car Show is set for February 23-March 1 at the Fairgrounds Square Mall, located on the plot of land that once housed the famed ‘Home of Champions’ track.
The weeklong showcase of motorsports at the 5thStreet Highway Muhlenberg Township location is once coming together, with exciting new highlights in the works for the 2014 edition, guided by Brett Deyo of BD Motorsports Media LLC and Bob Miller of the Thunder on the Hill Racing Series.
For the second straight year, the Berks-Schuylkill Oil Heat Association returns to serve as the headline sponsor of the Racing Legends Reunion & Car Show. The Berks-Schuylkill Oil Heat Association (BSOHA) exists to promote and educate current and prospective heating oil customers as to the benefits of oil heat. BSOHA members are local oil companies and associate business that service the oil heat industry.
These local companies provide a wide range of products and services to enhance their customers’ satisfaction, as well as a dedication to serving the needs of the public and oil heat industry alike. For further information on the Berks-Schuylkill Oil Heat Association, log on to www.bsoha.org.
Associate sponsorship support for the show is received from Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc. and VP Racing Fuels.
To celebrate 25 years of the wildly successful Thunder on the Hill Series co-promotions involving Bob Miller and Bruce Rogers at Pa.’s Grandview Speedway, ALL winners from the past quarter century of Thunder on the Hill competition are invited to take part in a special ceremony on Friday night (Feb. 28) of the show at 7 p.m. The invite is out to the long list of race winners who have graced Grandview Victory Lane since the very first Thunder on the Hill Series event in 1990. Contact Brett Deyo at Deyo99H@aol.com to RSVP.
The annual Reading Fairgrounds Speedway Reunion will now take place on Saturday afternoon (March 1) at 2 p.m. to more easily accommodate those traveling to the show. Former Reading Fairgrounds Speedway competitors are invited to trade stories, meet fans and reminisce. The final Reading Fairgrounds Speedway event took place in June 1979.
Car registration for the event is now officially open. The Racing Legends Reunion & Car Show entry form has been posted on the web at www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com and is also available on the front page of the Grandview Speedway website: www.grandviewspeedway.com.
Again this year, the show is open to all types of vehicles: dirt Modifieds, pavement Modifieds, Sprint Cars, Sportsman, Midgets, Late Models, Street Stocks, Roadrunners, Slingshots, SpeedSTRs, Micro-Sprints, XCel 600 Modifieds, Quarter Midgets, go-karts Vintage Modifieds and more. Instructions for registering via e-mail can be found on the BD Motorsports Media website. The insurance/entry fee for race cars remains $25 in 2014. Entries are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Speedways, sanctioning bodies and vendors looking to take part in the event should contact Brett Deyo by phone at 845.728.2781 or via e-mail at Deyo99H@aol.com. A number of speedways/sanctions have already confirmed their attendance at the event including Grandview Speedway/Thunder on the Hill Racing Series, New Egypt (N.J.) Speedway, JeffreyHogueRealtor.com Action Track USA in Kutztown, Pa., the Montgomery County Quarter Midget Club, Oreville Kart Club in Topton, Pa., SCCA, the Outlaw Enduro Series and more.
Activities are planned for the event including R/C car racing, slot-car racing, the ever-popular alley model racing and more.
The Racing Legends Reunion & Car Show serves to celebrate the past, present and future of auto racing: from the youth getting their start in go-karts, Quarter Midgets and Slingshots, to modern-day stars and heroes of days gone by. Numerous opportunities will be available for fans to interact with their favorites of today, trade stories with heroes of the past and get a glimpse at tomorrow’s potential talents.
The Don Marks Memorial Contributions to Motorsports Award was first handed out by show management in 2010 to honor the memory of late Grandview Speedway and Area Auto Racing News photographer Marks. Previous award recipients include car owner, driver, mechanic and racing Dad Tom Umbenhauer (2013), Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc. owner Bob Greene (2012), former racer, fabricator and car owner Dennis ‘Chico’ Bailey (2011) and Area Auto Racing News publisher Len Sammons (2010). The award will again be distributed to a deserving recipient in ’14.
Show inquiries should be directed to BD Motorsports Media LLC at 845.728.2781, by e-mail at Deyo99H@aol.comor on the web: www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com. “Like” BD Motorsports Media on Facebook for timely updates. The Thunder on the Hill Racing Series is on the web at www.thunderonthehillracingseries.com.
The Fairgrounds Square Mall is located at 3050 North 5th Street Highway, Reading, PA 19605 and can be found on the web at www.shopatfairgrounds.com. Mall hours are 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. The show is free to the public during mall hours.
The 2014 Racing Legends Reunion & Car Show is presented by Berks-Schuylkill Oil Heat Association, Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc., VP Racing Fuels, BD Motorsports Media, Action Track USA, Grandview Speedway, Thunder on the Hill Racing Series, Four Star Lettering, Fairgrounds Square Mall & many other fine marketing partners
2014 Berks-Schuylkill Oil Heat Association 29th annual Racing Legends Reunion & Car Show Schedule
Sunday, February 23 – 29th annual Berks-Schuylkill Oil Heat Association Opening Day (11 a.m.)
Monday, February 24 – Sportsman, Late Model, Roadrunner & Street Stock Night – invite to all area Sportsman, Crate Sportsman, Street Stock, Roadrunner & Enduro drivers (7 p.m.)
Tuesday, February 25 – Open Wheel Night – invite to all area ARDC Midget, United Racing Company Sprint Car, 305 Sprint Car & all other open-wheel drivers (7 p.m.)
Wednesday, February 26 – Salute to the JeffreyHogueRealtor.com Action Track USA in Kutztown – Invite to Rich Tobias, Doug Rose and drivers representing all divisions at the Kutztown Fairgrounds Facility (7 p.m.)
Thursday, February 27 – Modified Madness – Invite to drivers from the 358 –Modified and big-block Modified divisions at all the local speedway (7 p.m.)
Friday, February 28 – Salute to 25 Years of Thunder on the Hill Series Racing – Invite to ALL past Thunder on the Hill Racing Series winners over the last quarter-century; show awards presentation (7 p.m.)
Saturday, March 1 – Reading Fairgrounds Speedway Reunion – 35 Years Later (2 p.m.)
Soures: BD Motorsports Media