The Quaker Steak & Lube Eighth Annual Dirt Track Heroes show opened Sunday to much fanfare as well as travelers beware to a house full of race cars (over 100), enthusiastic racing fans and a panel of legendary racing stars who used the roundtable interview session to chat about their racing exploits during the "Golden Era" of the sport. The 8th annual edition of the show will continue through March 7th at the Phillipsburg Mall located on Route 22 East in Phillipsburg, NJ. This location has proven to be a popular setting for this special event and offers a multitude of race cars, racing memorabilia, collectibles and photos on display throughout the course of the show. The show continues to be free of charge to the mall traffic and the 2015 edition of the show is the trend setter of the many shows that are scheduled during the year. Along with all the race cars on display, the attraction of this show is the numerous activities and nightly driver interviews that take place at the Quaker Steak & Lube stage.
Quaker Steak & Lube, the show sponsor is located just one mile east of the Phillipsburg Mall and has been quickly established as the place for race fans to meet before and after their visit to the show. Quaker Steak & Lube, known for its Best Wings USA and over 25 signature sauces, has over sixty-five locations throughout the United States and Canada and sells more than 80 million wings per year. It’s a restaurant with a “racing theme” with much local racing fanfare to include the Bobby Pickell #300 modified on a garage lift inside the restaurant. In fact, you may request the table directly under the modified.
Joining lead even sponsor Quaker Steak & Lube and associate sponsors IRCO Community Federal Credit Union, Smith Fabrications and the Stage One Modifieds, Charles Price Jr Fire and Water Damage Restorations, Jeff's Automotive, Vogel Race Design, Adams Brothers Used Auto Parts, Hamlin Speedway/S&S Speedways, Searock Fabrication and Speed, Kim's Kreations, R&F International Muffler and Brake, Persa Auto Repair, Murante Auto Repair, Penn Jersey Food Marts, Martocci Automotive and VRP Shocks. Nightly driver interviews and race cars of all types provide the race fan a full appetite of racing fun before the regular racing seasons begins.
The show open on Sunday at 11 AM with a demonstration and seminar of the Stage One Modified race car hosted by Richie and Joel Smith and presented by Murante Auto Repair located in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. Despite the fact many race cars and trailers are still stormed in from the recent heavy influx of snow and ice in the locality, the show has a diverse showing of race cars from most areas of competition. Drivers who had committed to the show were also caught off guard as the storm came quick and piled up in no time and forced some cancellations from drivers coming in to the show.
Emcee Steve Pados opened the show and thanked all of the sponsors, drivers and fans for their loyalty and support of the show and of racing. Pados followed by introducing IRCO Vice President Greg Collins to the crowd. Collins thanked the local racing community for their support and talked about how the show came together eight years with the staff of the show and who are still on board for the show. Co-Emcee Ed Pados gave an emotional prayer to the many drivers or racing people who passed in the last year and the show proceeded with the driver roundtable interview session.
Ed and Steve Pados, Bobby Stull and Justin Beltrame interviewed a great panel of driving legends sponsored by Charles Price Jr Fire and Water Damage Restoration, located in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. With the former Nazareth Speedway and Nazareth National Speedways being the focal point of the day, drivers who interviewed included Joe Poliacik, Ward Crozier, Tommy Vroom, George Wambold, Randy Bok, Danny Huston, Jack Zeiner, Gerry Robison, Billy Tanzosh, Richie Smith, Wilbur Force, Ricky Rutt, Lorin Arthofer, Del Buss, Vince Valeriano, Billy Lowden and "The Old Master" Frankie Schneider. The show was quick moving with plenty of great stories and laughs from the drivers on hand. Additional drivers included youngsters Izzy and Marissa Lowden, both quarter midget drivers who came out as they cannot take part in the "Stars of Tomorrow" night on Tuesday.
Vince Valeriano, from VRP Shocks, gave a demonstration of his great shock line to a nice gathering of drivers hoping to get a better grasp on how the various shock packages make the cars react to the track surfaces and set-ups. The demo was a great addition to the successful show.
The great fan base of racing can come out to this grand Mall event and be transported back to a time when they could hop into their family jitney and travel less than a half hour to witness the excitement of a night at the races. All historical racing groups including Reading, Flemington, Harmony through Greg Collins, Tri State, Remembering Nazareth, Bob Snyder Photos and Snyder Video, Big Mike's Videos and Mocatek Memories through Justin Beltrame have their memorabilia on display and their many scrapbooks open for the fans to take another long look at the glory years of racing and possibly find a picture or two they want to purchase as a keepsake from past glory or racing exploits. More information is available regarding the show by calling: 443-513-4456.
On display at the Mall include big and small block Modifieds, Sportsman, Micro-Sprints, ARDC Midgets, 360 and 410 Sprints, TSRS Sprints, Late Models, go-karts, quarter midgets and a broad variety of vintage and restored race cars and drag racing cars. New Egypt, Grandview, Big Diamond, Bridgeport, Hamlin, Accord, Action Track USA, Borger's and Snydersville will again be among the many speedways involved with the 2015 show. The week-long event will set aside one evening to salute the "Stars of Tomorrow" with a special night set aside for the budding young racing talents competing with the many quarter midget clubs in the area and this night has proven to be one of the highlights of the week as many will be giving their first ever interviews to a sizeable crowd.
The Quaker Steak & Lube Dirt Track Heroes Car Show offers a must have event T-shirt done exclusively for the show. The great keepsake event souvenir program book has many great articles regarding our racing heroes and how the Dirt Track Heroes became a reality. The Phillipsburg Mall is open Sunday 11 AM to 6 PM and from Monday through Saturday from 10 AM to 9 PM. The event offers race teams a great opportunity to promote their sponsors and announce their racing plans for the upcoming 2015 racing season.
QUAKER STEAK & LUBE 8TH ANNUAL DIRT TRACK HEROES
SCHEDLUE OF EVENTS
Monday- March 2 – (6:30 PM) – Vogel Race Designs and R&F International Muffler and Brake- Saluting Action Track USA, Borger’s Speedway, Snydersville Raceway, X-Cel 600 Modifieds, Oreville Karts
Tuesday- March 3 – (6:30 PM)- Adams Brothers Used Auto Parts Saluting the “Stars of Tomorrow” featuring all Quarter Midget Clubs: Blue Mountain, Lehigh Valley, West End Raceway, Keystone, Oaklane, Phoenixville, South Jersey and Garden State Quarter Midget Clubs
Wednesday- March 4 – (6:30 PM) – Hamlin Speedway/S&S Speedways and Smith Fabrications/Stage One Modifieds Saluting Hamlin Speedway all divisions, Accord Speedway, Orange County Fair Speedway, Mahoning Speedway
Thursday- March 5- (6:30) Searock Fabrication and Speed Supplies Saluting New Egypt, Bridgeport Speedway, Grandview Speedway, Big Diamond Speedway
Friday - March 6 – (1st Show (4 p.m.) – Penn Jersey Food Marts and Persa Auto Repair presents a Special Edition “The Legends of Racing” with many Legendary stars from Reading, Nazareth, Harmony and Flemington expected to participate and saluting the Reading Fairgrounds Historical Racing Society
Second Show- (6:30 PM) Martocci Automotive presents Salute to Open Wheel Racing Divisions-Thunder on the Hill Racing Series, ATQMRA, ARDC Midgets, TSRS and CRSA Sprint Cars, 358 and 360 Sprint Car Divisions
9 PM Friday, March 6 At Quaker Steak & Lube in Phillipsburg, NJ The Rusty Smith Motorsports Celebrity Dinner honoring Gerald & Joanne Chamberlain - - - Open to All. Tickets are not required, but your responsible for purchasing your own food and drinks
Saturday - March 7 - (1:00) –-Kim's Kreations presents Special Tribute to Gerald Chamberlain-Flemington Speedway & Flemington Speedway Historical Society. Harmony Speedway and Nazareth Speedways
Check out. . . .
Mall Hours: Sunday 11 AM-6 PM, Monday-Saturday 10 AM – 9 PM
END
No comments:
Post a Comment