For
Immediate Release/March 2, 2013
Reading Fairgrounds
Speedway Stars Draw Crowd at Fairgrounds Square Mall Friday; Tom Umbenhauer
Receives Don Marks Award; Dakota Kohler Voted Best of Show for Racing Legends
Reunion & Car Show
READING, PA – The Fairgrounds Square Mall was jammed to overflow on Friday evening as drivers from the ‘Home of Champions’ Reading Fairgrounds Speedway gathered in Center Court as part of the 28th annual Berks-Schuylkill Oil Heat Association Racing Legends Reunion & Car Show.
READING, PA – The Fairgrounds Square Mall was jammed to overflow on Friday evening as drivers from the ‘Home of Champions’ Reading Fairgrounds Speedway gathered in Center Court as part of the 28th annual Berks-Schuylkill Oil Heat Association Racing Legends Reunion & Car Show.
Some
18 personalities from the Reading Fairgrounds Speedway – which hosted its final
event in June 1979 – assembled on the Muhlenberg Township, 5th Street
Highway site of their former weekend home to share stories, meet fans and relive
memories of the late ‘Kutztown Komet’ Freddy Adam, who the community recently
lost. Jeff Ahlum served as master of
ceremonies as throngs of racing enthusiasts looked on from around the stage.
Leading
the Reading personalities was the ‘Everett Express’ Gerald Chamberlain, who made
the drive from Western Pennsylvania to participate in the event. He was joined by legendary Kenny Brightbill,
Glenn Fitzcharles, Gary Gollub, Red Coffin, Bobby Braxton, Del Bitting, Blaine
Sadler, Russ Smith, Dick Qualio, Dizzy Dean, Whitey Kerschner, Tim Higgins,
Junior Mikosz, Russ Lewis, Archie Myers, Alan Carter and Donny Eskey.
Following
the activities at the mall, attention turned to the BASH Racing Awards Party at
the Temple Fire Company on Kutztown Road in Temple, Pa., where show awards were
presented.
The
fourth Don Marks Memorial Contribution to Motorsports Award was presented to
driver, car owner, mechanic and ‘racing Dad’ Tom Umbenhauer. A resident of Richland, Pa., Umbenhauer’s two
sons Jared (Sportsman) and Jordan (358-Modified) compete weekly at Grandview
(Pa.) Speedway and in special events.
Umbenhauer owns (and occasionally drives) a No. 19 small-block Modified which will be piloted by Bobby Varin in high-paying shows. He also maintains Rick Clay’s No. 88c equipment, this year to be driven by Varin and last year guided to Victory Lane by Ryan Godown. Umbenhauer has a long history in the sport dating back to the Street Stock ranks.
Umbenhauer owns (and occasionally drives) a No. 19 small-block Modified which will be piloted by Bobby Varin in high-paying shows. He also maintains Rick Clay’s No. 88c equipment, this year to be driven by Varin and last year guided to Victory Lane by Ryan Godown. Umbenhauer has a long history in the sport dating back to the Street Stock ranks.
The
Don Marks Memorial Contribution to Motorsports Award was first handed out in
2010 to honor the memory of late Grandview Speedway and Area Auto Racing News
photographer Marks, who passed away in 2008. Previous award recipients include
Bob Greene of Pioneer Pole Buildings (2012), car owner, fabricator and former
racer Dennis ‘Chico’ Bailey (2011) and Area Auto Racing News publisher/promoter
Len Sammons (2010).
The
fan-voted overall Best of Show, determined by ballots in the event program, went
to Dakota Kohler’s No. 59 Slingshot.
Divisional
awards were voted upon by media members attending the show during the week.
Winners were Kyle Weiss (Modified), Jordan Henn (Sportsman), Sammy Schaeffer
(Late Model), Mike Grim’s Freddy Adam No. 8 (Vintage/Restored), Ryan Greth (Open
Wheel), Rick Shive (Go-Kart), Dakota Kohler (Small Car), Jeff Hartman
(Micro-Sprint) and Dylan Pence (Quarter Midget).
BASH
attendees were treated to racing films from GSP Video and music from ‘T.J. the
D.J.’ T.J. Fitzpatrick.
The
Racing Legends Reunion & Car Show concludes today (Saturday). Race cars will
move out of the mall at 9 p.m.
A
wide cross-section of race cars, nearly 100 strong, have filled the aisles of
the Fairgrounds Square Mall for the event, which honors the past, present and
future of auto racing. The show, with primary backing from Berks-Schuylkill Oil
Heat Association with Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc. and VP Racing Fuels offering
associate support, runs through Saturday (March 2) with a busy schedule of
events. The Racing Legends Reunion is free-to-the-public during mall hours.
Vehicles
of all shapes and sizes are on display at show, including big- and small-block
Modifieds, Sprint Cars, Micro-Sprints, SpeedSTRs, ARDC Midgets, Late Models,
Sportsman, Street Stocks, Slingshots, Quarter Midgets, XCel 600 Modifieds and
more.
Fans
of racing’s past enjoy an expansive display of vintage and restored cars
assembled by the Reading Fairgrounds Speedway Racing Historical Society. A room
full of memorabilia allows attendees to take a step back in time to the famed
‘Home of Champions’ which hosted its final event in June 1979.
Vintage
Cars from the Penn-Mar group and Blast from the Past Vintage Club are also on
display.
Many
of the area’s top speedways and sanctioning bodies are on hand to distribute
information and meet fans and racers during the weeklong show. For the first
time, both New Jersey dirt tracks – New Egypt Speedway and Bridgeport Speedway –
have displays at the show. The new JeffreyHogueRealtor.com Action Track USA of
Kutztown, Pa., now led by Rich Tobias and Doug Rose, has assembled an expansive
setup highlighting each of the speedway's weekly divisions.
Others
participating at the show include Grandview (Pa.) Speedway/Thunder on the Hill
Racing Series, URC, ARDC, LANCO’s Clyde Martin (Pa.) Memorial Speedway, BD
Motorsports Media LLC/Friesen-Deyo Promotions and the Montgomery County Quarter
Midget Racing Club (Pa.’s Phoenixville Raceway).
The
Checkered Flag Fan Club is at the show actively recruiting new members and
publicizing their organization. The Reading Eagle newspaper – an avid supporter
of local racing - also has plans to participate in the show. The Eastern Museum
of Motor Racing (EMMR) also put together a popular display.
A
number of vendors are on hand selling memorabilia, photos and other novelties.
Gary Silverman of Gary Silverman Productions has DVDs on sale from the 2012
Pennsylvania 358-Modified Dual-Track circuit and other special events, while
events of yesteryear recorded on film are sold by Snyder Video Productions.
Fast
Action Motorsports Entertainment has set up their R/C track at the show all
week. Up to 10 drivers can participate at one time. All those who race leave
with a checkered flag. Big winners take home a
trophy.
Mike
Feltenberger hosts his popular Alley Racing nightly through the show.
This
year’s pays tribute to a pair of prominent members of the local racing community
lost recently. 2013 Racing Legends Reunion & Car Show apparel, designed by
Bob Hilbert Sportswear, is a 'must-have' for fans of the sport. The shirt honors
the racing career of dirt and pavement driver Doug Hoffman, who passed away
unexpectedly on Christmas Eve 2012. Not only was Hoffman one of the Northeast's
greatest drivers of all time, he also proved his meddle as a promoter at
Mahoning Valley (Pa.) Speedway and Bridgeport
Speedway.
The
shirt features 10 of Hoffman's most memorable cars from his career ranging from
his very first pavement Late Model for Dorney Park (Pa.) Speedway to the car he
drove to his final victory: Sal DeBruno’s South Jersey Overhead Door No. 0.
Shirt
pricing is set at $20 (tee shirts), $22 (long-sleeve) and $30
(hoodies/sweatshirts). Sizes 3XL and up add $3 extra for tee shirts, long-sleeve
shirts and hoodies/sweatshirts.
Another
area hero who passed away, the great 'Kutztown Komet' Freddy Adam, has been
remembered with a photo spread in the event program and a tribute car displayed
in Center Court at the mall.
To
learn more about the Racing Legends Reunion & Car Show, log onto
www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com
or e-mail Brett Deyo at Deyo99H@aol.com.
BD Motorsports Media LLC is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BDMotorsportsMedia
and Twitter @BrettDeyo.
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