Fans flock to 34th annual PPB Motorsports Race Car & Trade Show
The 34th Motorsports Race Car & Trade Show ended its run Sunday at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pa., with awards presentations, pageants and indoor Big Wheels racing for the sport’s younger set.
Outstanding booth awards were presented in eight categories. Best Open Cockpit car was the Gotshall Automotive No. 1A Super Sportsman car in the BAPS Speedway booth, Best Modified was the No. 19 Dirt Modified of Jared Umbenhauer in the Thunder On The Hill display, Best Commercial Booth was the Teo Pro Car exhibit, and the Kutztown Fairgrounds Speedway was judged Best Race Track Or Club booth.
Best Quarter Midget Club booth was Blackbird Speedway’s Space Odysseythemed display, Best Vintage Club Display was the Tri State Racing Memorabilia layout, Best Vintage Stock Car was the restoration of the mid-seventies No. 17 driven by the late Dick Tobias that fronted the Coastal 181 booth, and the Best Vintage Open Cockpit car was the 1963 Watson Roadster Indy Car owned by Ken Keiholz of Cincinnati, Oh.
On Sunday, Leslie Donegan was named Ms. Motorsports 2018. The 23-year old beauty from Macungie, Pa., won the competition over 19 others in the event sponsored by Oliver Construction. The new Ms. Motorsports was crowned by Taylor Albert, the 2017 Ms. Motorsports.
Taylor Fullin, 20, of Danielsville, Pa., was the first runner-up. Amanda Nance,
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26, of Ronda, N.C., and Andrea Cap, 27, of York, Pa., were co-second runners-up.
Roger Grover, 57 of Bordentown, N.J., was presented the Joe Pratt Memorial Dedication Award by Show Organizer Len Sammons prior to the beginning of the pageant. Grover has been a Show staff member for the last 33 consecutive Motorsports Show.
“I learned a lot from Joe, who was a friend,” Grover said. “His people skills were amazing and his friendship meant a lot to me.”
Matt Sheppard, David Gravel, Matt Hirschman and Mike Sweeney were presented plaques and cash awards by Area Auto Racing News as the 2018 season’s biggest winners in Dirt Modifieds, Open Cockpit, Asphalt Modified and Asphalt Late Model. Sheppard, additionally, was acknowledged as the biggest winner of 2018 overall among all classes.
“It’s going to be difficult to have the same kind of year this year and I did last,” Sheppard admitted. “But that’s what I am going to try my best to achieve.”
Three-time NASCAR Monster Cup driving champion Tony Stewart, 20-time World Of Outlaws Sprint Car champion Steve Kinser and past NASCAR Crew Chief and current on-air personality Larry McReynolds were kept busy for hours signing autographs and posing for pictures with adoring fans.
Exhibitors were conducting a steady stream of business throughout the day and into the evening of the show.
“We always do well at this show. This year is one of the best since we have been coming here,” Keith Hoffman, owner of Hoffman Speed Supplies in New Tripoli, Pa. “Friday was good, today was really good.”
ERK Wheel Repair, owned by Eric Kormann, was similarly impressed by the spending habits of the traffic flow.
“I’ve been doing this show for five years as an exhibitor, Kormann offered. “Today has been non-stop people. Some are my customers, but a lot of them just learned about ERK today.”
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