Motorsports Racecar & Trade Show 2020 Ready To Open Friday For Racers & Fans Alike

Story By: ERNIE SAXTON / SAMMONS PRODUCTIONS – OAKS, PA – The preparations necessary to transform the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center into the Pioneer Pole Buildings Motorsports Race Car & Trade Show 2020 were continuing in earnest through 8:00 PM Thursday evening.

The 36th annual rendition of the event under the direction of Len Sammons Motorsports Productions opens to the public at 2:00 PM Friday, January 17 and continues Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 18-19.

“This year’s show is shaping up to be one of the best,” said event organizer Sammons. “Move in day was very smooth and we expect big crowds for all three days with all that we have going on at the 2020 Show.”

Much of the work centered around the Orange County Fair Speedway Display, which will feature the track’s past, present, and future. The speedway celebrated the 100th anniversary of the running of its first automobile race this past August. A never-before-seen restoration of the Statewide Hi-Way Safety No. 3 Gremlin, built by Kenny Weld, driven by Jimmy Horton, owned by Halmar International’s Chris Larsen, and restored by Eric Mack is among the features in the display and of the entire Motorsports 2020 Show.

Another vintage car, this one owned and restored by Bruce Bowen, in the entrance lobby of the Motorsports Show, is a restoration of the No. 29 Weikert’s Livestock Sprint driven by Doug Wolfgang in 1987. The car is unique in that it ran the season with a 410 Steel Block motor. The car has been displayed by Bowen only once before.

“It has been a lot of work but I’m very happy with the way it turned out,” Bowen, who hand-lettered the car, said.

Two big displays near the main entrance of the show are certain to command attention. At the Pioneer Pole Buildings display, the Modifieds of Billy Pauch and Craig VonDohren as well as the 410 Sprint of Freddie Rahmer are to be seen while the Sunoco display has cars spanning the spectrum of motorsports including a stunning Funny Car and an equally attention-grabbing Sports Car Prototype.

A new livery for Matt Sheppard’s Modified can be seen at the American Racer Tire exhibit and Joe Toth’s Crate Sportsman, displayed at the Georgetown Speedway booth, is also a dramatic contrast from Toth’s previous cars.

An oddity in this year’s show features two of Mike Gular’s Modifieds, one in the Bicknell Race Cars display and a second in the Sunoco booth.

Once doors open Friday and throughout the three-day run of the show a series of valuable Seminars will be conducted on a wide range of topics of interest to car builders, track operators, and fans alike.

On Saturday, personal appearances by Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett will highlight the three-day event. Petty will sign autographs from 1:00 to 3:00 PM with Jarrett putting pen to paper from 4:00 to 6:00 PM.

At 7:00, the festivities will begin that culminate in the crowning of Ms. Motorsports 2020.

Sunday is Kid’s Day at PPB Motorsports 2020 with Little Ms. Motorsports and Tiny Ms. Motorsports competitions as well as Big Wheel Racing competitions.