IRCO RETURNS FOR 10TH CONSECUTIVE QUAKER STEAK & LUBE DIRT TRACK HEROES CAR SHOW
Show runs Sunday, March 5th through Saturday, March 11 at Phillipsburg Mall
IRCO RETURNS FOR 10TH CONSECUTIVE QUAKER STEAK & LUBE DIRT TRACK HEROES CAR SHOW
Story By: Bob Miller/Thunder on the Hill – Photos By: Ace Lane Jr./RacersGuide.com
The dates for the popular tenth edition of the week long Quaker Steak & Lube Dirt Track Heroes Show have been confirmed for 2017 and the hard-working staff and the many historical groups and speedways are putting all of the necessary pieces in place to produce another great show. The successful event will once again begin its week long run at the Phillipsburg Mall located off Route 22 East in Phillipsburg, New Jersey beginning on Sunday, March 5th and will run through March 11th.
The upcoming show encompasses the majority of the local short track scene and has become a must go to event for the local Tri-State area. Quaker Steak and Lube has taken on the lead sponsor role fir the third consecutive season.
For the tenth consecutive year, IRCO Community Federal Credit Union will once again lend their solid support to the popular show. IRCO was formed in 1966 and has grown in leaps and bounds to it’s present state today. IRCO serves over 8,000 members with assets exceeding $63,000,000. IRCO remains a locally-owned and staffed community financial institution. Greg Collins, vice president at the Phillipsburg, New Jersey based IRCO Community Federal Credit Union as well as the noted historian of the Harmony Speedway remarked, “We are overjoyed to once again play an integral part in the Dirt Track Heroes Show. For me, since day one of the very first show, it is living the dream as the cars and the stars who come out for the show are and remain my heroes and we are proud to be associated with this great show.” Collins further noted, “It is hard to believe this is the tenth year for the show as the years have gone past so quickly. We are looking forward to another great show.”
The schedule of events for the tenth edition of the Dirt Track Heroes Show will be released shortly and this great local event will remain focused on the past, present and future of the sport with special recognition to the many legendary stars all of the racing fans cheered on from the grandstands to the new wave of stars and the future stars who are now cutting their teeth in the entry levels of racing in quarter midget, go kart or junior slingshot ranks and determined to be the next driving stars in the sport..
The Phillipsburg Mall has proven to be a popular setting for this special event and will once again offer many varieties of new and vintage race cars, racing memorabilia, collectibles and photos on display throughout the Mall for the duration of the show’s run. The nine previous shows have brought out race cars from all divisions of motorsports filling the Mall space as the past, present and future of racing have been highlighted in a week long show celebrating the love each of us has found in attending races and meeting so many wonderful people associated with the sport. With an exciting and diverse schedule of events to whet the appetite of any true race fan, large crowds are expected to flock to the show to fill the wide walkways of the Phillipsburg Mall for the upcoming tenth edition of the show. This event is truly a Mall favorite and one of the leading attractions, continuously drawing outstanding crowds and successful events promoter Bob Miller and his wife Donna spearhead the hard working staff of individuals responsible for the continued success of the show.
The restored race cars represent racing’s past or what many race fans refer to as the “Golden Era” of auto racing. The great spirit of the event takes the great fan base of racing back to a special time in their lives when they could hop into their family jitney and travel less than a half hour to witness the excitement and spectacle of a night at the races. Some of the cars in attendance will be original works, some of the race cars are replicars of famous cars re-created to look much like the racers the legendary drivers drove to glory at one of the many speedways that hosted racing events. The great cars and the preserved memories gain far more impact when the fans have the opportunity to chat with many of the legendary drivers who will be making special appearances at the Mall during the week long event. All historical racing groups including Tri State, Flemington, Nazareth, Dorney Park, Harmony and Reading will 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.
Current day race cars are displayed by race teams to gain fan exposure and interest for themselves and their sponsors and create the “buzz” for the mall walkers to visit a race track in their immediate area. The cars are displayed to also exhibit the new and changing technology associated with racing and with the many restored race cars on site, depicts the evolution of the many eras of racing ingenuity. The fans can visit the Dirt Track Heroes Car Show and on any given night, meet the guys and gal drivers who pilot these four-wheel high-powered race cars. Many race tracks participate in this event as a way to distribute their yearly racing schedules for the upcoming season and to meet and greet their loyal fans and hopefully win over some new fans to attend racing events at their respective facilities. The show remains free to the public as it has been since first landing at the Phillipsburg Mall ten years ago.
In previous events, cars on display included big block and small block Modifieds, Sportsman, all divisions of Micro-Sprints, ARDC Midgets, all divisions of Sprint Cars, Slingshots, Stage One Modifieds, X-Cel Modifieds, Late Models, SpeedSTRS, Go-Karts and a broad variety of vintage and restored race cars. Bridgeport, Hamlin, Accord, New Egypt, Action Track USA and Snydersville will again be among the many speedways involved with the 2017 edition of the show. The week-long event will set aside one evening to salute the “Stars of Tomorrow” with a special night 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 of the youngsters will be giving their first ever interviews to a large crowd.
For the tenth consecutive year, former Gasoline Alley show hosts Ed and Steve Pados will host the nightly events and interviews along with longtime racing personality Bobby Stull and former Lake Mocatek Speedway co-announcer Justin Beltrame. Snydersville Speedway Announcer Alex Greezweig has also signed on for the event.
The Dirt Track Heroes Car Show will again offer a great tribute keepsake event souvenir program book and shirt. The Phillipsburg Mall is open Sunday 11 AM to 6 PM; Monday through Saturday from 10 AM to 9 PM. For Quaker Steak & Lube Dirt Track Heroes information, contact show organizers Bob and Donna Miller by phone at: 443- 513-4456, via e-mail at: TOTHILL98@aol.com or at their website: www.thunderonthehillracingseries.com. or contact Steve Pados at: 484-784-7756 or through email at: steveswp@ptd.net
