News Director 
Story By: STEVE PADOS / DIRT TRACK HEROES – PHILLIPSBURG, NJ – The Quaker Steak & Lube Tenth Annual Dirt Track Heroes Show continued through the third day of it’s annual week long journey for the racing community and another successful day unfolded with the Tuesday evening presentation.
Breaking records for the event each day, the budding young stars of the quarter midget racing clubs in the local area came out in full force to talk about their young racing careers and to where their journey will possibly take them as they take on the rigors of auto racing. The Tuesday night event was sponsored by Adams Brothers Used Auto Parts located in Allentown, PA and Persa Auto Repair in Bath, PA. The tenth annual edition of the show will continue through March 11th with each day of the event showcasing the many different race tracks and racing series operating in the local area.
With the eclectic Quaker Steak & Lube Restaurants the lead sponsor of the event, the excitement and the pulse for the week long show quickens with each day as the diverse schedule of the week long show offers a bit of everything to all racing fans. The 55 stores making up Quaker Steak & Lube annually sell more than 80 million wings per year and “The Lube” is recognized as “The best wings in the USA.” The Phillipsburg location has also been dubbed “The Official Restaurant of the Dirt Track Heroes” show. To contact the restaurant, call: 908 454 2900 or check out their website at: www.thelube.com Before or after the show head to Quaker Steak & Lube and get recharged and refueled in a great sports setting. Request a table underneath the Bob Pickell number 300 Modified for an additional racing experience.
The 10th annual edition of the show will continue through March 11th with amazing sponsorship support through headline sponsor Quaker Steak and Lube restaurant chain and associate sponsors IRCO Community Federal Credit Union, Enterprise Car Sales, Premio Foods, Jeff’s Automotive, Smith Fabrications/Stage One Modifieds, Alex’s Tire/Breidingers Speed Shop, Adams Brothers Used Auto Parts, Hamlin Speedway/S&S Speedways, Searock Fabrication and Speed Supplies, R&F International Muffler and Brake, Murante Auto Repair, Persa Auto Repair, Martocci Automotive, Dean Autosports, Carl’s Auto Sales Chrin Automotive, Ralph’s Radiator and Huston’s Automotive.
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 Phillipsburg Mall, located on Route 22 East in Phillipsburg, NJ, 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 2017 edition of the show is the trend setter and show stopper of the many shows that are scheduled during the year.
Emcee Steve Pados opened the show and introduced IRCO Vice President Greg Collins to the crowd. Collins once thanked the local racing community for their support and talked of the various offerings from the IRCO group and added the Tuesday night portion of the show is one of his favorite nights as he truly enjoys the answers and conversations the announcers are able to extract from the young stars, as some were giving their first ever interviews. Adams Brothers Used Auto Parts, located two miles north of the Lehigh Valley Airport at 5995 Adams Lane in Allentown, Pennsylvania co-sponsored last evening’s event for the young stars from the quarter midgets. Reach them by phone at: 610-264 2334. Rich Pursell, from Adams Brothers was on hand to support the young stars. Persa Auto Repair was a co-sponsor for the evening and located at 7572 Beth-Bath Pike in Bath, PA and with a phone number to reach them at: 610-837-7800.
Ed and Steve Pados, Bobby Stull and Justin Beltrame interviewed a great group of 26 young driving stars from the area and without question once again proved the future of auto racing is in great hands with the drivers and the generous support of their families. The Quarter Midgets are a great way to begin the careers of the budding young drivers and many graduates of Quarter Midget racing have gone on to great racing careers in the sport and many of the drivers interviewed felt they would race the Quarter Midgets until their age requirements expire and then make the transition into one of the many offerings available in racing and the answers given would make all of us believe all of the speedways in the area will benefit from the early education these young stars acquire for their racing endeavors.
Drivers on hand included USAC National Champions Anthony Chrobak and Hunter Wise, Charlene Benz, James Benz, Mark Evans, Tyler Bowman, Chase Wehr, Brody George, Jaden Brown, Peyton Knecht, Gabby Meixell, Abby and Matthew Barone, Charlie and Bryce Harris, Ryan Rochelle, Olivia Schmeltzer, Zachary Mehlig, Waverly Smith, Zoe Buchera, Colby Getz, Tanner Edwards, Easton Miller, Parker and Greyson Ahner, Nyla Metzger and Logan Stangle.. James Stevens, a retired Allentown Police Officer and Racing Legend Paul Koch were on hand to chat about how they met in 1965 through Quarter Midget racing and remain close friends to this very day. Kyle Knecht from the West End group was on hand and talked about how the club has turned around and points towards a bright outlook to the future of the club and the sport.
Wednesday evening will be highlighting Hamlin Speedway, Snydersville Speedway, Accord Speedway, Mahoning Valley Speedway, and Orange County Fair Speedway. The evening’s show is sponsored by Hamlin Speedway and S&S Speedways Indoor Karts located in Snydersville, Pennsylvania and Smith Fabrications, the home of the Stage One Modifieds.
Looking ahead, Modified stars will be showcased with the Thursday night show. Friday, March 10th, brings two shows to the Mall going back to back with the “Legends of Racing” at 4 PM when Modified legend Sammy Beavers is honored for his great career in racing. Some of Sammy’s competitors will be on hand to talk about fun moments they had when racing with Sammy. Friday evening will find current day open wheel stars being interviewed. The Friday events brings the Premio Sausage Wagon to the Phillipsburg Mall and they will be offering up samples of their great sausage products and offering some great takeaways at the event. Premio Sausages will also be in hand for the Saturday show when Flemington Speedway drivers talk about their open wheel exploits at the famed Flemington “Square” Speedway.
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 Tri State, Flemington, Harmony through Greg Collins, Dorney Park, Reading, Remembering Nazareth, Bob Snyder Photos and Snyder Video, Mike Ritter Photos 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, Midgets, 360 and 410 Sprints, Wingless Sprints, Late Models, go-karts, quarter midgets and a broad variety of vintage and restored race cars and drag racing cars. Hamlin, Snydersville, Mahoning, New Egypt, Grandview, Big Diamond, Bridgeport, Hamlin, Accord, Mahoning and Snydersville will again be among the many speedways involved with the 2017 show.
The Quaker Steak and Lube Dirt Track Heroes Car Show has 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 2017 racing season.
