Column By: TOBY LAGRANGE / RPW – SYRACUSE, NY – This past weekend the annual Northeast Racing Products Auction and Trade Show opened their doors at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse.
The two-day show was highlighted by the annual auctions on Saturday afternoon.
This season I was not able to attend the auction part of the show but I was able to bring my wife along for the first time. The show is a must see for anyone who is trying to introduce a non-race fan to racing. Since the day we said “I Do” six years ago, you can count the number of races on one hand that she has attended.
Saturday’s trip west (made possible by the bribe of shopping at the nearby mall) was met with resistance at first and then with genuine interest. I was able to explain to her what the different parts were that were being sold, how much cost is involved and the safety aspect of our sport.
We left the show after about an hour with her having much more knowledge of the sport than sixty minutes earlier.
As for the show itself, it was larger than normal. Besides the beautiful displays, there was a large cornhole tournament taking place in the far side of the building. It was definitely a success.
The Can-Am Speedway was one of the few tracks on hand. They had the Ryan Bartlett DIRTcar 358 Modified on display as well as the Genavieve Bartlett Junior Purple Clone Kart. Bartlett, who is 11 years of age, won the Junior Purple Clone Track Championship at the track with nine wins in 12 starts during the 2022 season.
A pair of beautiful Crate Late Models adorned the show. The number 91 of former DIRTcar Modified competitor Chad Homan graced the Bernheisel Race Cars booth while Jeremy Wonderling showed off his 2022 RUSH National Weekly Championship in the RUSH Dirt Late Model Series booth.
One of the booths that spearheaded my better half’s interest was the Troyer Race Cars/TFR Manufacturing booth. The booth would see five full-sized race cars and a kart occupy its territory. Included in the booth was a pair of Asphalt Modifieds, an Asphalt Late Model, a pair of DIRTcar Modified/Sportsman and a road racing kart.
The dirt rides of Tyler Corcoran and Savannah LaFlair were joined by the famous Mystic Missile Asphalt Modified and Dave Bryan’s Asphalt Late Model.
LaFlair also had a car in the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame’s booth.
DIG Racing Products had another booth that was very popular amongst show-goers. Quebec’s Michel Parent had his familiar number 25 on display along side the number five of Kyle Devendorf. Parent was the winner of the Rebel Weekend at Autodrome Granby earlier this season.
Jason Barney had his 87 Speed booth booming throughout the show. The booth included his popular 360 Sprint Car that finished third in the 2022 Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprint Series standings. He did so with wins at the Albany-Saratoga Speedway and during the Cole Cup at the Utica-Rome Speedway.
Chris Curtis had his number 35 on display in the DKM Fabrication/Swagger Factory booth. All three call New York’s Capital District home and hosted a large crowd throughout my visit. The same was true for the Bert Transmissions booth with the number 46 of Kayle Robidoux on display. The Quebec team had the rear section remover for a better look inside the car.
As you would expect, many drivers could be seen walking the show. During the early afternoon I spotted the father-son-son team of Rocky, Tanner and Corky Warner, Peter Britten, Steve Paine, Mat Williamson, Jessica Power, Kirsten Swartz, Kenny Gates and Hall of Fame Announcer Joe Marotta.
All in all, it was a good visit to the show. If you are able to visit next year I would highly recommend it.
