It is considered a mid-winter respite for the racer and the race fan. It is the Pioneer Pole Buildings Motorsports Racecar & Trade Show Fueled by Sunoco & Distributed by Insinger Performance. The show fills more than 225,000 square feet of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks and it all happens starting on Friday, Jan. 10 at 2 p.m. and continues through Sunday, Jan. 12 . Brad Keseslowski , the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, is scheduled to be there from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday to sign autographs. Keselowski went from champion to not being able to make the Chase in 2013. He is revved up and ready to go with the Roger Penske-owned Miller Lite sponsored Ford as the season kicks off February at Daytona International Speedway. Keseslowski has his goal set to be in the Chase again in 2014 and return to championship status. However he will have plenty of competition, including 2013 champion Jimmie Johnson, going for his seventh title, which would tie him with Richard Petty and the late Dale Eanrhardt for most NASCAR Sprint Cup titles earned. Long-time fan-favorite Harry Gant , nicknamed Handsome Harry for his movie star good looks, is scheduled to be returning to the Motorsports 2014 show for the first time in several years. Though he was never able to win a Cup title he was a winner in Cup racing many times and a 21 time winner in Nationwide competition. Gant is also well known for his years spent as the driver of the Skoal Bandit Pontiac that was owner in part by movie actor Burt Reynolds. For several years Gant was a fixture at the Motorsports show as he represented Skoal and U.S. Tobacco with their involvement in motorsports and the show. Gant will be celebrating his 73rd birthday at the show on Friday, Jan. 10, and will sign autographs from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. And just added to the lineup of well-known personalities is former NASCAR Cup racer Ricky Craven , who is now an outstanding member of the ESPN motorsports broadcast team. He will be appearing with Gant. Autograph sessions with Gant, Craven and Keselowski will include at question and answer session for the fans to learn more about them. Old-timers will be anxious to see the large display dedicated to the once famous East Windsor Speedway, where many of the top talents in the sport were fixtures in Friday night racing action. Meeting fans in the display area will be such greats as Sammy Beavers, Chip Slocum, Kenny Brightbill, Jimmy Horton and many others when a special autograph session is presented on Saturday from 2:00 pm to 4:00pm. For complete information on the show check in at www.aarn.com or telephone 609-888-3618.
