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PRI Show Goers Relish Shopping With The Stars
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While the PRI Trade Show is undoubtedly the place to see more hardcore racing parts and equipment per square foot than anyplace else on earth, it’s also an ideal place to meet racing celebrities up close and personal, and even collect an autograph or two.
The star sighting began at Thursday’s Grand Opening Breakfast, where MAVTV reporter Dave Despain bench-raced with drag racing legends Don “The Snake” Prudhomme and Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen. After breakfast, McEwen retired to the Aeromotive booth to sign autographs and chat with fans.
Exhibitors from one end of the sprawling Indiana Convention Center to the other are offering celebrity press conferences, meet and greets, and autograph signings throughout the three-day Show.
Chevrolet’s massive island exhibit bristled with the growing line of Camaro performance parts, and featured no less than three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart to help promote it to the racing public. “It’s brilliant; all of the research and testing has been done,” he said. “No manufacturer has ever put together a package like this.” As expected, autograph-seekers snaked down the aisle while trading racing stories with Chevrolet’s Jim Campbell.
Elsewhere in the hall, Racemaker Press featured Jim McGee signing copies of his new book, “Crew Chief of Champions,” while the IndyCar booth hosted Scott Dixon, as well as Sarah Fisher, Pippa Mann and other women in racing today. Al Unser, Jr. signed his famous name in the Sparkplugs.com booth, while John Force and Antron Brown did the same in the Darton Sleeves exhibit. The list of racing heroes from virtually every motorsports arena went on and on.
While many top racers come to PRI year after year, this was a first for NASCAR Hall-of-Famer Rusty Wallace of Rusty Wallace Racing, who joined his son Steve in the JET Tools booth to celebrate a new partnership between the two companies. JET is sponsoring Steve’s #66 Ford Fusion in the newly announced CARS (Championship Auto Racing Series) tour. Lucky show-goers received collectible posters signed by dad and son.
As for his first PRI Show experience, the elder Wallace said, “I’m just overwhelmed; I can’t believe it. I’ve never seen so much race car stuff in my life. It’s like a racer’s dream here. I love it!”
The star sighting began at Thursday’s Grand Opening Breakfast, where MAVTV reporter Dave Despain bench-raced with drag racing legends Don “The Snake” Prudhomme and Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen. After breakfast, McEwen retired to the Aeromotive booth to sign autographs and chat with fans.
Exhibitors from one end of the sprawling Indiana Convention Center to the other are offering celebrity press conferences, meet and greets, and autograph signings throughout the three-day Show.
Chevrolet’s massive island exhibit bristled with the growing line of Camaro performance parts, and featured no less than three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart to help promote it to the racing public. “It’s brilliant; all of the research and testing has been done,” he said. “No manufacturer has ever put together a package like this.” As expected, autograph-seekers snaked down the aisle while trading racing stories with Chevrolet’s Jim Campbell.
Elsewhere in the hall, Racemaker Press featured Jim McGee signing copies of his new book, “Crew Chief of Champions,” while the IndyCar booth hosted Scott Dixon, as well as Sarah Fisher, Pippa Mann and other women in racing today. Al Unser, Jr. signed his famous name in the Sparkplugs.com booth, while John Force and Antron Brown did the same in the Darton Sleeves exhibit. The list of racing heroes from virtually every motorsports arena went on and on.
While many top racers come to PRI year after year, this was a first for NASCAR Hall-of-Famer Rusty Wallace of Rusty Wallace Racing, who joined his son Steve in the JET Tools booth to celebrate a new partnership between the two companies. JET is sponsoring Steve’s #66 Ford Fusion in the newly announced CARS (Championship Auto Racing Series) tour. Lucky show-goers received collectible posters signed by dad and son.
As for his first PRI Show experience, the elder Wallace said, “I’m just overwhelmed; I can’t believe it. I’ve never seen so much race car stuff in my life. It’s like a racer’s dream here. I love it!”
