During the CARS Racing Show this past weekend, the idea was floated around to move the annual event to November. However, show promoter Kate Dillon said the Hickory, North Carolina, show will remain in January next year.
“We had considered moving the show to November, but after reaching out to exhibitors and checking what dates were available, we realized we could not move our show,” said Dillon, who co-promotes the event with her brother Jimmy. “Racing is a year-round sport now, and there is no good date for everybody. We couldn’t go up against November races or the [Northeast Racing Products Auction and Trade Show in] Syracuse [New York] in November. It is certainly a challenge to pick a date.”
This past weekend, Dillon said 60 exhibitors, some which shared booths, exhibited in the Hickory Metro Convention Center. She called the show a success, despite a bad weather forecast.
“Since we rebooted the show four years ago, it was the first time we had a threat of ice,” Dillon said. “People started talking about it the day before, and some stayed home.”
The CARS Racing Show started in 2020, with a name reminiscent of the Carolina Auto Racing Show that took place from 2011 to 2013.
“This year’s show was the best-looking show we ever had,” said Dillon. “Exhibitors went over and above. Sure, we are always looking for more when it comes to attendance. We don’t want to finish second, we want to blow it out of the water.”
Despite an unfavorable weather forecast, Dillon maintained that plenty of business occurred.
“A lot of B-to-B deals happened,” Dillon, who also owns CrateInsider.com, said. “I saw new products and connected with Stealth Racing Carburetors, Pro-System, and others who have new products that could help me build my business.”
Kate Dillon said an announcement will be forthcoming for the January 2025 dates for the CARS Racing Show.
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
