Steel Valley promoter sees 'huge' local response

By LARRY SHIELDS / Salem News staff writer

SALEM - Core Promotions, the company behind the Steel Valley Nationals that will hit Quaker City Raceway June 23-26, is expecting 1,800 participant cars and 4,000 motorcycles on Saturday.
Company promoter Corey Ward said that locally the response has been "huge" from "everybody from the Goshen police to the people downtown."

 Pre-registration for the event, that was previously held at the Canfield Fairgrounds, is up 45 percent over the last four to five years, Ward said, noting they have advertised heavily in the Florida and Carolina markets.

 "We're expecting quite a few from there," he said, adding, "there's a bunch from New York."

 Both Harley-Davidson of Warren and Harley-Davidson of Youngstown are co-branding an event, Ward explained, adding it was the first time that's ever happened.

 "That's something no one's been able to do before."

 Core Promotions has signed up with Quaker City Raceway to come back June 22-24 of 2007, he said.

 Rumors of the sale of Quaker City Raceway were a sizeable obstacle at first, he said.

 "We wouldn't have just done it for one year, he said.

"What would be the point in that? So we're committed to Salem."

 The city, through the Salem Tourism Advisory Board, R.L. Lipton Distributors, Timberlanes Restaurant and Motor Inn, Lewis Refuse and Hauling, Sky Bank and Patterson Chrysler Dodge Jeep is supporting the official after party in town for three nights.

 Events at Quaker City Raceway are sponsored by ExpertTire, Andrews Cycles, Stadium GM Superstore, Budweiser and 93.3NCD Rocks.

 Expert Tire in Salem will have two race cars on the lot provided by Bridgestone/Firestone of North America thru Performance Tire Service Co. of Indianapolis, according to Farb Tinsley of Salem.

 Tinsley has been with PTSC for about a year and travels with another set of cars to dealers.

 One car will be the McDonald's sponsored car of two-time Champ Car Series champion Sebastian Bourdais, owned by Paul Newman and Carl Haas, and the other is Tony Kanaan's 7-Eleven car from Michael Andretti's Andretti-Green IRL team.

 PTSC also handles all tire distribution for Indy Racing League and Champ Car Series racing for Bridgestone Firestone.

PTSC has three sets of two cars, plus a couple other speciality cars, that travel the country doing promotional displays, plus another in Canada, Tinsley said.

Ward said he was amazed at what everyone in town was doing to get behind the event.

 "We really couldn't be happier. Everyone has been helping. I hope it works for everyone."

 Larry Shields can be reached at  lshields@salemnews.net