1:58 p.m. | Trade show payoff

So for manufacturers and others showing off new products at PRI, how long does it take to see a payoff? We asked Bryan Bernheisel, driving of the Lazer Chassis house car and reigning championship of Selinsgrove (Pa.) Speedway.

“It’s really hard to quantify that,” said the 33-year-old Jonestown, Pa., resident, who works under Lazer founder Jim Bernheisel, his father, and with his brother Brandon. “Some of that is mind-share, which can take years to play out. In the short term, we’ll probably take a few orders as a result of the show, and hopefully it’ll branch out from there.”

The Lazer focus is showing that a complete Late Model doesn’t have to reach to the stratosphere in price, putting a special number on its show car in the booth — $25K to representing the price of a Lazer roller.

“Our big push this year was that you (buy) a really good car for not as much as what everyone else is charging,” Bryan Bernheisel said. “We’ve been trying to drive that home, and that’s what this show car is about. We’ve had a ton of interest in it so far, so hopefully it pays off both for us and the sport. There are so many complaints that the sport is too expensive, but it doesn’t have to be.”

As for Bernheisel’s racing, while points racing can be “very stressful,” he’s going to try an defend his title at Selinsgrove to “show that it wasn’t a fluke.” He also plans to compete in a variety of special events around the region.

1:31 p.m. | Odds and ends

Sponsorship from T and K Trucking of Columbus, Ind., has provided Twin Cities Raceway Park a points fund for 2019, track publicist Chris Nunn said at PRI. Four classes will divvy up $50,000 with the Crate Late Model champion earning $5,000 (and $1,000 for 10th). After averaging about 20 Crates per week in 2018 without a points fund, “we hope to get a lot more,” Nunn said. … Zimmer's United Late Model Series was set for its first-ever visit to Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway in announcing its schedule this week, but a conflict with Bedford’s annual Super Late Model special before Labor Day scrapped the ULMS debut at Hagerstown, series promoter Chris Zuver said. … Zuver also said it appears his hometown McKean County Raceway in East Smethport, Pa., will sit idle in 2019 after Full Circle Productions, which operated the track in 2018, struggled financially. … The mid-morning aisles were packed mid-morning Friday as the trade show reached its crescendo, sending most of those walking the aisles into the “trade show shuffle.” … The first-year American Crate All-Star Series presented by PPM has released a tentative schedule opening March 30 at Tazewell (Tenn.) Speedway with the $2,500-to-win Charles Trammell Memorial. Other tracks set to host races are Smoky Mountain Speedway in Maryville, Tenn., Wartburg (Tenn.) Speedway, Crossville (Tenn.) Speedway and Wythe Raceway in Rural Retreat, Va.

1:05 p.m. | Heckenast’s plans

After enjoying full-time status on the World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series, with guaranteed showup money and other financial benefits, Frank Heckenast Jr. of Frankfort, Ill., was a little worried about the economics of running the DIRTcar Summer Nationals last season. But WoO’s sister tour was more affordable than he expected, and his results were solid, too, with a victory at Shadyhill Speedway and runner-up finish in points.

After the tour's conclusion, “I looked up my (earnings) and what I tore up on the Summer Nationals, and then I went and looked at (finances) and what I had to spend on the Outlaws, and the Summer Nationals works out way better every way you look at it,” Heckenast said while touring the aisles at PRI. “Because you can get away with one crew guy for the year, and then just hire a young kid or somebody to help you for the four weeks (of the Summer Nationals). For the Outlaws, you gotta have somebody for the whole 12 months of the year pretty much. So I love it. I encourage everybody to do it.”

It was enjoyable for the 30-year-old to compete on a series that he watched as a youngster.

“When I was a kid and grew up racing and went to local tracks and got to watch Shannon Babb and Billy Moyer and Don O’Neal and all those guys race each other really hard on the Summer Nationals, that was like the series to me,” Heckenast said. “When I started racing it kind of fell off a little bit. No disrespect to the guys that were running it then, but I feel like now, this year, with me and (Brian) Shirley, (Jason) Feger, Babb, Bobby (Pierce) coming back, and then the other guys that are going to join in, I think it’s going to be pretty awesome for everybody to watch.”

Heckenast, who plans to run XR1 Rocket Chassis with Clements powerplants and Penske Shocks, won’t be racing deep into the fall, though.

“My season’s going to end at the end of the September, because I’m getting married the month of October,” he said. “So I think once I get married this winter I’m going to talk her into letting me doing a tour next year. If I can go out and accomplish what I want to do on the Summer Nationals, and win a couple of races, to add on to the ones we have, I think I’ll be pretty close to wanting to go back to Outlaws or Lucas."

12:37 p.m. | Brooks moving up

To use the word good to describe Booger Brooks’s 2018 season might be a bit of an understatement. The Oglethorpe, Ga., driver piled up 23 Crate victories at 10 racetracks in four different states. Brooks has found much of his success in the 602 division, which he’s found to be very budget friendly for a weekend racer like himself.

“We’ve got a shock rule,” Brooks said. “There can’t be anything adjustable. The 602 motor is $3,700 or something. It’s a lot cheaper than if you’re going to race Supers. The parts you have to buy for these ain’t as bad as other classes. The tires, we can run a whole lot longer.”

Partnering with veteran Georgia racer Gar Dickson, who owns both a Super and Crate car, Brooks plans to branch out and enter more Super Late Model events in 2019. Dickson said the move has been a long time coming for Brooks, and one that works out well for the entire team.

“We’ve already been dabbling in it some last year and the year before,” Dickson said. “We’ve talked about this for three or four years and he’s wanting to move up. So it works out good for everybody.”

12:25 p.m. | Effects of tariffs

Wrisco Industries is one of Dirt Late Model racing’s largest providers of pre-painted aluminum - the massive 4x10 sheets that teams use to construct decks, body panels, spoilers and more. Getting aluminum pre-painted gives race teams the ability to quickly reskin a car without worrying about painting or powdercoating to get a unique color.

“It’s been an interesting year,” said Wrisco Aluminum representative Jim Neff, a six-year veteran with the company. “With the tariffs and all, it’s definitely been interesting to say the least. In the past we could quote a price and it was good for 30 days. Now a quote is good for 24 hours.”

11:42 p.m. | Satterlee’s little one

Gregg Satterlee of Indiana, Pa., just wrapped up his second season on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, scoring a July victory at Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio. As he makes the rounds at the PRI Trade Show, Satterlee is still considering his plans for the upcoming 2019 season.

“No plans made right now,” Satterlee said. “We’re kind of just enjoying the off-season and getting ready to go race. We’re just kind of undecided on when and where that will be. Nothing is set in stone. We’re kind of just now getting reset on going forward next year.”

Right now, Satterlee is enjoying spending time with his wife Kelsey and daughter Prudence, who was born just days before last year’s PRI show. The 1-year-old is keeping both of her parents on their toes, but Satterlee said it’s fun to have her at the racetrack with him.

“It’s a full-time job,” Satterlee said. “My wife’s busy all day chasing her down. She’s walking and everything now, so she is on the move. She was at maybe three or four races. Actually, the Lucas Oil win I had a Zanesville, she was at. So that was pretty awesome. The family was there for that one.”

While his racing plans for next year may be uncertain, Satterlee is looking forward to having both his wife and daughter at the track with him more often now that Prudence is a bit older.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Satterlee said. “I think she’ll maybe be able to have a little bit of an idea of what’s going on. Last year she was just an infant. But it’s fun. We definitely enjoy having her around. It’s changed life, so to say. It’s good.”

11:17 a.m. | Promising outlook for Bare

Piloting the Bryan Klinedinst-owned No. 43A, Tyler Bare of Rockbridge Baths, Va., enjoyed a breakout 2018 season, which included nine victories and a $20,000 payday in Ultimate Southeast Series action at Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamaica. Now, the second-generation driver is focused on improving in 2019.

“We had a pretty successful season last year,” Bare said. “A lot better than we thought we were going to have, I think. We went downhill there at the end a little bit, but you’re going to have your ups and downs. I hope next year we can get a few more wins.”

Moving up to primarily race Supers in 2018, Bare’s plans are much the same heading into a new season. While he will be racing for Klinedinst again next year, the pair has yet to work out a race schedule. Bare’s just hoping he gets to make the trip to Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, for its crown jewel events.

“I think we’ve got a new car coming and we’re probably going to keep the old one, too,” Bare said. “We’re probably going to sit back on the Crates this year and focus more on the No. 43A. We’ll go run my dad’s stuff when we’re not running the No. 43A stuff. We ain’t really got a schedule together. We’re supposed to sit down right after Christmas and figure out what we’re going to do. I think we’re going to run a few more races than we did. Hopefully, we can hit the Eldora races though.”

Bare’s unsure of where he’ll kick off his 2019 season. Right now, his focus is on testing and getting both himself and his car better heading into the new year.

“First and foremost, we’re going to test five or 10 times. Hopefully we can get a little bit better when we go to the Outlaws or the Lucas stuff. Just stay up on our game, really. If we can get a track the whole day, that would be great. It’s going to be a big thing for us, just going to test, practice, change stuff, see what we need, what does work and what doesn’t work. That’s where we struggled at last year.”

11:10 a.m. | Burroughs-Richards connection

It was just last week that Clint Bowyer Racing announced Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., would be replacing Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., behind the wheel of the No. 14. Long-time CBR crewman Anthony Burroughs is looking forward to having Richards, a former Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion and three-time World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series champion, come on board.

“I’m really excited about it,” Burroughs said. “He was at the shop last week and he’s real hands on and really, really smart. He certainly brings a lot to the table. I’ve enjoyed working with every driver I’ve ever worked with. You always learn something different from each and every one of them.

“They’re all the best in the business, as far as I’m concerned. I’ve been very fortunate as far as that goes. But (Richards) is very hands-on from a technical standpoint. There’s a lot that he’s going to bring to the table and help us grow, I feel like.”

Burroughs has worked with a few different drivers in his time with CBR, primarily with Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., in recent seasons. He’ll serve as crew chief to Richards in 2019.

“Really everything is status quo,” Burrough said. “Nothing’s really changing. Just instead of being with Don (O’Neal), being with Josh. Other than that, everything’s pretty much the same.”

10:59 a.m. | Carvin the consultant

After spending years on the road working for a string of drivers that includes Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, Tenn., Riley Hickman of Ooltelwah, Tenn., and Casey Roberts of Toccoa, Ga., long-time crew chief Brad Carvin is enjoying his new role as a racing consultant. Taking a step back was a tough decision, but he knew he wanted to be there for his family.

“You’re riding up and down that road and you get that phone call, ‘Hey, how’d the ball game go?’ And it’s ‘Dad, you should have seen this catch!’ or ‘I made this tackle!’ After a while, you realize you need to be there to see the majority of that. You’re still going to miss some, but I want to be there to see the majority.”

Coming off the road has made life much less stressful for Carvin, who everyone calls Urkel. He said the average fan doesn’t see just how much time and work goes into the sport and producing good results.

“The outside world don’t really realize the stress that goes into racing,” Carvin said. “You devote your whole life to racing. And that’s the truth. If you don’t, you’re not going to run good. And that’s the thing that as a fan, I don’t think some of the fans realize the work, the time, the effort that goes into racing. If you’re not thinking about racing 24 hours a day at this day in time, you better get out of racing. If you don’t give 110 percent, you’re going to waste a lot of money and a lot of time.”

But working with different drivers has given Carvin different perspectives on racing that are helping him as a consultant. He’s a stickler on being prepared when you show up to the racetrack, a lesson he learned from veteran Ronnie Johnson.

“Working with Ronnie was probably the best outlook as far as my racing will ever be,” Carvin said. “He taught you preparation for one. We were the last ones to get to the track. We were always the last car to get to the there. But you knew when you got there, you were going to win. He built that in your mind before you left. There were a lot of times before we left we already knew that we had won the race. All we had to do was go through the motions once we got there. We were just confident in what we were doing.

“That was the best thing about racing with Ronnie. When I left there and moved over to Riley, it was same way. Ronnie had already built that into me, so you could always carry that on to the next one. … We want the end result. We come to win. We didn’t come over here to be buddy-buddy. Everybody’s coming there to do one thing. Win that race and get that check.”

10:09 a.m. | Carpenter scales back

Dean Carpenter of Coldwater, Miss., spent his 2018 season following the MARS Racing Series, finishing third in the final points standings behind Tanner English of Benton, Ky., and Tim Manville of Highland, Ill. But with all of the traveling he did last year, Carpenter is planning to race a bit closer to home in 2019.

“We enjoyed it,” Carpenter said of his time on the MARS tour. “It was a little traveling, but we enjoyed it. I don’t know if I’m going to do it again this year. I may. I’m going to probably start off with the Mississippi State series and go from there.”

Following the regional tour meant visiting several racetracks for the first time, with Carpenter entering MARS events across Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee. But the racing was good night in and night out, so he’s not complaining.

“I love the racetracks up in Illinois,” Carpenter said. “They all seem pretty racy. They get the slick and cushion up on the high side. They’re pretty nice tracks.”

Carpenter was often faced with the dilemma many national touring drivers deal with on a weekly basis. Running a series meant traveling several hours to race when a high-paying event was running in his backyard. While he’s not planning another stint on the MARS tour, he had nothing but praise for the series.

“When you have a race close to home and you have a series race far away, it made the decision harder to go. But we decided to just go ahead and do the whole MARS deal. That’s a good series, a real good series to run. Chris (Tilley) does a real good job with it.”

In his first year following the Southern All Stars tour, Jay Scott of Fayetteville, Tenn., did more than just earn the series Rookie of the Year honors. He also clinched the 2018 SAS championship. It was a special accomplishment for Scott, who has raced on more of a local level in recent seasons.

“It means a lot really,” said Scott, among hundreds of drivers at PRI. “Just being a local guy and not every really having any help and then Anthony Bruce enterprises helping us out this last year, really helped us go a little bit extra to be able to run a series.”

Indeed, a partnership with Bruce was just the boost Scott needed. In a sport full of expenses, every little bit of help makes a difference. Scott was able to return the favor by earning Bruce a regional championship title.

“It’s better for him than it is for me really,” Scott said. “In my opinion, I’m always hard on myself. Running seventh or 10th is not a huge accomplishment for me. But winning points is a pretty big deal. It means a lot to him because he’s a guy that loves racing. He’s all about it.”

Racing with Bruce again in 2019, Scott is considering tackling the Southern All Stars tour again next year. However, he’s waiting for his new Rocket XR1 to arrive at the end of February and that time table could factor in to his season-long plans.

“Our plans are still the same as it was last year,” Scott said. “Right now our plan is to run 90 percent of the Southern All Stars stuff, still not 100 percent dedicated yet because of a new car we’ve got on the way. It’s kind of still semi up in the air.”