Bobby Labonte to appear at Pennzoil Motorsports 2000

FORT WASHINGTON, PA NOVEMBER 21, 1999 . . . The all-star lineup of racers and personalities continues to grow and become even more impressive as Bobby Labonte, who finished second to 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup champion Dale Jarrett, is the latest to announce his intentions to be part of the Pennzoil Motorsports 2000 Auto Racing Trade Show. Labonte, younger brother of two time Winston Cup champion Terry Labonte, a five time winner in Winston Cup competition this season, will be part of the ever expanding Pennzoil presence at the three day show set for January 14- 16. In fact Labonte finished off the 1999 season with an impressive win in the NAPA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday after starting 37th in the field. It was his 4th career win at Atlanta. The show, featuring everything motorsports, will fill more than 275,000 square feet of the Fort Washington, PA Expo Center. In fact Pennzoil Motorsports 2000 is the largest event of its kind in the country and is the best attended event offered at the Expo Center. Close to 50,000 people passed through the turnstiles for Pennzoil Motorsports '99. The younger Labonte drives the Joe Gibbs owned Interstate Batteries sponsored entry on the Winston Cup circuit. Associate sponsorship for the team comes from Pennzoil and in fact all Joe Gibbs owned race cars, Winston Cup, Busch Series and NHRA Top Fuel, run with Pennzoil products. Labonte was able to finish 98.9% of the laps on the Winston Cup circuit, perhaps because of Pennzoil products. Labonte will be joining an already impressive list of motorsports notables who will be in attendance at the Pennzoil Motorsports 2000 "Mid-Winter Motorsports Happening." A.J. Foyt, a four time winner of the Indianapolis 500 as a driver and two time winner as a car owner, will be part of the show. Foyt just recently announced that he will field a Conseco (insurance and investment firm) sponsored Pontiac in Winston Cup competition with rookie Mike Bliss as the driver. In addition Scott Goodyear, a top talent on the Pep Boys Indy Racing League circuit in the Pennzoil Panther entry, will be at the show along with Winston Cup talent Steve Park. For the second time Dale Earnhardt Jr., the 1999 NASCAR Busch Series champion, will be appearing at the show and there will be a long list of other racers and personalities joining the activities that fill the three day weekend. One of the most popular attractions at the show is the autograph sessions that allow fans to get "up close and personal" with some of the top talents in the sport while adding to their autograph collections. It should be pointed out that there is no additional fee for autographs once the fan has bought an admission ticket for the show. The MotorMax Extreme Motorsports Garage will again be a popular stop for show attendees as they get to see live demonstrations covering shocks, fuel injection, sheet metal fabrication and more. A variety of seminars covering everything from sponsorship marketing to choosing the right race tires will be presented throughout the weekend. The famed and fabled U.S. Tobacco Ms. Motorsports Contest will be part of the three day weekend as will Big Wheel racing for the youngsters and the Li'l Miss Motorsports Pageant. More than 150 motorsports vehicles of all types will be on the show floor along with more than 500 exhibit booths offering everything imaginable in motorsports. And there is a huge collectible area. Many area speedways and sanctioning organizations use the show to announce their plans for the new season and fans have the opportunity to make their plans on which events they will want to attend. The Pennzoil Motorsports 2000 Motorsports Extravaganza will open at 1 p.m. on Friday, January 14 and continue through until 6 p.m. on Sunday, January 16. Adult admission cost is $10.00 while youngsters 6 through 12 pay just $3.00. And for adults there is a special three day ticket available for just $25.00. For ticket and exhibiting information telephone 609.888.3618. As in the past arrangements have been made with a number of the "better" local hotels to offer discount room rates. Reservations must be made through Marilyn Saxton at (215) 752.2392 or at Plaza II Travel at (215)943-0190. The Fort Washington, PA Expo Center is located just off Exit 26 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.