IMIS Trade Show – Indianapolis

By Paul Gohde
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Updated: December 3, 2010

“You could really spend a lot of money here.”

That comment echoed through the halls of the Indiana Convention Center last week as thousands of race drivers and teams attended the second-annual International Motorsports Industry Show- an event that more than doubled in size from its 2009 inaugural.

The sold-out, three-day show, organized and promoted by industry veterans Tony Stewart, Chris Paulsen, Jeff Stoops and Tom Weisenbach, is basically designed for the hardcore, short-track racer who is looking for help from almost 600 companies in planning for the 2011 racing season.

“While we’re thrilled with our growth, we’ve also worked very hard to make sure that IMIS remains a show for the hardcore racers only,” said Weisenbach. “We’re not looking to be the biggest show, but rather the best for the racing industry, which is why we turned down companies that did not fit our criteria.”

The aisles of the convention center were packed with 1,145 booths staffed by well-known companies such as Penske Shocks, Robert Yates Racing Engines, Weld Racing, Iskenderian Cams and Goodyear. Also manning exhibits were many smaller companies offering carburetors, custom hearing protection, trailers, chassis, decals, and insurance.

And the heavy hitters were also in attendance to give advice and take orders from teams ready to start building for next season. Robert Yates and Jack Roush were talking to engine builders from throughout the country. Randy LaJoie was giving tips to drivers on how to install and use his widely respected line of safety seats, and Bill Simpson was touting his Impact Racing line of products.

Along with the trade show, the promoters scheduled conferences on Safety and Technical subjects and Youth Safety designed for the young, novice racer. Heading these seminars were such well known speakers as Kirk Russell, Geoff Bodine and Dr. Terry Trammell.

The 2011 show is scheduled for Nov. 30 -Dec. 2.

Show Notes: In a press conference held during the IMIS show, O’Reilly Raceway Park, along with ARCA and USAC, announced that the Thursday, July 28th portion of the 2011 Kroger Speedfest will feature a 200 lap ARCA National Stock Car Series event on the ORP 5/8ths mile track. Also featured will be USAC Mopar Midgets and Silver Crown Series races.

“All three of these series will add to what is already some of the best racing in the country during the course of three evenings,” said ORP acting general manager Wes Collier. NASCAR’S Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series complete the Friday and Saturday portions of the event’s schedule.

? Shortly after the IMIS show, ARCA announced that their 2011 racing series would feature Menards as the sole presenting sponsor, replacing RE/MAX with whom they shared sponsorship in 2010. ARCA also announced the addition of a 200 lap event at Madison (WI) Int. Speedway on Aug.26th. . This will be one of 19 events in 12 states on their 2011 schedule.

Paul Gohde

Paul Gohde heard the sound of race cars early in his life.

Growing up in suburban Milwaukee, just north of Wisconsin State Fair Park in the 1950’s, Paul had no idea what “that noise” was all about that he heard several times a year. Finally, through prodding by friends of his parents, he was taken to several Thursday night modified stock car races on the old quarter-mile dirt track that was in the infield of the one-mile oval -and he was hooked.

The first Milwaukee Mile event that he attended was the 1959 Rex Mays Classic won by Johnny Thomson in the pink Racing Associates lay-down Offy built by the legendary Lujie Lesovsky. After the 100-miler Gohde got the winner’s autograph in the pits, something he couldn’t do when he saw Hank Aaron hit a home run at County Stadium, and, again, he was hooked.

Paul began attending the Indianapolis 500 in 1961, and saw A. J. Foyt’s first Indy win. He began covering races in 1965 for Racing Wheels newspaper in Vancouver, WA as a reporter/photographer and his first credentialed race was Jim Clark’s historic Indy win.Paul has also done reporting, columns and photography for Midwest Racing News since the mid-sixties, with the 1967 Hoosier 100 being his first big race to report for them.

He is a retired middle-grade teacher, an avid collector of vintage racing memorabilia, and a tour guide at Miller Park. Paul loves to explore abandoned race tracks both here and in Europe, with the Brooklands track in Weybridge England being his favorite. Married to Paula, they have three adult children and two cats.

Paul loves the diversity of all types of racing, “a factor that got me hooked in the first place.”

racingnation.com