KANSAS CITY, Mo (Feb. 24, 2011) - The Super Chevy Show is the Smorgasbord of motorsports, offering a little bit of everything for car enthusiasts, from the finest sportsman drag races to one of the best car shows around.
But for some, a Super Chevy Show is the perfect place to locate that hard-to-find part for their custom car, and for them, the vendor swap meet at Super Chevy Shows is a Godsend. And this season, they will feel like they've hit the motherload as Super Chevy Show has brought in custom car guru Harry "The Hat" LaPlatte, who has organized swap meets at various racing events for more than 20 years. He will direct swap meets at six of the series' 12 events. His schedule will begin with season-opener at Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter, Fla. on April 8-10. LaPlatte will also lead the swap meet vendors' row for the Super Chevy Shows in Petersburg, Va. on May 20-22; Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas on June 3-5; Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pa. on July 14-17, Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway on Sept. 23-25 and Rockingham (N.C.) Dragway on Oct. 21-23.
One of the key factors for the swap meet side of Super Chevy Shows is that they also offer a specific audience. Just like racers and fans come just for the sportsman races, and car enthusiasts come just for the car shows, the same can be said for some of the custom car set, who want to see what special part they can get for their unique ride. And the Super Chevy Shows offer some of the top quality parts from the top brands in the country.
"Yes, there are (fans) who come to the event specifically for the swap meet," said LaPlatte, whose wide knowledge in this field is his own attraction, with a rather big following. "Rockingham is having (a program) where it's just $5 to go to the swap meet. You don't have to go to the races (or car shows). A lot of the swap meet fans don't care to go to the races."
LaPlatte also said that a big key for the Super Chevy Show swap meets this season comes from some of the track operators, specifically Rockingham's Steve Earwood and Palm Beach's Jason Rittenberry, who both have a history of knowing the importance of putting together a quality swap meet.
"Steve is unbelievable," LaPlatte said. "He's been doing this stuff since the beginning of Super Chevy as far as swap meet's go. Jason (came from Memphis), and Memphis had the largest swap meet (vendor count) ever. "
Virginia Motorsports Park, which brought in LaPlatte, put on one of the bigger swap meets last season, along with the show at Maple Grove. LaPlatte, who also said the key is planning ahead, is also looking forward to the show in Texas, which should add its own flair to the Super Chevy Show.
"Last year, I started at Virginia and it sold out," said LaPlatte, who in addition to his swap meet expertise has found time to create a website that honors cars of the past at dragracehalloffame.com. "It was amazing to be part of that energy. When I got the call from Texas, it was a great feeling. Billy Meyer, being one of my drag race heroes in the 1970s and 80s, well, it was a good phone call. I just want (everyone) to load up and come to the Texas Motorplex."
The feeling is mutual for Texas Motorplex officials, who believe they have struck gold by bringing in LaPlatte, who also makes it fun for the fans, giving away a variety of products and show stickers.
"Having someone like Harry on board is a tremendous benefit for the Super Chevy Show series and especially the participants coming to Texas Motorplex,” said Gabrielle Stevenson, Texas Motorplex general manager. “He has incredible amounts of knowledge and experience and that is going to be a huge advantage to our show participants and fans. In our first conversation I could tell how enthusiastic Harry was to join our team and make this the best Super Chevy Show ever at Texas Motorplex."
