(Wilkes-Barre, PA) The 52 nd gathering of the Eastern Motorsport Press Association
brought together a wide range of motorsports professionals at the Holiday Inn East
Mountain in Wilkes-Barre, PA. The weekend blends work with celebration, made
possible because of support from the business community and individuals involved in
some aspect of motorsports.
Inducting outstanding individuals into the EMPA Hall of Fame is the weekend’s
crown jewel event at a celebratory banquet. This year two dirt racers (Alan Johnson and
Jimmy Horton III), NHRA drag racing legend Don ‘The Snake’ Prudhomme, asphalt star
Steve Park, sprint car great Sammy Swindell, and renowned motorsports writer Bones
Bourcier have joined other legends in the Hall.
Friday evening, attendees heard from several drivers who were invited to
Champions Night, presented this year by new sponsor The Wire Guys from Hazle
Township, PA. They included Zane Zeiner, Jeff Strunk, Ken Duke, Jr., Steve Shultz,
Scott Riggleman, Logan Watt, John Scarborough, Parker Hendricks, Sam Ryan, and
Stephen Kopcik.
Saturday’s agenda included workshops for both writers and photographers, the
popular photo contest, and keynote speaker, Paul Page. As the longtime voice of the
Indy 500, his blend of humorous anecdotes and sage advice was well received. He then
joined Hall of Fame inductee Bones Bourcier in a panel discussion facilitated by EMPA
Vice President Karl Fredrickson. Topics ranged from the absolute necessity in being
factual and the importance of building trust with your audience. “Please thank your
members for the wonderful hospitality they gave me. I really enjoyed the event. Your
attention to detail is amazing,” Page stated.
Dino Oberto, EMPA President, provided a ‘State of the Organization’ address to
highlight the many changes that have taken place in recent years. He also thanked
some key individuals for their work in various initiatives. Oberto then presented an Ernie
and Marilyn Saxton Service to EMPA award to longtime sponsor Dover Motor
Speedway. Mike Lewis accepted.
Saturday evening’s Hall of Fame dinner celebrated racing’s past, with six new
inductees, and its present, with a host of special awards to members and others in the
sport. Each of the Hall of Fame inductees recognized the accomplishments of all the
others and expressed the personal honor of being included among so many talented
professionals.
Early indications are that EMPA again scored a big win with the weekend’ lineup.
The 53 rd convention will be held at the same location. Additional information on EMPA
can be found at https://empamedia.com.
2023 Pocono Raceway/EMPA Writer’s Contest
Feature: 1 st Thomas Pope (Speedway Illustrated), 2 nd Ron Hedger (Speed Sport
Insider), 3 rd Scott Walsh (Scranton Times-Tribune)
Personality Profile: 1 st Dan Anderson (Speedway Illustrated), 2 nd Carol Houssock
(Speedway Illustrated), 3 rd Thomas Pope (Speedway Illustrated)
Column: 1 st Bruce Bennett (Speedway Illustrated), Dan Anderson (Speedway
Illustrated), 3 rd Jason Beck (Speedway Illustrated)
Race Report: 1 st Scott Walsh (Scranton Time-Tribune), 2 nd Lenny Sammons (Area Auto
Racing News), 3 rd Dino Oberto (Hazleton Standard-Speaker)
News: 1 st Kevin Kovac (DirtonDirt.com), Scott Walsh (Scranton Time-Tribune), Mike
Adaskaveg (Outsidegroove.com)
2024 Brice’s NAPA Auto Photography Contest
Action: 1 st Dave Dellinger, 2 nd Jack Kromer, 3 rd Dave Pratt (Honorable Mention: Dave
Dellinger, Matt Butcosk, Dave Pratt)
Action Sequence: 1 st Dave Dellinger, Pete McDonald, Stefanie Canfield (Honorable
Mention: Deb Gastelu, Deb Gastelu
Crash Action: 1 st Jack Kromer, 2 nd Pete McDonald, 3 rd Dave Pratt (Honorable Mention:
Kristen Cocca, Joe Kaminski, Dave Pratt)
Feature: Pete McDonald,2 nd , Todd Dziadosz, 3 rd Matt Butcosk (Honorable Mention: Dino
Oberto, Matt Butcosk, Walt Smith, Jim Smith, Brent Smith, Harry Meeks)
Picture Story: 1 st Dave Dellinger, Bobby Chalmers, Todd Dziadosz (Honorable Mention:
Erika Bye, Duane Canfield, Bob Yurko, Michael Casey, Bob Yurko)
Portrait & Personality: 1 st Harry Meeks, 2 nd Tommy Lane, Jack Kromer (Honorable
Mention: Duane Canfield, Erika Bye, Jack Kromer, Matt Butcosk, Matt Butcosk, Pete
McDonald
Pure Art: 1 st Todd Dziadosz, Brent Smith, Harry Meeks (Honorable Mention: Duane
Canfield, Todd Dziadosz, Tommy Lane, Pete McDonald)
Unpublished Color: 1 st Todd Dziadosz, 2 nd Brent Smith, 3 rd Stefanie Canfield (Honorable
Mention: Tommy Lane, Rick Sweeten, Rick Sweeten)
Portfolio: Pete McDonald
Best of Show: Dave Dellinger
Other Awards:
EMPA Hall of Fame: Bones Bourcier (Journalist), Jimmy Horton III (dirt), Alan Johnson
(dirt), Steve Park (asphalt), Don Prudhomme (drag racing), Sammy Swindell (sprints)
Junie Dunlevy Spirit of the Sport: Ryan Flores
Janice Brice photo award: Duane Canfield
EMPA Promotional award: Doug Rose
John Blewett III Young Gun, Presented by New England Race Fuels: Corey Day
Jerry Reigle Outstanding Contribution to Sprint Car Racing: Scott Gobrecht
Richie Evans Northeast Asphalt Driver of the Year: Justin Bonsignore
Richie Evans Northeast Dirt Driver of the Year: Mat Williamson
Al Holbert National Dirt Driver of the Year: David Gravel
Al Holbert National Asphalt Driver of the Year: Kyle Larson
Chris Economaki Newsmaker of the Year: Dave Blaney
Ace Lane, Sr. Photographer of the Year: (tie) Rich Corbett, Tommy Lane
Jim Hunter Writer of the Year: (tie) Ted Schmidt, Keith Waltz
Howie and Mary Hodge Photo: Bob Yurko
Ernie and Marilyn Saxton Service Awards: Dover Motor Speedway, Bill Brice
-EMPA
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