By Al Stilley
Senior staff writer

The 30th annual Performance Racing Industry Trade Show featured products for all types of racing during its three-day run at the Indiana Convention Center. 

The event showcased 1,100 racing businesses, including the Indianapolis Speedrome, Indy Cylinder Head of Wanamaker and American Electronics of Greenwood. Products were displayed at 3,400 booths. The trade show has a $70 million economic impact. 
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Racing legend Richard Petty, four-time NASCAR truck series champion Ron Hornaday Jr., 2016 IndyCar champion Simon Pagenaud, NASCAR driver Justin Allgaier and NHRA competitors JR Todd, Antron Brown, Leah Pritchett and Erica Enders were among the personalities at various booths.

By Bill Thorpe

Wayne Luther is a car guy with a lot of talent. 

He custom built a 1930s Model A pickup truck to be a crew cab version that he takes to car shows. He has owned the vehicle for 27 years and continually adds to and updates the paint scheme.

Being a big Batman fan, his favorite character is the Joker. So that quickly became the theme of his creation. Bob “Bikini” Keeney did all the pinstriping and the caricature of the Joker on the tailgate. Bob finished striping the fenders on his 80th birthday. The Joker’s face has even been embroidered in the fabric on the inside of the doors, and the car has been painted candy tangerine orange.

It took Wayne four years to get the car in running condition. After stretching the frame and reinforcing it, he powered the car with a 650 Chevy-blown small block turbo 400 with automatic transmission. It has a 1972 Jaguar rear end, and the roof comes from an early Chevy Astro minivan, which gives it a tight waterproof fit. The vehicle has four-wheel modern disc brakes.

Wayne has won numerous awards, including best paint, engine and interior and several best of shows, in recent years. He loves taking the truck to shows and often drives it to work and around town.
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Until next time, happy cruisin’!