(Photos by Chad) — Well, the 2013 PRI show is officially over and everyone (including the Roadkill guys) has finally packed up and vacated the convention center. By all accounts the show organizers’ decision to move the PRI extravaganza back to Indy was a great one. There were more people on the floor and more vendors than have been present in years. The arctic weather basically guaranteed that no one was bugging out early and business was getting done on the floor the entire time the show was going and long after it closed each afternoon. For us, the end of PRI marks the last big event of 2013. We’re not on much of a layoff, though. We’ll be back on the road in about three weeks for our yearly stream of the 2013 PRO Winter Warm Up at Palm Beach International Raceway in Florida. That’s the event where we bring you pre-season testing action of all the biggest names in professional nitro drag racing. Stay tuned, it is going to rule.
In this gallery which Chad shot before winging away from Indy, there’s plenty of great parts, lots of cool cars, and a bunch of our friends from the industry. Trade shows are weird things because they’re all about doing business but they also serve as entertainment to their audience because of creative displays and new products, they serve as reunions for people who deal with each other all the time and maybe see each other twice a year, and they serve as a great reason for friends and business acquaintances to hit the town at night and perhaps have too much fun. We didn’t do the last part but we did do everything else!
HIT THE LINK BELOW TO SEE CHAD’S FINAL GALLERY FROM PRI 2013 – THE RETURN TO INDY!
Great shots guys! Will you guys be in NYC in 2014? Possibly for the NY auto show?
PRI for me was definitely not better this year. I’m from MN and having 2 degree weather follow you from home to Indy sucked. Not being able to enjoy some nice weather and find a dirt track race on Friday night sucked. Having the show split up into multiple rooms sucked. Did I mention not getting away from the cold sucked. Seeing Willy’s new carb bowls that got rid of the float, needle and seat was a genius idea and probably the best thing at the show. I’m not saying that to cut down the show. It is a great idea. Hearing that Holley is getting their hands on it and not letting Willy’s sell it at this point was disappointing. Meeting the guys from hot rod was pretty cool. Seeing some of the guys from street outlaws left me not wanting to watch the show any longer. Two of them come across as loudmouth jerks in real life. Yeah hard to see that one coming. Will I go next year? Maybe but I’m really leaning towards SEMA even though PRI is geared towards racing and that is what I’d rather see. It was just too cold and too chopped up. PRI in Orlando was getting back to pre-recession size until they decided to have a similar show in Indy the week before PRI. That pissing contest ended with PRI getting bought out and being moved to Indy. Lame if you ask me. Richard Petty talking about the current NASCAR racing at breakfast on Thursday was worth the price for the entire trip.
Show was impressive in attendance over previous years. I did not like the discombobulated layout in all the side rooms. It was hard to navigate. Orlando was one big room easy and to find everybody. And it was a much nicer place to go in the middle of Dec….
I totally agree with everything here. I had hellish winter air travel to Indy and back (eg. luggage lost both ways) that wouldn’t have been an issue going to Orlando.
We nearly got stuck in one of the side rooms for our booth. Luckily we were able to get a spot on machinery row instead – still not the best location for our products, but the side rooms seemed to be almost totally empty.