The Carlisle Truck Nationals run August 4-6, 2017 at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds and along with 100-years of truck history on display, there’s a wide array of family-friendly activities too. One such showcase includes frisbee dog action from Lawrence Frederick and his world-champion Disc-Connected K9 team.

The Disc-Connected K9s are no strangers to Carlisle, but will not only be at the truck show for the first-time ever, but will be back at Carlisle for the first time since 2014. Frederick and his team are coming to Carlisle direct from the North Dakota State Fair, but call the south side of Jacksonville, Florida home when not on the road. The Disc-Connected K9s are the only traveling show of its kind with such top notch “talent” on its roster. Making these dogs even more special is the fact that they are rescues that are trained to do what they do best - run, play and entertain. Many of the breeds on the team include Border Collies, Australian Shepherds, Australian Border Collies, Jack Russells and other hyper active mixed breeds.

Dogs from Disc-Connected K9s have provided entertainment around the world and have performed for some of the most amazing audiences. In addition, nearly a dozen of the dogs are World Frisbee Dog Championship Finalists, more than any other team in the history of the sport. More specifically, Frederick boasts five different World Champion dogs, including Harley Davidson, a three-time champion, plus 17 different World Finalists. More importantly, all of these performers are rescue dogs. Disc-Connected K9s not only rescues and trains dogs to perform, they also have their own adoption program. If for whatever reason they rescue a dog and can’t keep it, they adopt it out with no adoption fees. Donations, however, are always greatly appreciated either on their website or at their shows.
Further, coming to Carlisle is a homecoming of sorts for Frederick. Though he currently lives in Florida, he spent his early teen years in the Carlisle/Shippensburg area as his mom worked for a local company.

“It’s always fun to come to the area,” said Frederick. “While I do make it through this region frequently, I still enjoy the trips down memory lane that I experience each time I visit the mid-state. I have been to Carlisle before but visiting the Carlisle Truck Nationals is a first for my team. I’m looking forward to showcasing the dogs in August at Carlisle and can’t want to see everyone at the event too.”

Complete event information, as well as links to register a truck or purchase single day/weekend tickets is available at www.CarlisleEvents.com or by calling 717-243-7855.

In a warehouse in New York City in mid-April the hype became reality for Dodge and its passionate enthusiasts with the unveiling of the 840 horsepower Dodge Demon. With support from mega-star Vin Diesel and a more than 60-minute unveiling presentation on the stage, Dodge ushered in the next wave of street legal muscle for all to enjoy. Dodge knows the passion of their enthusiasts runs deep and as such, Carlisle Events is pleased to share the news that the Demon, not yet in showrooms, will be on display as part of the 2017 Carlisle Chrysler Nationals, July 14-16 at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds.

The Demon is amazing to say the least. The “base model” starts at $84,995, but considering it’s the fastest street legal car available and out performs some million dollar exotics, Dodge believes that’s a fair price point. But what makes it go fast? How about the fact that the Demon is built to be an elite performance machine and according to the Dodge Demon web page, is powered by a Supercharged 6.2L HEMI® SRT Demon V8 engine and armed with a functional Air-Grabber™ hood scoop and Torque Reserve Launch System. With the powerplant being powerful, a nice set of tires helps keep it on the road (and track) too. That’s why Dodge equipped it with 315/40R18 Nitto NT05R™ drag radial tires. While this car was designed with drag racers in mind, it’s also perfectly safe and legal to drive on the street as a daily driver. It’s that well-built.

Dodge worked diligently to not only produce this car, but to market it as well and the stories behind that and all that went into building the Demon will be told at Carlisle during event weekend. Most of the weekend the Demon will be positioned on the midway within the Dodge booth, but select times throughout the weekend it will roar from its parking spot to an area in front of the stage where automotive enthusiast and TV host Steve Magnante will talk about it; bumper to bumper.

Featuring the Demon is just one great aspect of Carlisle Chrysler Nationals weekend. The event packs nearly 3,000 cars into the facility and hosts 50,000+ guests, coming from around the world. Our displays for 2017 include features dedicated to the GTX, Dodge Trucks, RO23 and WO23 run of cars, the R/T and an FM3 display, better known as Panther Pink. Complete details about the show, special guests including Dukes of Hazzard star Tom Wopat, links to buy tickets, register a car and more are available at www.CarlisleEvents.com or by calling 717-243-7855.

More than 30 years after the Dukes of Hazzard left the CBS airwaves and over two years since it was abruptly dropped from syndication for political reasons, the program and its cast remain hugely popular. Cast members still appear at events across the country and if it’s not a cast member appearing, it’s almost certain that a General Lee will be part of the show car display. For Carlisle Events in 2017, both come together for a fun weekend as Tom Wopat (Luke Duke) of TV’s Dukes of Hazzard returns to the Carlisle Chrysler Nationals (July 14-16).

Born in Wisconsin, Wopat burst onto the national scene in 1979 as a cast member of The Dukes of Hazzard. In addition to that role, for which he’ll forever be known, Wopat is an accomplished singer as well as continuing his acting career on screen, on stage and on TV. He’s appeared on Fantasy Island, Christmas Comes to Willow Creek, Cybill, Murder She Wrote, Home Improvement, All My Children, Longmire, the Academy Award winning film Django Unchained and more. Musically speaking, Wopat is quite diverse. His career has reached from the aforementioned television and film work to high visibility Broadway roles in 1999’s Annie Get Your Gun and 2008’s Catered Affair (he received Tony Award nominations for both), as well as Chicago, Forty-Second St., Sondheim on Sondheim and more.

In 2015, Wopat was reunited with former Dukes star John Schneider for an automotive ad campaign which renewed interest in him and brought their always popular show back into the minds of a generation of fans. The two even recorded a Dukes themed Christmas CD together. In fact, they still connect during the holiday season for a handful of live events where they’ll sing tracks from their CD.

The Wopat appearance at Carlisle in 2017 is made possible in part due to support from Cooter’s Place of Luray, Virginia. The business, owned and operated by another former Dukes cast member, Ben Jones (Cooter), has a gift shop with a wide variety of Dukes apparel, food and snacks as well as historically significant Dukes memorabilia, cars and displays. Cooter’s Place will be on the midway at Carlisle in 2017 and that’s where guests can find Wopat for a photo, autograph or to simply “talk shop” with one of TV’s most iconic stars.

Wopat will be available Friday and Saturday of event weekend and will offer multiple autograph sessions per day. The first autograph will be free with an item brought to the event, plus Wopat and the Cooter’s Place team will have additional merchandise, photos, music and more available for sale. Guests or enthusiasts of the event or fans of Tom Wopat and the show can learn more about the weekend and his appearance at www.CarlisleEvents.com or by calling 717-243-7855. With so much history, horsepower and culture onsite, it’s a can’t miss weekend at the Carlisle Chrysler Nationals!

Dodge has been building trucks since 1917, and it introduced the Ram to the light-duty market in 1994. With angular styling and its iconic black honeycombesque grille, Dodge now produces Ram as its own line, launched as a stand-alone division in 2009, a now complete with a “R-A-M” badge in place of the animal head logo if you want it.

In its second year of existence, Rebel – the trim I tested, out of 12 trims offered – adds Delmonico Red to its palette of exterior colors as a no-cost option; and Rebel and various other trims add as options new monochromatic accents; body-color “R-A-M” tailgate letters across a range of monochromatic paint schemes; and new body-color running boards to amplify the design effect; body-color running boards

The Ram 1500 Rebel brings an aggressive off-road design to the full-size truck segment, presenting a custom truck with capability. Equipped with factory lift, 33-inch all-terrain tires, Bilstein® Monotube Performance Shocks, skid plates, tow hooks and other off-road-ready features, Rebel also takes advantage of exclusive air suspension in order to offer increased ride height.

Departing from the brand’s iconic “crosshair” designs, the blacked-out Rebel grille tops a completely new black off-road front bumper design with a durable powder-coated surface. The front grille design and “R-A-M” branding offer a new styling signature for Ram Truck. On Rebel, you also get a distinctive Ram tailgate, front and rear, Rebel Premium cloth bucket seats with Radar Red interior accents and heated front seats.

From the first look, this Ram is one bold, aggressive and sporty animal -- all 5740 pounds of it. The Ram 1500 Rebel is available in three short wheelbase Crew Cab configurations, while sporting a muscular, forward-sculpted demeanor, large angled headlights and a power bulge in the hood. Measuring out at 229 inches long, 79.4 inches wide and 75.7 inches high with ground clearance of 9.3 inches on a wheelbase of 140.5 inches, the Crew Cab’s bed is only 5.7-feet long. The open tailgate to the ground sat at 34.9 inches.

Ram offers several engine options. This brawny truck in various trims can power up with either an efficient turbocharged EcoDiesel 3.0-liter V-6 engine that produces 240 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of torque, for towing up to 9,200 pounds while delivering fuel economy of 29 mpg on the highway; or a 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine with variable-valve timing that offers 305 horsepower, 269 lb.-ft. of torque and fuel economy of 25 mpg. But for me, Ram means HEMI, and my Ram 1500 Rebel muscled up with the legendary 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine with fuel-saving cylinder shut-off and VVT. That means 395 hp and 410 lb.-ft. of torque for an EPA rating of 22 mpg/highway.

My test Ram 1500 Rebel and its HEMI was quick, responsive and powerful around town, on the interstate, off road, on the job and on the track. Getting some tire smoke, my Rebel pulled off a 7.4-second zero-to-60mph dash en route to a 15.5-second quarter-mile. My pedal mashing didn’t help the fuel economy, which averaged 15.9mpg during a week of highway runs, passing at speed, sprints and some off-road excursions.

The Ram 1500 Rebel’s interior is comfortable and functional. Rebel is roomy, with 41 inches of front headroom and 39.9 inches for Crew Cab second-seaters; legroom is 41 inches in row one and 40.3 inches in row two, and shoulder room is 66 inches in front and 65.7 for rear passengers. Among cabin amenities are dual-zone air conditioning, power windows, power locks, speed control, a media center with a 30-gigabyte hard drive, and heated and ventilated front seats are included and roominess prevails

Ram 1500 says safety with standard front airbags, front and rear side-curtain air bags and seat-mounted side pelvic-thorax air bags with Enhanced Accident Response System, knee bolsters, seat-belt pretensioners and ParkSense rear park assist. The 2017 Ram 1500 also includes standard electronic stability control, all-speed traction control, trailer-sway control, hill-start assist and anti-lock brake system.

The base 2017 Ram 1500 Tradesman starts at $26,495 in 4x2 configuration with a 6-ft.-4-in. box, and moves through 12 trim levels to the $52,875-base Laramie Limited. The spiffed-out Rebel trim is the 10th trim and starts at $45,095 in 4x2. My test Ram Rebel, in Flame Red and a black premium cloth interior, had a Crew Cab and 5-ft.-7-in. box. It added, 4x4 drive and was priced at $47,195. Moving up in power from the 3.6-liter V-6 to the 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine added $1950 (well, ya “gotta” have a HEMI and the additional 90hp) and upgraded to an 8-Speed automatic 8HP70 transmission in the package.

The $695 Luxury group added an Auto-Dimming Exterior Mirror; Exterior Mirrors with Turn Signals and Courtesy Lamps; Glove Box Lamp, LED Bed Lighting; Overhead Console with Garage Door Opener; Power Heated Mirrors with Power Fold-Away
Rear Dome with On / Off Switch Lamp; Under Hood Lamp and more. A rear window defroster added $195; a power sunroof was $1095, and oddly required the addition of 9 Alpine speakers and subwoofer for another $445. A spray-in bedliner added $495. With destination charges of $1395, stickered my Ram Rebel truck-as-tested stickered at $53,465 before incentives.

You can see 100 years of Dodge/Ram trucks and more than 2,500 vehicles from all eras of the Chrysler brand, as classics, muscle cars and high-performance new models all converge at the Carlisle Chrysler Nationals, at the Carlisle (PA) Fairgrounds, July 14-16.


> Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.

Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.

The Carlisle Chevrolet Nationals, in some form or the other, has been taking place at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds since 2001 and its most recent offering, June 23-25, 2017 offered up an event that rivaled those over the past five years at Carlisle. With guests traveling from the region over to attend, combined with a renewed excitement about the Chevrolet brand, the cars, people and excitement were on full display this year, with even more momentum building for next year’s show. Before we look too far ahead to 2018, let’s look back at the 2017 Carlisle Chevrolet Nationals.
Every show at Carlisle is supported by its amazing vending base and invitational displays and those two arms of the Chevrolet Nationals came together nicely as event set up day came and went on Thursday, June 22. As the sun set on Thursday, the third day of summer (Friday) saw gates open at 7 a.m. and offer a full array of displays, guests and action. Top draws included Chevrolet! For the first time in a long time Chevrolet came to Carlisle for this show along with their engineers and a new product showcase, including the amazing ZL1 1LE Camaro and their Auto X concept.

While Chevrolet hosted walk-arounds all weekend, Friday really got going with an early morning Nitrofest session with Bruce Larson, his USA-1 Corvette and the Time Bomb Vega. Everyone loves to go fast, so the day also featured autocross rides with UMI Performance, open autocross hosted by the Cumberland Valley Corvette Club and even the Real Street Shootout autocross race Friday evening. Before the day wrapped though, TV stars Lou Santiago (Car Fix on Velocity) and Kevin Tetz (Trucks on Spike) hosted seminars, signed autographs and more.

Saturday saw some of the nicest cars and weather at Carlisle in some time. History was on display with nearly 100 years of Chevrolet (and Chevrolet family) products on-site. The oldest known car was a 1922 Oakland, owned by the same man since 1944, with a wide array of modern-day machines showcased too. In between even more history came to town with the first-ever Camaro produced and sitting innocently beside it was the 5,000,000 Camaro produced too. A special V-12 custom built 1967 Camaro sat across the aisle from the original ’67 and all around those cars were some of the best ever produced rides to come out of Detroit.

With displays decided to the 50th Anniversary of the Camaro and Firebird, combined with a pace car display, general invitational display, Solid Lifter Showroom and the National Parts Depot Showfield laced with nothing but the best from Cadillac, Pontiac, General Motors, Chevrolet, Buick, Cosworth Vega, Monza Mirage and more, the weekend really had it all. If the spotlight cars weren’t enough, there were multiple awards and competitions too, from Carlisle Elite picks on Friday, to the Historic Vehicle Association honors Saturday, burnouts, beauty and the overall showfield awards Sunday, tens of thousands of guests walked away with memories to last a life time.

Chevrolet is planning on returning for 2018 and guests and enthusiasts should consider doing the same. The 2018 Carlisle Chevrolet Nationals run June 22-24 and will feature even more of the best cars of their type in the region and across the country. Registration is open now at www.CarlisleEvents.com or by calling 717-243-7855.