The Derek Pernesiglio Show (YouTube)

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Derek Pernesiglio is involved in racing - he does pit reporting for TV, track announcing, and segments for Speed Sport News - you may have seen him.

He is also *a slot racer*, and has competed in races with us at South Shore Speedway. He even did a spot on *slot car racing* for Speed Sport!

He has a new talk show, aptly named "The Derek Pernesiglio Show" on YouTube. I watched the opening episodes and they were pretty good.

I think the guests were glad the interviewer actually knew something about modifieds and short track racing, and it came across. Looks like there are some real guests lined up for upcoming episodes - I wish the show luck!



Funny thing was - I was making a slot body of the #44 Reggie Ruggiero modified, only about an hour before I stumbled on the opening episode of Derek's YouTube show - which was featuring . . . Reggie Ruggiero!

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So far . . .


Reggie Ruggiero:

Brett Bodine:

Amber Balcaen:

[BIG E]

Absolutely one of my most favorite and unforgettable people from the days when I had the commercial slot car track on Long Island. Derek was a little guy in his early teens at most, a very energetic kid, and I was old enough to be his father. He would be hanging out around our 8 lane POCONO Tri Oval slot car track on Saturday afternoons, and sometimes on Friday nights when his older brother Pete would bring him along for the races. Derek was always telling me that we needed to have an IMCA sprint car replica class, he loved the little open wheelers. Our 3 inch wide spec pavement style "midgets" (based on the Sprints Plus chassis) just weren't authentic enough for him - he wanted winged dirt cars! He had more enthusiasm and race car knowledge than any of the other kids his age, that was for sure! I spoke to him on the phone about a year ago, and was happy to congratulate him on his career. It was fun catching up with him and laughing about the old days at the slot car raceway - that was in the late 1980s through the early 90s. Good times, and now I enjoy seeing him doing his pit reporting gig on TV. When you can do something you love for a living, it doesn't get any better that!
Congrats again old friend, and... Enjoy! -- Ernie

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Andy Stapp:

Another good interview - Like all of these it touches a bit on the short track experience and some history as well as racing stories. Not a lot of views but these are very well done - check it out.