Car enthusiasts rank Philadelphia, Delaware Valley institutions as USA Today's '10Best'

Damon C. Williams, Bucks County Courier Times

Philadelphia and the greater Delaware Valley is a haven for gear heads, given that it is home to the Pocono Raceway and the revered Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum.

Now, a USA Today Panel has confirmed as much, ranking several regional automotive-centric institutions high on its "10Best" list.

Every week, USA Today invites a panel of industry experts to nominate their favorite points of interest and attractions across a wide range of categories. USA Today's 10Best editors then publish the results on the "10Best" website.

Here's look at USA Today's "10Best" categories and where our institutions rank.

Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, AACA Museum are '10Best' attractions

The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, located on North Broad Street in downtown Philadelphia, houses extremely rare cars in a multistory building just a few blocks from Philadelphia City Hall.

The Simeone museum ranked third on USA Today's "10Best" attraction for car lovers.

"The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum is one of the world’s greatest collections of racing sports cars. Through our theme, 'The Spirit of Competition,' we celebrate the history and evolution of these magnificent machines," read a portion of the museum's website. "Assembled over 50 years by Dr. Frederick Simeone, the Museum contains over 75 historically significant cars including Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Bugatti, Mercedes, Jaguar, Bentley, Porsche, Aston Martin, Corvette, Ford, and more."

250 Testa Rossa Chassis NO. 0728, by artists J. Paul Neeses, on display at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia. The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum ranked high on USA Today's "10 Best" for Best Attraction for Car Lovers.
250 Testa Rossa Chassis NO. 0728, by artists J. Paul Neeses, on display at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia. The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum ranked high on USA Today's "10 Best" for Best Attraction for Car Lovers.

Simeone Museum on '10Best' list: USA Today's '10 Best Attractions for Car Lovers

The ACAA Museum in Hershey also made USA Today's "10Best" cut, ranking fourth.

USA Today '10Best' panel votes Pocono Raceway best NASCAR track

In something of an upset, Pocono Raceway, also known as the "Tricky Triangle" for its unique, three-corner layout, raced out to the lead in USA Today's "Best NASCAR Track" list.

Pocono Raceway tops '10Best' list: USA Today's '10Best" Nascar Tracks:

The next showdown at Pocono Raceway is the NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday, July 14.

Pocono Raceway beat out some well-established and historically important NASCAR tracks:

  • 1. Pocono Raceway

  • 2. Chicago StreetRace; Chicago

  • 3. Sonoma Raceway; Sonoma, CA

  • 4. Michigan International Speedway; Brooklyn, MI

  • 5. Bristol Motor Speedway; Bristol, TN

  • 6. Daytona International Speedway; Daytona Beach, FL

  • 7. New Hampshire Motor Speedway; Loudon, NH

  • 8. Las Vegas Motor Speedway; Las Vegas

  • 9. Talladega Motor SPeedway; Lincoln, AL

  • 10. Atlanta Motor Speedway; Hampton, GA

Antique Automobile Club of America's fall meet top-ten car show

USA Todays "10Best" panel also thought highly of the AACA's fall meet, ranking it fifth on the "10best" list of best car shows.

AACA's fall meet a '10Best' car show: USA Today's '10Best" car show list:

"The Eastern Division AACA National Fall Meet takes place each year during the 1st full week in October. The Hershey Region began hosting the show in 1955 and has done so each year since then," read a portion of the Collector Car Guide's description of the car show. "The meet is located in beautiful Hershey, on the grounds and parking lots surrounding Hersheypark and The Giant Center. Hershey is considered one of the largest antique automobile shows and flea markets in the United States."

Here the full USA Today's "10Best Car Show" rankings:

  • 1. Cruisin' the Coast; Mississippi Gulf Coast

  • 2. MSRA Back to the 50s Weekend; St. Paul

  • 3. Triple Crown of Rodding; Lebanon, Tennessee

  • 4. The Amelia Concours d'Elegance; Amelia Island, Florida

  • 5. Eastern Division AACA National Fall Meet

  • 6. NSRA Street Rod Nationals; Louisville, Kentucky

  • 7. Grand National Roadster Show; Pomona, California

  • 8. Iola Car Show Iola, Wisconsin

  • 9. The Gathering at the Roc; Bartlesville, Oklahoma

  • 10. Woodward Dream Cruise; Detroit

Damon C. Williams covers trending and regional developments for PhillyBurbs.com. Support our journalism with a subscription.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Delaware Valley races to the top of USA Today's '10Best' auto lists

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