The car community is all inclusive! Politics, race, orientation, specific car interests, able bodied, adaptive or otherwise, when showing a car, you’re simply an enthusiast and your enthusiasm tends to draw the interests of others who want to see what you’re showing and talk about what they are into as well. Sometimes, once the dust settles on the initial conversation, someone might notice something a little different, but really…does it matter? For car lover Jason Schneider, losing a hand at age 12 has not stopped his passion for cars OR his ability to wrench on them.
Schneider is a native New Yorker and northeast Pennsylvania resident who has owned many cars in his life. He doesn’t just own or drive them, he races them, maintains them and upgrades them too. What makes him different (according to some) is that due to an unfortunate accident as a child, he lost his right hand. Never one to look at himself as different, Schneider navigated life as any normal kid would. He built soap box racers, played video games, he got his drivers license and he fell in love with cars. Of course, not everyone looked at him in the same way that he did.
Over time, Schneider has proven his doubters wrong and along the way, helped showcase others who have done the same. In 2005, he began a career in filmmaking as an editor, and in 2019, his directorial debut titled “Despite the Loss” premiered. The 88 minute long feature length documentary not only takes viewers on a journey through his life, but introduces audiences to others “like him” who have persevered, despite their loss. In fact, two stars of the documentary end up getting married after connecting by way of a dating app. There are others featured in the film that share an automotive passion like Schneider, including Harry Sandhu, the shop owner of Z-Tuner in Florida and Jacob Innabnit, a CAD Designer who owns Eximious Custom Parts in Alabama. In short, the movie with Schneider and everyone else featured what they already knew; they really aren’t different at all.
In 2021, as part of the Carlisle Ford Nationals (June 4-6) presented by Meguiar’s, Schneider will be the special guest of Carlisle Events and the Ford community. While at the event, he’ll be showcasing his 1993 Fox-body Mustang, while also taking it to the track as part of Friday’s Real Street Shootout. In addition, Schneider will be introduced to Ford representatives and his story will be showcased on social media platforms throughout the weekend too, including his and those of Carlisle Events.
By the way, this is the first time Schneider has ever been to a car show at Carlisle and it all came together through a mutual connection, the JP Emerson podcast. Emerson, a friend of Carlisle Events, is in season 1 of his internationally available podcast, and heard about Schneider. While booking him in, he also connected with Carlisle Events with the idea of a surprise invite. It all played out on Emerson’s March 8, 2021 episode. Schneider accepted and has been looking forward to the visit ever since.
“As a long-time fan of Carlisle Events, and a diehard Ford enthusiast, I'm thrilled to be a special guest of the Carlisle Ford Nationals this year,” said Schneider. “It's an honor to meet some of the Ford brass, and the Real Street Shootout is a great opportunity to put my new Mustang project through its paces and test my own skills on the autocross.”
There certainly is a lot to see and do for he and everyone else who comes to the event. Ford weekend welcomes its first-ever Comic-Car Con, where tribute, replica and in some cases real TV and movie cars will be showcased. In addition, the Pinto gets a 50th celebration as does the Big Horse Mustangs (’71-’73). There’s also a Stroppe Reunion and the annual Ford Nationals Select display within Building Y.
Carlisle Events is COVID-19 compliant and follows current guidelines suggested by state officials as well as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). A detailed Health/Safety Measures summary is available on CarlisleEvents.com. While on the web, be sure to apply for Feature Vehicle displays, register for the National Parts Depot Showfield or to be a vendor, purchase discounted spectator tickets in advance and more. Call 717-243-7855 to learn more today.