The Rhode Island Hot Wheels Club is hosting its Hot Wheels Summer Smash show at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick this weekend.

It is part of Hot Wheels’ 40th anniversary celebrations at both the local and national levels.

At the same time, a road trip is being run from Mattel Inc.’s headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., ending up at Watkins Glen, N.Y., on Sept. 5.

Jim Lombari, president of the Rhode Island club, said he is expecting 300 to 400 people to attend the Summer Smash show.

Activities include a $100 charity dinner for 150 that is practically sold out, as well as venues where collectors can meet other collectors, trade cars, race cars on a downhill track, get autographs from special guests and win prizes and trophies. Lombari said the Oscar Mayer Weiner mobile and the Batmobile from the 1960s TV show will be there.

There will also be shows of custom cars and visits from custom car creators as well as a charity auction with proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish foundation.

Lombari said the club had already raised $12,000 for the Rhode Island Make-a-Wish Foundation. He said the Summer Smash will be open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. today and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow.

Tickets for the three-day weekend are $60 and children under 12 are admitted free, or $30 for a one-day pass only. Sunday only will cost $3 as it will just be a toy show, he said.

Meanwhile, Hot Wheels spokeswoman Jamie Paster said the road trip will be stopping at various racing locales, including the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the Automotive Hall of Fame in Detroit before completing the trip at Watkins Glen.

For more information, go to:

www.hotwheels.com

hwsummersmash.

htmlplanet.com/

pelsworth@projo.com