On the way to the track, getting a Collingwood auction sub in a plastic baggie. Maybe a couple zeppoil's for desert.

Get to the track at 4:30, in line to get in, pairing off with the fans of your driver. You were pretty much Hearne in red coats or Kremer in yellow coats. White for Hoffman and than everyone else.

Get there early to get your regular seat, of course. Practice 5pm sharp which you could'nt miss. Beach Boys and sometimes Born to Run on the PA.  Mix in a few oldies, but the SAME songs every week, every year.

Heats that meant something and consi's also in all three divisions every week. 30 or so Mods, 40 Sportmans, and 30 Modern Stocks. The perfect amounts to make for a good show.

You could set your watch to Wall Stadium racing. 5pm practice,  6:30 ends, 7pm sharp first Modern heat. 10:30 heading home. 

Intermission time was about twenty minutes. The lucky coupon drawing from the starters stand for fish bowls, car washes, and hair cuts.  Very rarely a free pass to the next show.  Early line up announcements was important and always dramatic (although the line up was usually about the same every week because of handicapping) because you had to fill out your 'Wall Game" coupon picking the top four in order, usually winning around 100 bucks. You also submitted your most popular driver ballot. This always ruined your program by tearing these out of them each week.

Line ups were sent from the tower to the starters stand via a cable. Getting to return the holder from the starters stand back to the tower and getting to watch a little of the race from there was pretty cool. The tower was treated like the Ivory Tower and off limits to everyone!

Hearne-Kremer battles were classic week after week. The handicapping always made for great racing because the hot shoes were in the back every week, no redraw stuff.

The biggest race in Jersey, the Garden State Classic. 300 laps with a break at 150 until about 1979, than reduced to 200 with no break. Endurance and usually a surprise winner.

1975 and a gentle guy wins the Modified championship in the last Coupe to do so, Joe Severage. He also wins the 1975 Garden State Classic 300.

Bob Rossell in Dick Barney's 14 in 73 to 75. Jim Hendrickson becomes a regular in 1976.  Don Stives a regular in the Ariano 8X. Jim Hoffman as steady as could be in his own 11. Jim built a new car every other year which was always exciting to see.

Tom Durkin and Gil Hearne would bring out new (used) cars just about every year. First used Ferrante cars than the always gorgeous Maynard Troyer Pintos.  Even bought his hauler, "Big Brute".

Tom O'Rorke running things with an iron fist, but very fair. Called the race from the infield every week.

All three divisions had great rivalries. At Wall, it was very common for most drivers to graduate up to the next division, so you saw the same guys year after year, just in another division.

John Blewett Jr. always was exciting doing things only John Bleweet Jr could do!

Young guys like Tony Siscone, Jamie Tomaino, and Jerry Cranmer were coming through the ranks. 

The "Long Island Invasion" after September, when the Long Island tracks closed down. Wall's season always ran from mid April to mid October. Fred Harbach, Tom Baldwin, Wayne Anderson, Tom McCann, and Charlie Jarzombeck, just to name a few.

Than the Nichol family invention of Turkey Derby in 1974. Still the best race in November anywhere. Brought all the Modified greats from the North East to our Wall Stadium each and every year. Initially a one day event was expanded in the 80's to two days and now three.

The 80's were crazy at Wall. Big crowds every week and the party atmosphere was a blast. Race all night than party all night. The groups of fans and racers was crazy. Every event had a party that followed.

Jamie Tomaino-Tommy Comerford rivalry got nasty. Siscone was fast and smoothe and won big.

The sportsman guys moving up and running well in the Mods. Mauser, Wolcott, Ferrante.

Enouugh from me.  All you Wall guys add your thoughts!

wow,Kev !!-you nailed it, man !! Great rundown of the night by you !! MY DAD ,when i was a kid, would say to me on a friday night, " wanna go to the races tomorrow night "?? i didn't sleep the whole night-sat couldn't come soon enough !! my absolute favorite was Joe Kelly in the XL-1 !!  

BLESSINGS , BOYS !!

bill --------

You left out the foil bags with the picture of a hambpurger or hotdog. l always liked the pizza from the pit side concession. 

Great Job Kev also the new extension of RT 18 getting there. Always got the Subs Pickles and Hot Roasted Peanuts 

Great Job Kev also the new extension of RT 18 getting there. Always got the Subs Pickles and Hot Roasted Peanuts 

Good to hear Njpadel.  Been reading your posts a long time but not sure I know you.  Funny thing is.  I grew up in Colts Neck and rode my mini bike on route 18 when they were building it in 1975. Even took our race go karts on it just past route 34 to test them.  It connected to route 34 right to Wall Stadium. 

Those were my years of racing! Great times with great racing people. Loved the racing back then!! 🏁🏁🏁🏁🇺🇸

Started at Wall years earlier than ‘75. Pop and I never went there prior to Old Bridge closing. Same seats every week......to the right of the tower, third row from the top, on the aisle. Going home, the click-clack of the concrete expansion joints on Rt 34 going through Earle always lulled me to sleep.

Well said, and we all worked together as a team.

You're right Caddy daddy. I forgot about that. Every few years we are reminded that route 34 was concrete because they paved over it and it always comes back through with those bumps.

John, forgot about Ara Serv concessions. They were the food vendor and they were terrible. The only thing worth eating there was the french fries and when we were young we would get in line and stuff two or three packs of french fries into one pack and only pay for one. If you were real hungry you would get a hotdog but eat it in line and not pay for it. Lol shit we did when we were young.

Pizza wasn't bad. But the hamburgers were grey. And sand and pebbles everywhere. Then they built the new bathroom building. That worked for me, because we sat in the fourth turn. 

    Great post, Kevin! And great memories! 1975, I'm 10 yrs old, my dad and uncles are running in the modern stock division. It's saturday afternoon, about 3 o'clock. I already had my sub, ordered from my aunt's store, and I'm waiting for my dad to get home. Him, Uncle Charlie, and Uncle Walt probably started roofing someone's house about 6 or 7 am. Around 3:00 they would get back home and start loading up the trucks and trailers, ready to roll at 4:00 with half of Port Monmouth in tow -- the Rutts, Beridinos, John Vetterl, friends and family -- heading to Wall.

    I would ride in the truck with Dad so when we got there and he went up to get his pit pass I could walk up and down the line of cars and trailers waiting to go into the pits, Back then everything had its own unique look  race cars, trailers and haulers had character. The Springsteel brothers and Charlie Koijza always built great looking modern stock cars. Of course, the modifieds were the coolest looking cars -- big blocks, small blocks, Fords, and Chevys. Durkin, Hearn, Kremer, Ferante, and Barney always had great looking cars, most home built.

   I had a great idea to sneak into the pits one afternoon after warm ups were over. Made it about half-way thru the pits and got caught by Tom O'Rourke. He pulled up in his blue van and asked me where I thought I was going. I was scared. I really didn't think about what would happen if I got caught.

   Anyhow, he told me to hop in. I'm thinking he's going to take me over to security. Riding thru the pits, he asked me my name and then he started driving towards where my dad was parked. I thought for sure he was going to bring me over to my dad. Instead, he gave me a quick lecture about why they can't let kids into the pits. Then he says, have you ever been out on the track? and starts heading over to the pit gate, down the ramp, and out onto the track. We make a lap, then he drives me over to the gate to go into the stands tells me i can get into the pits when im 18. Tom and his wife Marion were super people a big part of Wall Stadium over the years.

     Back over to the stands, The Rogers gang normally sat up top near the first turn, time to break out that soggy sub. the sub that was made 4 hours ago. I would catch up with all the cousins, start roaming around the stands, walk down to see what pictures Ace Lane jr had for sale, and then swing by and talk to the Evernham family -- they sat about half-way up in turn 4.

    We'd get back to our seats for the modified heat races, and I'd start timing cars so I can make my picks for the Wall Game. I had it all figured out before the modified feature (never won it). The Sportsman feature was called by Lee Greenwood. We watched the line up slide down the wire from the tower to the starter stand with Sammy Eslow or Pete La vance looking it over getting cars in line. 

    The modern stock feature was always last. There were always friends and family to root for when they threw the green. Sometimes the trophy went to the Town and Surf dinner with us that night. Sometimes we sat at the diner wondering what time Bobby Howard was going to open up H&H Auto Wrecker in the am.

  A trip to Bobby Howard's was an education like no other. Guaranteed, you were going to leave with the parts you needed and some great jokes to tell your freinds at school the next day. Even if you really didn't understand them, you knew they were still going to be  funny. Great times, being a kid growing up at Wall. Wouldn't trade it for anything.    

Great hearing from you! Amazing, as I read this sitting on the running board of my Model A at the corner of Main Street and Leonardville Road in Belford. No kidding! The Bayshore boys were the best. They owned the modern stocks for many years and some of the greatest racers at Wall Stadium came from the Bayshore! It is such a coincidence that I am sitting here! Please post more when you can and also share your résumé and Racing with the 3 Wide family. It's very impressive!  IROC Reunion at lime rock this summer. Are you going?

Frank A  Great addition but I know you have a lot more than that!

I know you know this intersection

lol Kevin thats crazy , i know exactly where your at there in Belford we called that the dry side, many good racers on that side of the highway also Bob Capestro, Bobby Ehlers, 

      Im not sure about making it up to Lime Rock ,i stopped by Rays shop a few months ago he has a great collection going i think its going to be a big turn out .It was great to see a few of the Banjo  camaros we built in 1984, Many hours spent there on Park rd. that first year withmany guys from Wall Stadium Rick Frank, Satch, Berrgie ,Ray Willie, BT, Gnat,Mikey thats just a few off the top of my head.      Alot of  talented guys from the area, later on yourself Frank Boardwick ,Walt Smolinski, Miester, Duane,Wally, Rich Luebenstien, too many to list .

     I have been fortunate to work for some super people, Dan Mclaughlin at MAE gave me a job while i was in high school , Jay and Barb Signore  at  IROC from  1984 to 1997, rented a Avis box truck from a friend of mine in Matawan moved to Hendersonville NC. worked for Andy Petree, then Ray at Evernham Motorsports , Penske, Richard Petty Motorsports now at Legacy Motor club.

 The saying down here is if you stay in the business long enough you would have worked for everyone, i havent hit them all however i have been in and out of the same building a few times. 

     It was great reading everyones post about Wall, Kevins was spot on !

Geez! Red and Jack Howard's yards! Boy, does that bring back memories! I lived right near Texas Road in the 1973-1976 timeframe. Was buidling a 1955 Chevy 150 for the street and must have stopped at their respective places at least twice/week. If you went to one, you just HAD to go to the other. Walk in right past the trailer, wave hello, pull your part(s), and pay on the way out. I still have the carry-around toolbox I lugged into all those wrecking yards. Anyway, in the late '80's, I go to Red's to get a couple of 1965 Impala hood hinges for this little project I'm putting together. What do I find? My buddy from high schools Impala that we used to go cruising around in. It had some foreign car dropped on its roof so it was a little tough getting to those hinges.

Remember the truck chassis for a boom on the home made crane?

Oh, absolutely! Biggest take away I have is that there was no “inventory control”. Let’s say I needed a ‘55 hood.  Red would say “there’s one over there to the right, maybe two or three out back in the corner, and another over there in the middle with the Merc on top of it”. God forbid anything was grouped together! Was worth it to drive by every other day because anything “new” that got dragged in stayed outside the fence for a day or two before it got thrown in the back. Quick way to check “new” inventory.