NJ Speedways- Yet Another One Bites The Dust

[KevMcNJ]

https://www.wallspeedway.com

No asphalt tracks left in the Garden State.

And only 2 dirt tracks remain.

Fun to race there and sometimes fun to watch there.

too narrow actually for the mods so they usually got single file real quick.

perfect size for 3/4 midgets. 1/3 mile and very high banked.

Saw Richie Evans race there, Ray Evernham , the bodines, Gil Hearne, all of them showed up at one time or another. Kyle Petty even raced there once around 1990

The only track I ever won anything at.

It was only 3 heat race wins, but thats OK, I drove a race car and finished first

Not really surprised about this, you can look on the www, and find old pics from Wall Stadium and you see every seat is filled, even the crappy ones way down low in the corners. Last year Id check in online to see results from there and it looked like less than 500 people in the stands.

Same old story about short tracking in NJ.....

Old fans disappear, no new ones to replace them

THats progress and sometimes progress sucks

[dwcremax]

Back in the coupe & coach days Wall had some of the best modified racing around. Parker Bohn, Joe Kelly, Tommie Eliott, Jim Hoffman, Frank Myroncuk, Wally Dallenbach, etc. put on many a great Saturday night show. 1963 Indianapolis 500 winner Parnelli Jones won a USAC midget feature at Wall just two months after his Indy win. Mid week All Star League shows and November Turkey Derbies are among the great memories of Wall. Sad.

[Lucky161]

I feel your pain. We haven't had a paved short track in the DFW area in over 40 years. We have a over a half dozen short dirt tracks, but I sure wish we had at least one paved one.

[KevMcNJ]

Back in the coupe & coach days Wall had some of the best modified racing around. Parker Bohn, Joe Kelly, Tommie Eliott, Jim Hoffman, Frank Myroncuk, Wally Dallenbach, etc. put on many a great Saturday night show. 1963 Indianapolis 500 winner Parnelli Jones won a USAC midget feature at Wall just two months after his Indy win. Mid week All Star League shows and November Turkey Derbies are among the great memories of Wall. Sad.

If you were going there back then you probably rubbed shoulders with my dad

He was there since opening day 1950. It was THE place to be apparently for the Monmouth County gear-heads and Car guys back then.

[Red Byrd]

If you can, Kev, try and get some info on these tracks that are going. Size, banking, dimensions, pictures if possible, types of races, peculiarities, good stories ect... type it up and save it. Maybe one day it can be recreated somewhere.

[dwcremax]

If you were going there back then you probably rubbed shoulders with my dad

He was there since opening day 1950. It was THE place to be apparently for the Monmouth County gear-heads and Car guys back then.

I made my first visit to Wall in 1964 and my last in 2002. Enjoyed every visit I ever made to that track. I most likely did rub shoulders with your Dad at some point, Kev.

[KevMcNJ]

I made my first visit to Wall in 1964 and my last in 2002. Enjoyed every visit I ever made to that track. I most likely did rub shoulders with your Dad at some point, Kev.

Did you go to Wall at all in the late 80s?

Best part of any trip I made to Wall, was to go down to the front row fro the modified feature.
Just about half way between the 4th turn and the flag stand.

22 mods ripping thru the turn maybe 20 feet away from ya was a sight to see

[dwcremax]

Did you go to Wall at all in the late 80s?

Best part of any trip I made to Wall, was to go down to the front row fro the modified feature.
Just about half way between the 4th turn and the flag stand.

22 mods ripping thru the turn maybe 20 feet away from ya was a sight to see

Yes I did. 1988 and 1989 I lived in Lakewood and went often. I, too, liked near turn four but higher up, about five rows from the top.

[dalz]

Wall was featured in Car & Driver once in an article about short-track racing. They said its shape was patterned after a bicycle velodrome? Gotta love high-banked straightaways.

Associated with another thread, another mainstay of the Ford Focus Midgets is gone. Damn.

[KevMcNJ]

Wall was featured in Car & Driver once in an article about short-track racing. They said its shape was patterned after a bicycle velodrome? Gotta love high-banked straightaways.

Yes it was designed after velodromes.

wicked fast joint. I raced a Monte Carlo there in the late 80s
A big azz '73. Narrow street tires and a tiny 2 barrel, and we were running in the mid to low 17s

mods were in the 12s IIRC

[ClintCurtis]

Okay...interesting question (at least to me). In the press release about the closing, the track manager mentioned some of the greats at the track, such as "Parker Bohn in the 659." Is that the same guy who is a professional bowler, or perhaps his father?

[mdkiel]

Okay...interesting question (at least to me). In the press release about the closing, the track manager mentioned some of the greats at the track, such as "Parker Bohn in the 659." Is that the same guy who is a professional bowler, or perhaps his father?

Father or Grandfather.

[dwcremax]

Okay...interesting question (at least to me). In the press release about the closing, the track manager mentioned some of the greats at the track, such as "Parker Bohn in the 659." Is that the same guy who is a professional bowler, or perhaps his father?

Parker Bohn the race car driver is the grandfather of Parker Bohn the bowler. Parker Bohn the elder is in his 90's now and still gets around fairly well last I heard.

[KevMcNJ]

Im pretty sure PArker Bohn the driver is Parker Bohn the bowlers dad.

Parker the driver was in the same bowling league as my dad back in the early 70s.

Theres also an Eddie Bohn who raced @ wall forever then switched over to dirt in the 90s. Eddie is a brother of the bowler

THere is also at least one 3rd generation Bohn that has raced at Wall in a 659.

Eddies son I believe but I could be wrong.

Nice to see Dave Despain gave props to Wall on Wind Tunnel last night. Lots of empty bleachers that used to be full in those shots on TV last night

[ClintCurtis]

Thanks for the answer to my question. The connection between relatives in racing and stick/ball sports is very interesting to me.
In sprint cars, we have Louie Vermeil and his football coach son, Dick. Baseball has Rick Sutcliffe and his father Dick in sprint cars.
Ten or so years ago there was some famous Oakland Raiders player who had a cousin who raced sprint cars at Baylands, and made the trip up to Skagit one year.
Oh, and then there was Andy Brown who transitioned two sports...1974 playing goal for the Pittsburgh Peguins, the last goalie without a mask, also raced modifieds at Oswego.
Sorry for the hijacking of the thread, but the Parker Bohn connection really got me thinking.
RIP Wall Stadium. Although I never got to see a race there, I, out on the West Coast know of its significance.