Report: Owners Say Wall Stadium To Close Following 2020 Racing Season

The cars of the Whelen Modified Tour line up on the frontstretch before the running of the Jersey Shore 150 on May 18 at Wall Stadium in Wall, N.J. (Photo: Fran Lawlor/RaceDayCT)

According to a report Wednesday in the Asbury Park Press of Asbury Park, New Jersey, the historic Wall Stadium in Wall, N.J. will close following the 2020 racing season

The paper reports that the nearly 70-year old facility will be replaced by a development of nearly 350 homes. 

“The majority of the sprawling tract, deemed grossly underutilized for decades, consists of giant parking lots that lie mostly dormant, other than the handful of days each year when the track is open for competition,” read a quote attributed to “the owners” by the Asbury Park Press.

A story published by New Jersey 101.5 after the Asbury Park Press story, reported that: “Wall Township Administrator Jeff Bertrand, however, told New Jersey 101.5 that the property is not zoned for residential use and the township has no plans to change that.”

“There’s also some nuances with that property because the front half of it cannot be used for residential as it is in the safety zone of the nearby Monmouth Jet Center,” Bertrand told New Jersey 101.5.

The one-third mile Wall Stadium has been in operation since 1950. It’s the home track of many legendary names in NASCAR lore including Ray Evernham, 2017 Monster Energy Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. and the late John Blewett III and Jimmy Blewett of Modified racing fame. 

Rumors of the demise of the facility have simmered for more than a decade. It was announced in 2008 that the track would close, but the facility reopened in 2009. 

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returned to Wall Stadium in 2019 on May 18 with the running of the Jersey Shore 150, won by Woody Pitkat. 

The track’s annual Turkey Derby on Thanksgiving weekend has been a cornerstone event in Modified racing since 1974. 


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Comments

  1. Looks like their gonna have to find another venue for the Turkey Derby. Wall cloing sucks. Feel bad for the racers, and the fans. At least they gave plenty of notice

  2. Sad for Wall Stadium nation.

  3. Horrible news – I remember Ray Evernham saying a while back that he would open a track in NJ if Wall closed….

  4. Steve,
    A lot of people over the years have said they’d open new tracks. And how many new short tracks have opened in this country in the last 30 years? Not knocking Evernham’s words, or his pull or influence. But, good luck finding a place where opening a new short track isn’t blocked by every possible protest group around. You’ve got a better chance opening a day care center made of 100 percent asbestos than you do a short track.

  5. Why doesn’t Evernham just buy Wall?

  6. Hillary 2020 says

    I’ve been reading the articles about it today. Seems like amateur hour for the local press down there. The whole situation seems fishy to me. The track owners say the track is closing, affordable housing is going in, case closed. Then someone from the town talks to another media person and says that’s not actually happening. All this mind you ina matter of a few hours. Oh and then don’t forgot the town meeting tonight with the owners presenting their development plans. Imagine though the race track owners want to bulldoze the place and build houses but then the town says not so fast. The Waterford situation is whacky enough but this is maybe even more so.

  7. Hillary, if the property owners are presenting development plans tonight, it could be years and years before it happens. But then, this is Joisey, so it could happen in a couple hours. Announcing that 2020 will be the last year can be a detrimental move, and many local teams might just decide to fold up after this season, sponsors might just leave the place now or after this season.

    But the area is wedged at the intersection of major highways, right next to an airport. Surrounded by industrial uses. Not going to be pretty places to live. But then, the population is getting dense down there, like what happened on Long Island that effectively eliminated Bridgehampton Raceway, Long Island National Speedway, Freeport Speedway and Islip. Stunning that Riverhead prospers given all that has built up around it.

    Its Joisey, anything can and will happen.

  8. Good Point Shawn,

    All these tracks were established prior to zonning ordinances being established, building a new facility is nearly impossible. Thus for the reasons of my previous comments regarding the need for Waterford to maintain its continuos non conforming use status by holding and event at least once a year. If not it could be done as well..

  9. To be fair this isn’t post WWII America with few zoning regulations, no environmental laws or vast tracks of farmland with cows as the primary constituency. Would you want a track built in your neighborhood? Sure, until you checked Zillow and saw your property value crash. Next Era Energy is building a solar farm in East Windsor and even that took a bit of doing to get the neighborhood comfortable with the idea it wouldn’t destroy their property values.
    Niew Hampshire built the flat track so there’s that. All across rural America tracks thrive in rural areas. We’re just it a place where population density is problematic, land values are high and the racing is not the best use of money for investors. . The exception being northern New England. All the activity in New Hampshire improving tracks is not nothing.
    Hillary is right. That Wall deal has apparently been going on for 5 years and promises to go on another 5 years. Apparently the percentage of affordable units is a major negotiating consideration and they haven’t even gotten to the environmental stuff yet. All those kids in three bedroom units the town will have to provide educations for. Good luck with that.
    They can afford to have the 2020 mainly because the owners know the wrangling will continue and they can at least get income to pay their property taxes. They do seem committed to it being the last season but then again that supposedly happened in 2008.
    Hope they have the NWMT race there next year.

  10. I think that out of all the promised “replacement tracks” that have been promised over the years, only 2 have ever been built. Dominion Raceway replaced Old Dominion Speedway.(track was built in a more rural part of Virginia since Old Dominion was in the suburbs of Washington DC) Then there is Kern County Speedway which essentially replaced Mesa Marin in California. For that the track was built a bit further outside of Bakersfield. If people remember, there were a couple of people talking about building a replacement for Riverside Park, but nothing ever happened. More recently there was “Central New York Raceway Park” which was supposed to replace the Syracuse Mile. In that case the land was purchased, but it it appears they never had the funding to build the facility and not much has been done on the site.

  11. Doug,
    The reason they have a certain percentage of low income / affordable housing proposed is to be exempt from Zonning regulations. Most states have laws that allow for more units per acre if say 10% of the units are set aside as low income / affordable housing.

  12. JMB, add Shangri-la II to that list. Shangri-la closed and was turned into a gravel pit. Shangri-la II was opened, and closed. There has been talk about resuscitating it.

    If a new track were to be built, it would have to be out in the boonies, many, many miles away from population centers. No way something like a track can be built near residential areas nowadays.

  13. And speaking of closing tracks, I drove by the ‘bowl the other day. Here it is, almost August, and there is nothing to report. No progress. No stands. No tower.

  14. … and no recent info from Mike Serluca …

  15. Crazy in NY says

    Ah….It wouldn’t be Raceday without Da da taking a pot shot at Waterford.. No matter the thread or topic. Shawn..this crap is an asset to your site?

  16. Crazy in NY

    I think it’s interesting how you are one of the people here who regularly instigates conflict, who regularly makes disparaging comments about the other people leaving comments or their opinions and who regularly turns things personal. And yet more than anybody else here you regularly question how I operate the site and why I let certain people post what they post here. You see the irony there?

  17. If the ‘bowl isn’t brought up once in a while, it will simply be forgotten.

    Crazy 😜, I bring it up so it won’t be forgotten.

  18. Crazy in NY says

    I see I’m not the one running down a speedway that doesn’t need help closing and that needs support. I instigate conflict? That’s choice. I defend those that are gratuitously attacked by the likes
    of Dareal and few others that think they know who , why and where people should race and suggest cheating goes on without a scintilla of proof…but I instigate….OK . I asked a simple question… you didn’t answer. Nuff said.

  19. Crazy,
    You’ve been here long enough to know that I try to let everyone have their say and give everyone a pretty long leash. Some people use a lot more of that leash than others. You are one of the people that uses a lot of that leash. But oddly, you’re also the one that regularly criticizes me or questions me for letting others have the same rights you have to speak your mind here. Everyone has a place here, but you seem to be the only one that regularly tells me who you think doesn’t belong here.

  20. Kenneth Latham says

    In my opinion NASCAR, and other MAJOR sanctioning bodies have to take a deep, hard look into the state of grassroots racing. They may have to step up and put some REAL money at this situation. MLB has been doing it for more than a century with their support of Minor league baseball. If all the tracks go away, where will the new talent come from, and better yet, where will the fans come from. I became a race fan, and later on participant, because of my weekly trips to Freeport Speedway on LI. I absolutely fell in love with the sport, and to this day, it is the one sport that I participated in, that if I could, I would resume today. Come on NASCAR step up and save the future of OUR sport.

  21. Nobody here is running down a speedway. The speedway was done in by its owner and management. They did it to themselves. Anybody can talk about it all they want.

    Crazy, what the ‘bowl ownership and management has done to the ‘bowl is the damage and detriment that anyone can talk about. We are still a free country with a Free Press. Anybody can talk about the ‘bowl all we want. That’s choice and freedom. Don’t like it? Too bad. You want RaceDayCT to censor this stuff and only allow what you call ‘support’? Crazy, the ‘bowl is not open now and it has NOTHING to do with what folks around here talk about. N-O-T-H-I-N-G!!! The future of the ‘bowl depends on the owner and if he can get it open, and if the customers are willing to patronize the place after all that has been discovered, revealed and exposed about the owner in a court of law and reported by a Free Press. BTW, the Constitutionally provided Free Press. First Amendment.

    Crazy, if you don’t like the Constitution, you can leave. 🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂

    👋

    🏁🏴🏁🏴🏁🏴🏁🏴🏁🏴🏁🏴🏁🏴🏁🏴🏁

  22. Crazy in NY says

    Now I don’t like the Constitution…..you see what runaway bull gets you. Second, NOBODY has constitutional right to post on Raceday or any other site. The owner has that discretion. Everyone who
    follows Modified racing is keenly aware of the Waterford situation so we don’t need daily up dates from the know it all. Shawn when do I question you on anything? Have no idea where that’s coming from. When do I regularly ( your words) tell you who to let post? more mystery. I’ll ask my question one last time. How is a poster who has reputation for running down the Speedbowl and the people who own and or run it an asset to this site? You can choose to not answer..that’s fine but I also think it’s telling.

  23. The problems trying to build a racetrack are usually the result of city council or planning boards. These branches of local government are usually made up of a bunch of prissy tightwads who’s favorite sport is sitting at a country club getting hammered and bragging about how much money they have. Most have never seen a race. In their eyes racers are bad people. If they ever actually attended a race, they would find that it’s great family entertainment, and that racers are kind hearted compassionate people. They would learn that racers are a community of people who help others, and give back to the community. The problem is getting them to see us for who we are, and not the established stereotype we are burdened with

  24. Crazy in NY, my predictions on the ‘bowl have been correct. The ‘bowl reconstruction never started when it was promised, as I predicted. And the ‘bowl is still not open as was also promised, years later, as I predicted. If you have a problem with the ‘bowl not being able to meet its promises, you should take it up with the ‘bowl ownership and management. Promises made, promises broken. If you actually believed the stuff being put out there by the ‘bowl, and its advocates and agents, then you have serious problems. The ‘bowl has turned into a farce, plain and simple. What happens or doesn’t happen with the ‘bowl is purely a function of the ownership and management.

    Crazy, RaceDayCT is a media outlet, a member of the Constitutionally provided Free Press that has reported on the legal issues of the ‘bowl and Bruce Bemer sagas. These legal issues are a matter of public record, and free to be reported by the Constitutionally provided Free Press. Crazy, you don’t want that to be covered and reported and made publicly available and discussed. Too bad. Are you complaining to all the other news outlets about their press coverage of the ‘bowl problems? The broadcast TV news outlets also cover the ‘bowl and Bemer sagas. Have you let them know you don’t want that publicity?

    I appreciate the news about the ‘bowl here on RaceDayCT, so I know not to expect to go there soon. Status on the ‘bowl is indeed informative for the fans, teams, owners, series, sponsors, and racing community.

  25. Well I think we started out great. A few bits of great information were exchanged on Wall that were in the weeds, informative and appreciated.
    Then the Speedbowl is mentioned, the infighting and finger pointing ensues with diversions to larger themes like the Constitution lesser minds like mine fail to grasp. The moderator stepping in to lend a bit of authority and hopefully course correction. That failed mostly because a verbal smacking of the porcupine never comes without pain for those that attempt it. And Rob’s encapsulation of the greater issues afoot that sounded very much like the old guy at the end of the bar at closing time.
    Screw the politicians. That’s the ticket.
    What we have here is a good old fashion food fight.

  26. Looks like the property owner is trying to stir up some 💩, get the racing base riled up, or put the track operators on notice that lease fees are going to go up. Perhaps the property owner sees more revenue in other uses for the land, or just wants to sell. But tracks are not in big demand nowadays. After all, that is how other tracks met their demise. Bridgehampton comes to mind. As eastern Long Island developed, real estate values SOARED and the track revenue could not keep up. Wall is a few miles away from dense populations that are looking to expand, although it is next to an airport and amidst industrial uses. Just look at it on Google maps. I can’t see a large residential development going into that area, given the heavy industry and proximity to highways. The nice little private home area to the immediate west will certainly object. The highways are crowded 24/7, making road noise that would be unbearable to live by. Noise that would be far worse than the track operation. I used to live in the boonies of upstate NY, about a half mile from I-81, and at night in the summer, I could not leave the windows open because the noise from trucks carried at night, making it impossible to sleep at night with the windows opened. And I sleep like a log. So that property is tucked into the intersection of the GSP and I-195… plenty of 24/7 traffic and noise. And let’s not forget it is at the end of the adjacent airport runway, tucked into the corner of the intersection of the GSP and I-195. Not sure that will be a very desirable residential location for that region.

  27. Hillary 2020 says

    Dafella, since you know anything and everything what track will be permanently closed first Waterford or Wall?

  28. Judging by the amount of B.S. he shovel’s, I think dareal may be Donald Trump

  29. Hillary, I think most people consider Waterford dead and buried already.

    You guys get on DaReal but the Waterford management came on this very site and said there would be racing in 2019 and not to listen to people like DaReal. Obviously there won’t be any racing so don’t hate while DaReal takes his victory lap.

    It is not like other people don’t turn every topic into a discussion about chassis builders. An article about Wall seems like a semi appropriate place to ask about Waterford.

  30. There could very well be no racing at the Speedbowl. However it’s not obvious at all. Or you could say it as obvious as it was in 2017 when the whole mess started. Or as obvious as a couple other critical points as well that turned out to be not obvious at all.
    Facebook, Speedbowl, 7/24
    “Just to clarify and stall any rumors that are going around, ALL numbers registered this year are also PAID IN FULL for next season, no matter how many races we get in this season. So if you have registered and paid for a number in 2019, it is also included for 2020. Any competitor wishing to have their money refunded for this year, please email [email protected] and we will refund your number registration fee. We have no problem doing that.”
    You can read that two ways. Evidence of a continued failure to launch to this point nor any indication that there will be a launch. Or they are continuing to work on it in some respect and have clearly not conceded this season or next for that matter.

  31. Hillary 2020 says

    Dead and buried you say, yet a video comes out today with Mike giving an update on the current construction situation which is ongoing. Delayed but ongoing. You want to call it dead for this season fine. But buried? Nope.

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