Wall Stadium Speedway: The Last Jersey Asphalt Track

The solution to Wall's problem is not simple. With eight majorprofessional sports teams, New York City, Great Adventure, the JerseyShore, and more within one hour of Wall Township Speedway, thecompetition for the entertainment dollar is fierce.

The intense competition for the entertainment dollar coupled with thesky-rocketing value of Jersey Shore property makes the future of NewJersey's lone remaining asphalt track look bleak.

Even though the track is for sale, the owners haven't ignored it and arenot giving up on it. In addition to the facility improvements, they havedeveloped new promotions and marketing opportunities. More importantly,they've gotten back to their core racing product. Gates are opening ontime and the heat races are starting on schedule. An entry-level FactoryStock division was added last year, bringing back the affordabilityfactor that got Evernham into racing.

"It seemed like when the Nicols left, everybody but the four newpartners was running the racetrack," says Blewett. "I think over thepast two years or so, they've gotten back to basics and that's whatpeople like here. They don't like flash and pizzazz. They don't care ifthey get a T-shirt thrown at them or somebody special sings 'TheStar-Spangled Banner.' They like to watch the same guys every Saturday."

Getting back to those basics can help Wall attract the new fan.Ironically, it may be NASCAR itself that can save Wall. While thesanctioning body gets blamed for ruining short-track racing byscheduling Nextel Cup races on Saturday nights, Daytona Beach realizesthe importance of tracks like Wall.

"A lot of people don't realize that these guys [Truex Jr., Kurt and KyleBusch, Denny Hamlin] are products of our own system," says Hawk, ofNASCAR. "Honestly, I could probably get shot from the other side of thehall [at NASCAR's Daytona headquarters], but I'm going to say it anyway:I think we probably could have done a better job in the past."

Recognizing that, NASCAR is taking a proactive approach to shining thespotlight on local drivers at local tracks. They stationed six publicrelations specialists around the country. Their sole job is to developand write stories about the happenings at the local tracks. These arenot just race reports but real human interest stories designed to garnerwider media and fan attention.

In addition, the sanctioning body is involving its major sponsors, suchas Allstate and Home Depot, in marketing and support programs designedto boost the total short-track package. Hawk says there's more to come.

By utilizing NASCAR resources and implementing innovative ideas such asa big-screen TV to televise Saturday night Nextel Cup races in theinfield, Wall's ownership group can get those 2,000 people they needeach week to succeed.

While the future of Wall Stadium Speedway may be uncertain, one thing isfor sure: They're racing in 2006. Rain dampened two out of the threescheduled preseason practices, but opening day was sunny with a coolbreeze blowing off the nearby ocean.

"There are a lot of racetracks that would love to have a crowd likethat," says Blewett as he points to the stands.

Even with a good opening night crowd, the long-term future of Wall isnot guaranteed.

"After this, where do you go? I'm fortunate that I can run the WhelenTour or build another car and run somewhere, but there's another 90 guyshere who really don't have that luxury," says Blewett.

However, if Wall disappears from the landscape, short-track asphaltracing in Jersey may not be gone for long. Evernham is emphatic aboutthe importance of short-track racing, especially in his home state--somuch so that he has entertained the thought of following Tony Stewart,Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dave Blaney, and Ken Schrader into the world oftrack ownership.

"We've talked with some other partners about maybe building a track inNew Jersey at some point," says Evernham from his Statesville, NorthCarolina, shop. "If you lose Wall Stadium, I want there to be a place torace so that the next Martin Truex can have someplace to graduate from.It was a great place to go and learn on a Saturday night."

For now, you still can.