...It's already the 2nd half of the season, and I feel like I've only been to a handful of races so far....  Hopefully you guys are doing better than me and got out and saw a good show over the weekend.

Let us know where, how you attended (fan in the stands, fan in the pits, media, participant, track staff), what you liked, didn't like/suggestions, and if you plan on a return visit soon.

Attended Bethel Motor Speedway on Saturday as a spectator with my wife and her Uncle Lloyd. 1/4 m asphalt oval. It was their first visit there and about my 10th time there, Last time was 5- 7 yrs ago. They both loved it.

Likes: No dust. $5 admission!!!! Day 1 of Legends Fest? Family atmosphere. Good seating, lighting, concessions, good announcer and loud speakers, neat clean grounds and clean rest rooms. A multitude of divisions. Only 3 Dirt 358's but ran their feature before intermission and was the best race I saw all night. Bandeleros, Legends, LM, 4 cyl and Streets all had adequate car counts and good competitive racing. The back guard rail was extended approx 75 more feet down towards turn 3 making it safer. Ran warm ups at 4:30, started show at 6 pm. Very animated flagger.

Dislikes: No asphalt Mods due to Legend Fest? Had a 3 hr ride home and had to leave 8:15. Have to be careful in parking lot walking and driving due to large protruding boulders.

Prob will not return for another 5 yrs or so. Would go more if it was closer since I grew up an asphalt, Old Bridge and Wall

Where did you go how was the show.

Went to Bridgeport as a fan in the stands, $20.00 adult ticket. The program consisted of Modifieds, Mid Atlantic Sprint Series, Sportsman, and Street Stocks. 

Liked - A good field on hand in all divisions, plenty of 2, 3, and occasional 4wide racing in all divisions. First time actually seeing the Sprints there since the old 5/8s day. The track is the perfect size for the 305’s. A few times some drivers looked like they wanted to move the walls out a couple of feet further. The modifieds had some great battles throughout the night. Enjoyed watching Pauch, Buffalino, Watt, and Godown move through the field. Mike Mahaney was in the field last night battling Willy Osmum III and Danny Sammons Jr.  The track was smoother than normal and had very little dust. Even with a thin field of Street Stocks, they put on a decent feature.

Dis-liked : Not much really just wish they would leave one of the divisions off when the Sprint Cars are there. Another is the constant grooming between features makes for a long night.  A few flats during the Modified caused delays so they get time to change them. It adds up to a longer night than necessary.

Notes - Godown is on rails this year winning the Modified feature. Howie Finch, Eddie Wagner, and Jeff Dirkes won their features.  

Going back soon - absolutely! 

Few pictures after the Sprint car feature and tech of the street stocks below. I took all photos. 

Aiden Borden #7 

Jeff Paulson 





Jeff Dirkes


CJ Fasion & Crew #2 

Wall Stadium Nascar Whelan tour Jersey Shore 150. Just when you lose faith in the Ol Girl it draws you back. It wasn't a home run, It was a grand slam!!!  Great crowd. Great timing. Amazing announcing.  Earl Krause and Gary Larsen are gonna go down with the rest of the greats.  Went as spotter but watched replay on Flo and appreciate how good Earl  and Gary are together.  When Wall Stadium invests in lights it will rival Staford.  Saw a lot of 3 Widers there. 

Im usually very critical of Wall because of the time i have spent there but I give it an A ++.  It really was a great show. The under classes were all very good and timely. The Factory Stocks are the best class, of its type, that I see at any track. It rivaled a great Turkey Derby but without the cold!  

Frank A jr, you would've love it.

Jeff does an awesome job in Victory Lane every week.  Jeff has been an announcing gem in this area for many years, announcing Wall Stadium, East Windsor and New Egypt asphalt. One of the BEST!

How many years Jeff? 

Thank you for the kind words Kevin and no I did not private message him to get this posted! I am not really sure how long because I have never been a person who marks the time. East Windsor has been gone for at least 20 plus years, so at least that long. I was also around when Gil got his 100th at Wall, I announced the Race of Champions at Pocono and worked for you at New Egypt if that helps.

Since Kevin brought it up, I'll have to add that Earl Krause Gary Larsen and Jeff Gravatt are a pleasure to listen to each time I go to Wall Stadium.  While the video on Flo gives folks a chance to hear Earl and Gary while the race is on, what I appreciate as much or more is how Earl, Gary and Jeff handle their responsibilities when the green flag is not out.  Specifically, I'm talking about opening ceremonies, in between events, during yellow flag/red flag conditions, victory lane ceremonies....  When you take in a night in the stands at Wall Stadium, Earl, Gary and Jeff are your hosts...  There is nowhere else they would rather be.  There is nothing else they'd rather be doing... And that comes through in the honest excitement in their voices, from the beginning of the program, to closing out the program after the final checkered flag has falling.

Yea they can do play by play, which if watching on Flo (or through a headset on similcast FM 90.1 when at the track) definitely adds to the action, but they all understand that the responsibility of the announcer isn't just when the green is out. They understand that as the host to all who are there in the stands, that when the action slows or stops, they need to be there to keep folks tuned into the show.  ...And they understand that they have a huge role in creating/supporting the track's atmosphere.

I've been to a few tracks where the announcer leaves the audience on self serve as soon as the yellow flag comes out, and in-between events.  The lack of activity on track, combined with the silence is often met with folks detaching from the program.... checking the time...  firing up their cell phones... thinking about how long the ride home is.... and finally muttering to those in hearing range, "What in the hell are we waiting on now?"  It's apparent to me that some announcers seem to think that when the action on the track stops, that it's time for them to stop to0.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

I'm not looking for non-stop feigned babble during down time... and I'm not a big fan of the "way in the weeds" statistics review reading from the program which often comes off as filler, but I am a huge fan of relavent/pertinent information provided by the host, that carries the moment... making for a seamless continuation of the event... something that a good host knows to do, whether hosting a party at their house, or speaking to a grandstand full of racefans.

It requires historical knowledge.  It requires prep time/research prior to the events.  It requires passion for the sport.  It also requires the skill to be able to pull all of those things together, and to have them at the ready to share with the fans at just the right moment.  It requires someone who realizes their duties is that as the host, and not just to announce.  That is a pretty unique individual, and probably why so few are able to do it at the high level that I'm referring to.

That's why I have an appreciation for those tracks that recognize how important the position of announcer host is, and why I have a tremendous amount of respect for those who have the knowledge, skill and ability to really complete the experience for the fan throughout the entire night, making it that much more of an enjoyable experience, and strengthening the relationhip between fan and facility... and helping to make those in attendence want to be back next week!

Could not agree more. I was thrilled to see the placed packed and really good race on top of that. Very little damage. Loved the outside groove.

Like you, I was always very critical of Wall because I really cared about the place. However, I would be the first to defend her if an outsider had anything bad to say.

Until I started hitting the road, I never realized what a well run show they had. Started a 7pm sharp as advertised. The main division, the Mighty Modifieds, ran the first feature event.

Made some very good and lasting friendships from my youth at Wall!

Also agree with the annoucing crew. Great guys and to see Jeff with an NBC Sports mic was really cool.

Hi Kevin: Earl Krause here! On behalf of my announcing colleagues Jeff Gravatt and Gary Larsen, thanks for the nice words! It was indeed a great event overall on Saturday at Wall Stadium. As you can tell, we enjoy our roles on the Wall microphone each Saturday. It was an honor for us to be part of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour broadcast on Flo, which showcased Wall to a nationwide audience!

watchded on flo-- made me think of all who MADE Wall!, Tommie, Pete and John LaVance, Lou, Reb, Jimmie C, and all the great drivers, who drove like this group sat! Forgeive me for all those I did not mention by name, lot of great people who made Wall what it was and is!!

Attended Nashville Fairgrounds Saturday night.  SRX and Pro Late models 150.  Had fun.  SRX had very little passing.  If you started on the front row, you won.  Late models were OK, but again, very little passing. 

Went to Wall as a fan in the stands. Was attending my first race of any kind since the Cliff Krause Memorial at Wall last year. $3 general admission discount for seniors was appreciated.

Likes: The format. I've heard that the decision not to allow pit stops for tires (unless it was flat) was mostly due to the nationwide tire shortage. I hope that the powers that be consider using this format again next year! The race seemed to have a flow to it this year that was rarely present with other long distance races I've seen there. There's nothing that drags a show out more than the seemingly endless wait for cars to complete their stops. It was interesting to see the different strategies in play. I was a bit surprised to see how aggressive Andrew Krause was during the middle portion of the race. Both he and Ronnie Silk were going at it pretty good there for a while and I think it wound up costing Krause a better finish. I never saw someone get the better of Matt Hirschman on tire management before, but Showtime certainly did that on Saturday..congratulations to him! Hopefully NASCAR saw how well the entire show went off and grants Wall at least one tour race again next year! Another (perhaps the biggest) highlight for me was getting an opportunity to catch up with Ray Shea! I don't get to Wall very often but every time I do, it's a pleasure hearing Ray talk about the old days racing with my Dad and uncles...what a class act!

Dislikes: The only negative thing I have to say about the entire evening is that Wall still has to correct some issues at the ticket window/entrance gates. On the bright side, they finally have the technology to scan your tickets/phones with a QR code reader. The problem arose when those of us who had pre-purchased our tickets and were in line at the gates, were beaten through the gate by patrons who just then bought their ticket at the window and proceded to jump right into the front of the line and gain entrance. Maybe next year they can open the gates for prior purchasers 30 minutes before the ticket windows open.