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Chatham Boro's Weichert wins Wall Township Speedway feature
by Walter Elliott

WALL TWP. -- Chatham Borough's Bill Weichert is still smiling about his career first Wall Township Speedway modified stock car feature victory here Sept. 15 despite crashing out of Saturday night's feature.

Weichert was holding seventh place when his Chatham Main Contractors No. 11 Troyer-Chevrolet hit the second turn guardrail on lap six.

The impact tore off his right rear wheel, requiring a tow back to the pits. Weichert and crew members Rory and Nick Shaw inspected the damage on the No. 11 as soon as the track tow truck dropped it off by their trailer. Nick Shaw, also of Chatham, later excused himself to drive his No. 66 Chevy Monte Carlo in the Value Towing Factory Stock feature nightcap.

"I don't know what happened," said Weichert of how his Wall USG Sheetrock/Matheny School Night ended early. "We're looking for any damage to the rear end or the suspension links. We'll be back next week."

WTS scorers would place Weichert 13th among the race's 15 starters. Weichert was among six non-finishers. Shaw would come from 15th starting spot to finish fifth in the factory stock feature to winner and divisional points leader Vern McLaughlin III, of Whitehouse Station.

Kevin Flockhart, of Jackson, went on to win the 40-lap NASCAR Whelen All- American Series modified main that night. The 2004 WTS track champion celebrated his 11 career Wall modified main victory in the banked, paved one- third-mile oval's infield -- the same spot where Weichert celebrated his first modified triumph the week before.

Weichert started Scott Motor Coach Sales Fan Appreciation Night as one of 139 drivers meeting spectators in the infield before winning his 10-lap qualifying heat. The heat victory put Weichert on the pole, which he used to lead all 40 laps against his 22 competitors. He held off front row mate Jason Treat, of Jackson, by 1.984 sec. at Wall Chief Starter Floyd Goff's checkered flag.

"I didn't think I had that race won until I crossed the finish line," reflected Weichert at his Chatham Main Contractors garage Friday night. "People have been coming up to congratulate me all week. I've won at least a couple of heat races leading up to that night and Rory, Nick and I had been coming up with new things for the car the last few weeks."

Weichert has graced victory lane before as a multiple Wall Truck Series feature winner and as that division's 2004 champion. The Sept. 15 WAAS modified triumph, however, places him on a roster of 203 colleagues who have won at least one of Wall's headlining features going back to its May 26, 1950 grand opening. Frankie Schneider, of Lambertville, won that first feature.

Between Weichert and Schneider are NASCAR now-Nextel Cup champ Bobby Allison, Cup driver-turned television commentator Jimmy Spencer, Indy car winner Wally Dallenbach, Sr., NASCAR modified king Richie Evans and three- time Cup-winning crew chief Ray Evernham.

There are two and three-generations of drivers who made local and regional names for themselves like the Blewett's, of Howell, the Bohn's, of Freehold, and the Truex's, of Mayetta. Then there are winners the likes of Weichert, who race as a hobby.

"You'd find more drivers south of the Chatham area," said Weichert. "There's me, Nick, 'The Racing Policeman' Bob Sweeten, Indy Pro Series driver Andrew Prendeville - whose father has a garbage business here. Those who race from here know each other."

Weichert is a third-generation Chatham contractor, specializing in water and sewer main excavation and snow plowing. He first came to the then-Wall Stadium to watch Sweeten compete in 2000. "I never went to an oval race before," said Weichert. "After the second race, I thought 'I can do this.' I went home and built a Chevrolet race truck in time for that year's Turkey Derby."

Wall started a race truck division in the late 1990s on the heels of NASCAR starting its own Craftsman Truck Series. Weichert, after gaining experience and initial success, built a second truck. "That was a special truck," said Weichert. "I weighed and measured every part and chassis tube from the ground up. I won like 10 of 15 races in 2004." Weichert then moved to the sportsman division, which is an economy class to the open wheel WAAS modifieds, in 2005. The Raceworks No. 13 sportsman sits covered in a corner of his garage. "We look at 2005 and '06 as lost years," said Weichert. "Things didn't go right. We still take parts off the Raceworks for the Troyer modified we bought late last year."

Modified stock cars, in Schneider's time, started out as passenger cars with their fenders removed. While modifieds use production-based V8 engines and wear sheetmetal based on showroom cars, the category has become a specialized racing vehicle over time.

"We found the machinery and materials we use for contracting helpful with our racing effort," said Weichert. "We use one of the metal plates for covering an opening as a measurement base plate. Rory, Nick and I come up with ideas every week and we pick the best of them for the car."

The Chatham Main Contracting team branched out last year when Nick Shaw began driving the No. 13X Monte Carlo Value Towing Factory Stock. Factory stocks, introduced to Wall in 2005, are like what street stocks started out as -- original showroom vehicles with only safety-related modifications allowed. "We renumbered the car to No. 66 because there was another No. 13 factory stock," said Weichert. "Nick's been in factory stocks when he became of legal age to drive. He started out as team statistician."

Nick Shaw is running second to McLaughlin for the factory stock championship with Saturday and Oct. 6 points races remaining. Shaw is still looking for his first career class feature victory, having a last lap charge fall .019 sec. short to Waretown's Dan Collamer Sept. 15.

Weichert also thanked his sponsors - including Frank Boardwick Racing Engines and Chatham Collision Repair - and the team's families for their support. "I wouldn't be racing if my family objected," said Weichert. "We also wouldn't be here tonight if my son, Will, had a Friday night sports game. Will was running at Wall's Garden State Quarter Midget Racing Club before wanting to play other sports." Wall Township Speedway is one of some 70 NASCAR "Home Tracks," short track ovals whose drivers are eligible for WAAS divisional and national championships. The speedway also hosted a now-Nextel Cup race July 16, 1958.

NASCAR's then-Grand National Series also raced at Morristown Speedway five times before that half-mile dirt track was closed for the Mennen Arena in October 1955. Montville's Pine Brook Speedway was the last Morris County speedplant to close in October 1989.

"I still get "NASCAR racing - where?" from some people around here," said Weichert. "I do what I can to promote Wall Township Speedway and racing, including running my car in one of the July 4 parades."

Photos © 2006-2007
Ace Lane Jr.
unless otherwise noted

©2007 Wall Township Speedway, LLC