Friday, June 26th

A 7th for William in the Jarret #4,
A Hard Hit for Aaron in the #55

Although there was rain, some of it severe, all over New England, Lee managed to get the practices, heats, and features in for both the NEMA Lites and Midgets.

A lap one blown engine in the first Lites heat and next to no sweeping of the track surface, left speedy dry down low around most of the track for all the NEMA heats. Both Aaron and William posted mid-pack finishes in Heat #1.

Starting from 6th (William) and 10th (Aaron), the Walls fell into battles with groups of well-matched cars. William got around some of those starting in the front rows and then was passed those headed for the top four. The #4 scored a 7th place finish.

Aaron was running on a high line when the immediately car ahead slipped sideways, and Aaron went over it's rear wheel. The #55 went flew up the track for a hard hit into the wall between turns 1 and 2. Aaron got right out as the safety crew came to his aid. Inspection of the #55 back in the pits revealed extensive damage to the frame, both axles, wheels and suspension pieces, the headers, and possibly the right side engine head. The #55 recorded a DNF in 15th place.

"Fast Friday" - June 19th

A WIN for William at the
NEMA Lites Seekonk Opener

From a second row starting spot, William moved into the lead and then into a battle with the #12 of Ed LeClerc Jr. A couple of yellows slowed the first part of the race, but after the pack settled down, the rest of the race flew by with some great close racing. Will moved by LeClerc when he suffered a tire problem a couple of laps from the checkers. A nice run for the #09 Lite.

Sat. May 23rd
.
3rd & 4th for
WALL MOTORSPORTS
at the NEMA Season Opener!

William had won the first heat and started on the outside pole while
Aaron started in the 10th spot. William jumped into the lead at the green and paced the field for 17 laps and a couple of restarts.

The race winner Randy Cabral, in the Bertrand #47, was sitting third when William and Russ Stoehr (Angelillo 45), battling for the lead, tangled coming out of two, Stoehr winding up in the wall with heavy damage. The incident, which Cabral called “a racing accident” was “the turning point” of the race.

On the following restart Cabral swept by William into the lead. Mike Keeler in the #63 and Aaron in the blue numbered #55 battled by
William in the closing laps.

FULL NEMA RACE REPORT HERE

5 and 55 in 2009

William Wall Among
NEMA’s Young Stars

Brockton, MA - Racing wise, things have always fallen into place nicely for William Wall. The 2008 Rookie of the Year, the 17-year old is one of the Northeastern Midget Association’s brightest young stars.

So, when he says he’ll “take things as they come” in 2009, it’s best to pay attention. NEMA opens its 17-race season Saturday night, May 23 at Monadnock Speedway.

“We’re going to make as many races as we can,” says Wall. “We’ll run the tracks we believe we can do well at.” The team, headed up by father/owner Steve and including older brother Aaron, runs Autocraft-powered Hawk chassis. Aaron, three years older, is a student at the University of Connecticut.

The team is “anxious to try some new stuff we’ve thought about over the winter.”

He was “a little bit surprised” with his first-ever experience in a midget. Coming from Whip City Speedway – he was the 270 Micro Sprint Champion in 2007 – it was a learning process. His three top-fives came later in the season.

He and his dad wound up seventh in the respective standings. He had a very impressive fifth-place run at Seekonk’s DAV.

“The hardest things was learning how to communicate back to the car owner,” says Wall, a junior at Assabet Valley Technical High School near his Shrewsbury, MA home. “The Midgets are so technical, so tricky.”

Driver Adam Cantor, “was a real big help all year “ as was car owner Mike Jarret “who knows the right questions to ask a driver.” Cantor was part of the great young movement in 2001 that turned NEMA around. Engine builder Mike Seymour was also a big factor.

William followed Aaron into racing. “Aaron wanted a go-kart but somebody suggested Quarter Midgets and that’s the way it went,” he says. The family raced as far away as Indianapolis and Georgia but was basically mostly at Thompson’s “Little T” facility.

He moved to Whip City, spending a season in the 250 sprints before winning 270 Rookie honors two year ago. Still, he credits the Quarter Midget experience with helping make the transition to asphalt. “Quarter Midgets are suspension cars and I could relate that to the full Midgets,” he explains.

It took a couple races to control the higher speeds (“Thompson is where you really feel it”) that have become NEMA’s trademark.

Studying welding, William “hopes to advance” as a race driver but would also find satisfaction in a career working on racecars.

Previous 2008 Racing Season Events HERE

William - 2007 CHAMPION
in the 270 Micro Sprints at Whip City Raceway

Hawk Autocraft NEMA Midget

Hawk Ford Focus USAC Midget