NEMA Rookie Wall Off to Quick Start
William Wall’s first look at Lee USA Speedway will come on Friday, July 27. Wall, currently running fifth in points, will be part of the Northeastern Midget Association field.
Wall, 16, had never seen Monadnock Speedway before NEMA’s appearance there on May 24. He finished sixth, his third straight top-10 effort in the #5 VW-powered Hawk chassis. Driving for his dad Steve, Wall had a sixth and seventh at Waterford Speedbowl.
About to complete his sophomore year at Assabet Technical High School in Marlboro, MA, Wall joins older brother Aaron on the NEMA driving roster. The family’s participation goes back more than a dozen years starting in Quarter Midgets.
“I’m still trying to get hold of the car,” reports Wall, the 2007 Whip City 270-Micro Sprint champ. He was Rookie of the Year in ’06. “We are going from dirt to asphalt. When I first got in the car I didn’t expect the speed. When I hit the pedal I said ‘wow, this is different.’ The closing time was really surprising.”
His first time out at the Speedbowl’s Modified Nationals he was determined “to learn as much as I could.” Now he is hoping to keep the top-10 streak alive. Points are not a big concern (“we don’t have the equipment to be competitive on the bigger tracks”) but the Rookie of the Year prize is. “We definitely would like to go after that.” he says.
Wall’s debut coincides with a year of incredible speeds. Current point leader Randy Cabral, Monadnock winner Joey Payne Jr., Greg Stoehr, Erica and Bobby Santos III, Adam Cantor and the ageless Nokie Fornoro have been very quick. Wall is very aware of the company he’s in.
Cabral, who has won twice at the Speedowl, leads Payne by 22 atop the standings. Only six points separate third through fifth – Stoehr, Erica Santos and Wall. Cantor is sixth.
“Adjusting to the different driving styles is as much a part of it as adjusting to new tracks,” he says. Bobby Seymour (a long-time mentor for NEMA’s young drivers) and Cantor, who like Wall came to NEMA at age 16, have been especially helpful. His father and brother, however, are the first people he goes to especially when learning new layouts.
Brother Aaron ran selected NEMA events in ’07 after a season and a half in Ford Focus action. “So I guess you can say I’m following in his footsteps,” said Wall.
The two brothers try to get into different practice sessions. When in the same session, they run a half-lap apart. “First of all, we don’t want to lose two cars,” Wall says. “Second, it allows my father to get a good look at both of us.”
Sources:: Pete Zanardi/NEMA PR