The area that falls within most of New Jersey, the very eastern part of Pennsylvania, some of nearby southern New York, and the states of Delaware and Maryland is comprised from an area I used to teach my students was from some of  "the Middle Colonies". Not only did the area play a huge role in the American Revolution; but, it also played an important and less known part in another revolution of sorts - the emergence of stock car racing.

The proximity of large communities, the large population, the availability of large fairgrounds, the presence of open wheel racing, the aggressive, forward - thinking race promoters, and its reasonably close proximity to the South made it a region where stock car racing made some huge strides in its formation. Most people who are at all interested in stock car racing's early years tend to focus all fo their attention on the Southeast; but that is a mistake. A lot of big events in that history took place in that small portion of the Northeast.

The evolution of the modified stock car, while surely having its first roots in Southern moonshine running, did have a lot of development at early racing venues up North like Paterson, NJ. Allentown, PA, Langhorne, PA, and other places. This page is to show some of the photos of that. Thanks, in large part, to a generous sharing from Jeff Hardifer of the Wally Campbell Museum, I have a lot of photos to share. I will put a reasonable and representative portion of them here, as much chronologically as I can manage.

Pre WWII

Courtesy of Jeff Hardifer A 1939 exhibition race for stock American cars at Langhorne Speedway drew a lot of interest, encouraging more to be done with that type of racing. Kuhn Collection Courtesy of Jeff Hardifer Walt Keiper, with a Tom Grbac - owned coupe at Langhorne Speedway in 1941. Cunnigham Collection via of Jeff Hardifer NJ drivers Walt Keiper and Pepper Cunningham [ctr] meet Southerner Roy Hall at Trenton in 1941. This photo is from another track later, but they all met in that pre - WWII race. ardifer.jpg   Trenton Times via Jeff Hardifer Car Owner Wally Marks [left] and driver Walt Keiper. Keiper  would win the big race.             Speedway & Road Racing History.com Another pre - WWII stock car race - at Allentown, PA.

Post WWII - 1946

Norm Oakes Photo Bradshaw Collection via Jeff Hardiferr Local driver Tommy Bradshaw, at the Allentown, PA fairgrounds in 1946.

Norm Oakes Photo Bradshaw Collection via Jeff Hardiferr Local driver Tommy Coates [possibly in a Grbac car] is chased by Tommy Bradshaw, at the Allentown, PA fairgrounds.

Norm Oakes Photo Bradshaw Collection via Jeff Hardiferr Southern driver Roy Hall, at the wheel of the famed Raymond Parks car, tuned by Red Vogt. Allentown.

Norm Oakes Photo Cunningham Collection via Jeff Hardiferr Local driver Pepper Cunningham with one of Tom Grbac's cars, 1946. He would win the 100 miler at Langhorne with the car.

Post WWII - 1947

Norm Oakes Photo Bradshaw Collection via Jeff Hardiferr Local driver Tommy Bradshaw, at the Flemington, NJ fairgrounds in 1947.	Tom Alfrey Collection via Jeff Hardiferr The first race car in the career of the legendary Wally Campbell. Harrington, Delaware.	Jeff Hardifer Collectionr The same car at Flemington, NJ. This was his first car.	Jeff Hardifer Collectionr Southern driver Johnny Grubb wins Trenton in 1947 with a NJ Grbac car. Here he is awarded by famous promoter Sam Nunis.
Norm Oakes Photo Cunningham Collection via Jeff Hardifer Bradshaw, outside versus Pepper Cunningham in the Wally Marks car at Allentown.	Kuhn Collection via Jeff Hardifer Southern star [and former moonshiner] Buddy Shuman at Allentown, PA with a self - built car.	CCunningham Collection via Jeff Hardifer Pepper Cunningham [center] with Wally Campbell [facing us] at Allentown.	Tom Alfrey Collection via Jeff Hardifer The Grbac sedan at Allentown. Driver here is Southerner Frank Munday.
Bradshaw Collection via Jeff Hardifer Local star Tommy Coates with Johnny Sabatini's unique convertible modifed at Trenton.	Hardifer Collection 1947 modifed action at Dover. Frank Munday is in the Grbac 6 on the inside.	Kuhn Collection via Jeff Hardifer Southern star Fonty Flock works on his car at Trenton.	| Tom Alfrey Collection via Jeff Hardifer A good look at the Harrington, DE track. Munday is in the Grbac sedan [6] behind a smoking Tommy Coates in Sabatini's 69.
Russ Dodge Collection via Jeff Hardifer Tommy Coates with the Joe Wolf 47 coupe.	Norm Oakes Photo  Cunningham Collection via Jeff Hardifer Pepper Cunningham [left] watches car owner and master mechanic Wally Marks tune a race car.	How Stuff Works.com This 1947 shot of Pennsylvania modifieds shows Raymond Park's 14, one of the fastest cars at any track. Driver is likely Fonty Flock.	Jeff Hardifer Collection Lee McBride [11] and Lucky Luex areabout to run an exhibition race inside Philadelphia's Yellow Jacket Stadium. The football arena would serve as a track for a while before being torn down for a new stadium. The name Yellow Jacket Speedway would then move to a 1/4 mile track inside Langhorne.

Post WWII - 1948

EMMR/NOTARC Collections via Jeff Hardifer Buddy Shuman, with the coupe that was arguably the fastest thing in the region. It was actually a moonshine car, converted to a race car.	Frank Smith Photo  via Jeff Hardifer Frank Munday in the Grbac 5 at Dover, NJ.	Bradshaw Collection Via Jeff Hardifer Tommy Bradshaw, with one of his 1948 rides.	Trenton Times Via Jeff Hardifer This 1948 shot shows the great Red Byron with the Red Vogt - wrenched Raymond Parks 22 coupe.
Russ Dodge Collection Via Jeff Hardifer Chick DiNatale at Middletown, NY. He would run only ESCRC events after a fashion that year and from then on.	Frank Smith Photo Via Jeff Hardifer Charlie Dyer, 1948. I believe he won the 1950 NASCAR modified title.	Trenton Times Via Jeff Hardifer This 1948 ad mentions one of the lewss known NJ tracks. Note Sam Nunis is the promoter.	Russ Dodge Collection Via Jeff Hardifer This 1948 photo is of the start at Flemington. Tommy Coates leads in joe Wolf's 47. Frankie Schneider is 2 and the 11 is the Lee McBride car. No one seems too worried about their personal safety here.
Trenton Times Via Jeff Hardifer This 1948 article chronicles the formation of the American Stock Car Racing Association. Ironically, the DiNatale brothers and others would soon break off into the Eastern Stock Car Club.	Bradshaw Collection Via Jeff Hardifer Tommy Coates, 1948 Williams Grove Speedway winner, is congratulated by ASCRA officials Bill Streeter [left] and Roy Richwine.	Jeff Hardifer Collection ASCRA 1948 banquet. Award recipient Leon McBride, is congratulated by ASCRA officials Bill Streeter [left] and Roy Richwine.	Jeff Hardifer Collection ASCRA 1948 banquet. Tommy Coates [lft] and Lucky Lee Crosby have a light moment.
Via Jeff Hardifer An ESCRC handout that shows the impressive array of drivers they had running their events in 1948.	Via Jeff Hardifer  Chick DiNatale was the big name in the ESCRC in 1948.	Kuhn COllection via Jeff Hardifer  Nelson Applegate ran the ESCRC, as did his brother Leon.	Trenton Times via Jeff Hardifer  ESCRC and Middletown Speedway champ Chick DiNatale [rt] shows the mayor of Middletown his hardware as car owner Johnny Sabatini looks on at left.
Via Jeff Hardifer One of the SCOA tour weekly tracks was to be this one, in Vernon, NY in 1948.	Legends of NASCAR Buddy Shuman relaxes in his lightning fast coupe after winning the first Fonda Speedway race on the SCOA schedule in 1948.	Lost Maine Tracks Facebook Page Lewiston, Maine's Ken Littlefield was quite outclassed in SCOA against the hot rods from NJ, PA, and the South. But he did Ok. Lewiston, ME  fairgrounds were part of the farflung SCOA weekly schedule.	International Motorsports Hall of Fame Rhode Island's Sammy Packard spoke of the toll the SCOA schedule took on him and others. Fourth placer in NASCAR's first - ever race, Packard's home track, The Kingston fairgrounds, was part of the SCOA schedule, along with Fonda, Lewiston, Allentown, Vernon, and Dover, NJ. It failed after a few weeks in 1948.
Via Ken Parrotte Peekskill, NY's Jim Reed parlayed success in NJ/PA racing in the '40's to a bigcareer in NASCAR's Grand National short track division in the '50's.	Frank Smith Photo  EMMR/NOTARC Collection Via Jeff Hardifer Al Keller, one of the many midget drivers involved in late 40's stock car racing, with the W.O. Taylor car 91 at Langhorne.	Frank Smith Photo  EMMR/NOTARC Collection Via Jeff Hardifer Johnny Rogers, one of the many Southern drivers involved in late 40's NJ/PA stock car racing, with the W.O. Taylor car 89 at Langhorne.	Frank Smith Photo   Via Jeff Hardifer Pepper Cunningham, with the Lee McBride 11 at Langhorne.
Jeff Hardifer Collection Langhorne was still the big league race in 1948. Tommy Coates leads the way in Joe Wolf's 47, with Pepper Cunningham in Lee Bride's 11 and Fonty Flock in the Raymond Parks 14.	Jeff Hardifer Collection Trenton, the area's other big track, was concentrating on open wheel cars in 1948.	Wikimedia Allentown, PA remained a big part of the stock car scene, slso briefly serving as one of the weekly tracks for Jack Kochman's ill -fated Speed Corporation of America series.	Jeff Hardifer Collection Dover was still very critical in 1948, also serving as a SCOA track. Apparently, from this ad, it also spent time undeer the ESCRC

KEY TO ACRONYMS ABOVE    The American Stock Car Racing Association   -  A sanctioning group organized in 1948 and lasted until 1950.      The Eastern Stock Car Racing Club - Formed in 1948. Splintered off from ASCAR due to disagreements over rules. Lasted until 1954.              The Speed Corporation of America. A Scheme of Jack Kochman to run a weekly schedule of six widely - separated tracks. Lasted only a few months.

Post WWII - 1949

Jeff Hardifer  Collections Yellow Jacket Stadium, a football arean in Philadelphia. Pappy Hough [black car], Tommy Coates [91].	Frank Smith Photo  via Jeff Hardifer Johnny Carp, Ed Tyson and the ever - present Wally Campbell at Bedford, PA. ASCRA race.	Tanner Collection Via Jeff Hardifer Wally Campbell [far left] and Bill Tanner, Jr pace the 1949 Langhorne race. The event was said to be a ASCRA sanction.	Jeff Hardifer Collectionr Tommy Coates spins in front of Fonty Flock at the 1949 ASCRA show at Richmond, VA.
Jeff Hardifer  Collections Opening program for the Plainfield [CT] Stadium, promoted by Joe Tinty. Sanction unknown.	Kuhn Collection Via Jeff Hardifer Lou Johnson at the 1949 Williams Grove race. The sanction is unknown.	Tanner Collection Via Jeff Hardifer Tampa, FLA's female star Pauline Heston, with what looks like a Grbac entry.	McBride Collection Via Jeff Hardifer Lee McBride crashes what looks like a Joe Wolf car at the 1949 West Lanham, MD race. The  sanction is unknown.
McBride Collection Via Jeff Hardifer The 1949 ASCRA banquet boasts of a lineup of big names: From left - Joe Wolf, Wally Marks, Lee McBride, Tommy Coates, Harold Brokhoff, Tommy Bradshaw, and Pepper Cunningham.	Legenfelter Collection Via Jeff Hardifer Wally Campbell [far right] and car owner Wally Marks were champions of ASCRA in 1949.  Emcee is open wheel racing great Bill Holland [lft].is	Cunningham Collection Via Jeff Hardifer Wally Campbell and the Marks 1 at the 1949 Langhorne race. The event was said to be a ASCRA sanction.	EMMR/NOTARC Collection Via Jeff Hardifer Springdale, CT driver Dick Eagan ran many races in 1949. He is best known as winning the big 1951 Langhorne Race of Champions in relief of Hully Bunn. This was known as "The Big Fire Race" because of a huge pileup and resulting fires nearer the beginning of the race.
Kuhn Collection Via Jeff Hardifer Northeast standout Ken Wagner, shown at the ASCRA show at Richmond, in 1949.	Kuhn Collection Via Jeff Hardifer Tommy Fenley at the 1949 Langhorne race. This car was seen at races in eastern NY in the early 1950's.	Kuhn Collection Via Jeff Hardifer Philadelphia driver Nick Binder, at Richmond.	Russ Dodge Collection Via Jeff Hardifer Top Southern driver Frank "Rebel" Munday with top car owner Joe Wolf.

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