Who Is The Best Racecar Driver In New Jersey?

  I have been around New Jersey auto racing most of my life. As a child I was a regular at Wall Stadium, sitting in the first turn grandstands with my father on most Saturday nights. I took it upon myself as a teenager to go to East Windsor Speedway, and New Egypt, when it was paved. Later, when the Modifieds left Wall and moved to Flemington, I not only became a regular in the grandstands, but also the pits.
  The drivers that stood out the most to me in my early years were John Blewett Jr. and Gil Hearne. I was also a fan of Tom Mauser and Street Stock driver Bob Howard.
  When I started to go to East Windsor, drivers like Jimmy Horton and Frank Cozze caught my eye. Doug Hoffman and Rocco Infante, both also come to mind as fierce competitors
  However, it wasn't until I started going to Flemington that I got to see great drivers from New Jersey up close. John Blewett III, the late driver from Howell, was dominant in anything he got into. He won frequently in the Nascar Modifieds, and won, maybe even more, in the Late Models. When I was helping out former Street Stock great, Shannon Conner, during his move up into the Modifieds, John III was asked if he would take the number 45 out to see what he thought. He readily did this and promptly turned the fastest laps the car had ever seen. He gladly helped a team that, who knows, could have been a threat to him one day.
  Maybe the greatest driving performance I ever saw came during the running of the Race of Champions event at Flemington. Billy Pauch starting last, in his first time in a Nascar Modified, beat the best Modified drivers in the Northeast at their own game. I really wish Pauch had gotten an honest shot at the big time.
  All this brings me to my question. Who is the best driver, currently competing, from New Jersey? Is it one of the Truex brothers? Is it Billy Pauch, or Jimmy Horton? How about Brett Hearn? What about a young gun like Anthony Sesely, or Chas Okerson?
  Leave a comment on who you think is the best. I would like to use the results in an upcoming blog post on NJ.com. I want to educate the rest of our state that there are more great drivers in NJ than just the two named Truex. Thank you for your participation.