|
CONGRATULATIONS NORTHERN NEW JERSEY 0N 75 YEARS!! 1950-2025!
Stories, Past and Present, from our Northern New Jersey Region
This month’s story is from the NNJR April 1987 NNJR Pole Position.
It’s titled “EXTRA Exclusive Look at Shopping Cart Racing” written by Glenn Filzer.
“A Major trend in sports excitement is sweeping the suburbias from coast to coast. The high speed thrills and chills of shopping cart racing roaring down aisles and zipping through checkout lines at breakneck speeds has been getting more attention than the weekly specials posted in the circulars. No one is absolutely sure how shopping cart racing started out as the nation’s craze (some say it was started by two young boys racing down aisles at one of the earliest supermarkets around 1946). But one thing is certain, it has become the most exciting pastime of shoppers everywhere from Connecticut to Chicago to California.
Men and women of various age groups flock to their local markets not only to buy their groceries but also to form huge audiences to watch their favorite cart racers battle against the clock and their opponents for prizes ranging from free groceries to TV sets and watches to cash prizes.
The rules of the game are very straightforward. All the racers have to do is drive through a specified course in the supermarkets in the shortest time possible. However, there are hazards in every section of the supermarket such as tight turns, going from aisle to aisle and the zigzagging to avoid busy shoppers………In order to make certain nobody gets hurt, safety precautions are taken every step of the way. Crewmen check the carts for any loose or broken wheels that can cause a cart to skid out of control…….Racers are advised to wear crash helmets….good gripping soles on their shoes. Safety belts have also been installed in carts …..the police light and siren systems installed in each cart to warn shoppers to clear the way.
In just about every supermarket in America there are tournaments for men and women in all age groups in the empty-cart, half-full, full-cart, and two person categories. From there, it’s on to regional finals and then it’s on to the big league in the NASCAR (Nation Shopping Cart Racers) Association Series where cart racers from all over the U.S. and Canada compete for big bucks at different supermarkets from coast to coast.
The stores along the NASCAR circuit are challenges in themselves even for the pros. Each has its own unique floor plan along with the unpredictable throngs of shoppers. The produce and dairy departments could have you zagging and zigging all about. The meat and bakery departments also get crowded so that you should be advised to take turns tightly there as well. Deli departments give drivers very little trouble unless there’s twenty people waiting for their numbers to be called. The checkout area can be a real nightmare with so many carts blocking the way. The worst challenge for any cart-racer by far is trying desperately to avoid the girls who give the customers food samples to taste. As one NASCAR racer kindly put it, ‘I try avoiding the sample trays during the race. After I run the course, I run back before all the samples are gone’.”
NNJR NEWS
• Save the date! The NNJR 2026 Region Party will be held on Saturday January 17, 2026 at the Packanack Lake Clubhouse, 52 Lake Drive West, Wayne, NJ 07470.
• Support our NNJR region - join us at NNJR solo events at the Meadowlands and future Rally events. Volunteers are always welcome.
• Northern New Jersey is looking for volunteers to join the e-newsletter staff. Contact Peter Schneider, Editor, at pjschneidernj@gmail.com.
NEDiv Convention 2026 Update - Save the date!
This year’s NEDiv Convention will be held on Saturday February 21,2026. Location TBD. The Convention Co-Chairs are Linda Santangelo-Mosley, Kathy Barnes and Chris Mosley. For more information contact Linda Santangelo-Mosley at re@scca-nnjr.com.
| 
