WILDWOOD — Rolling thunder rumbled down the beach as The Race of Gentlemen sped through this weekend, drawing thousands of spectators and over 180 racers from all over the world.
Swap meets were held Thursday and Friday, with a kickoff party at Jersey Girl Kitchen and Bar in Wildwood on Thursday and another get together Friday at Lazy Bass Bayside Bar and Grill in North Wildwood.
Racing began early Saturday morning and will continue Sunday. Spectators were treated to live music from a variety of bands and artists after the races.
“This event is a bucket list item,” said West Virginia resident Tim Coon, 45.
Coon brought his 9-year-old son, Cooper, to the races, their first time attending.
“I love the nostalgia of it,” Coon said. “It’s homegrown, wholesome, and it’s not high dollar. It’s traditionally built cars and bikes that pay homage to the post-war era of racing.”
The Race of Gentlemen, commonly known as TROG, is a mecca for old-school car enthusiasts.
Despite “race” being in the name, it’s much more than just a drag race, as the annual event also functions as a car show, a convention and a swap meet. Outside of the beach where the event was taking place, 1930s Roadsters and 1940 Ford De Luxes roared up and down Atlantic Avenue for their own meet-up at the Pink Cadillac Diner.
“I’ve got a 6-month-old and a 3-and-half-year-old, so it was a fun thousand mile drive,” said Alex Dietz, 44.
Dietz traveled with his entire family, his flathead motorbike in tow, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Wildwood to partake in the races. He has been racing in TROG since 2021, making the annual event a tradition.
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“It’s all about having fun. There’s no other reason to do it other than to say you did it, meet new people, and make new friends,” Dietz said.
TROG got its start in 2012 in Asbury Park, Monmouth County, only a few short days before Superstorm Sandy made landfall in New Jersey. Due to immense damage to Asbury Park’s beaches following Sandy, the races were moved 150 miles south to Wildwood in 2013.
The switch to Wildwood may have been a blessing in disguise, as the town’s retro aesthetic and classic car culture lends itself very well to the old-school nature of TROG. As diners, motels, and ice cream parlors line up and down Pacific and Ocean avenues, hot rods and other classic cars cruise to and from their own car meets.
South Jersey, specifically the beaches in Cape May, have always been hallowed ground for pre-war car lovers.
In 1905, a landmark 1-mile beach race took place in Cape May, featuring legends like Henry Ford, Louis Chevrolet and Walter Christie racing in front of thousands of spectators. The Race of Gentlemen is a celebration of a style of racing that has since been relegated to the history books.
However, these races aren’t just meant to be won — they’re a celebration for both the drivers who worked tirelessly on restoring their vehicles and the spectators who traveled across oceans to see them.
Jackson Valiente, 50, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, came to TROG to organize a custom car show as a part of the event.
“Customs are different from hot rods because they have different functions,” said Valiente. “Hot rods are meant to be dirty racing cars, while customs are slower and meant to be admired.”
Valiente drove a 1939 Ford for the 17-hour trek up the coast, a journey he said required some caution.
Valiente has been attending TROG for over six years, and he keeps coming back because there’s always something interesting.
“It’s not like a parking lot car show, it’s a car show where there’s action,” he said. “There’s things actually happening. A lot of the community here today you only see once a year, and it’s only during this weekend.”
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