Motorsports author and Green Bay native Joe Verdegan has announced a book tour in December to promote his seventh book, “5-10-32 – McBride, Parker and Anvelink,” which will feature the trio of Northeast Wisconsin dirt late model icons.
Those icons featured in the book are M.J. McBride from Shawano, Pete Parker from Kaukauna and Terry Anvelink from Navarino.
“5-10-32 – McBride, Parker and Anvelink” will be the fourth book Verdegan has penned with Pedal Down Promotions of Manitowoc.
On Dec. 7, the tour stops at the Lighthouse Bar and Grill in Shawano from 6-8 p.m.
On Dec. 9, the tour swings into Anvelink’s hometown of Navarino for a stop at Peppermint Josie’s from 6-8 p.m. Peppermint Josie’s is formerly Walt’s Bar, which was a longtime sponsor of Anvelink’s.
The tour will also stop at Club 117 in Bonduel on Dec. 16 from 6-8 p.m. Club 117 is a supporter of local racing including both Shawano Speedway and second-generation racer Nick Anvelink.
All three drivers earned extremely popular fan followings beginning with McBride. The speedster’s career began in 1965 at Shawano Speedway. McBride would go on to battle in USAC stock car competition in the early 1970s and eventually would wind up dominating at his hometown half-mile, bagging five straight track titles in the 1980s and still winning frequently into the 1990s and into the 2000s era. McBride, who would wind up winning 13 track championships in all, was ushered into Shawano Speedway’s Hall of Fame in 2007.
Parker began his career in drag racing after a stint in the military. It didn’t take long for the Eagle River native to explode onto the dirt late model scene. Parker began winning features and track titles frequently in the late 1970s and for the next few decades. Parker spread his wings in the 1980s chasing big-money specials, including the long-defunct National Dirt Racing Association circuit. After an estimated 450 feature wins at both the local and regional level and a pair of WISSOTA late model national crowns, Parker was inducted into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame in 2006.
Anvelink won his first late model feature in 1977 and wasted little time becoming a consistent frontrunner and fan favorite in the years ahead at Shawano Speedway, as well as nearby Seymour Speedway. The Navarino Nightmare, as he’s affectionately known has scored multiple feature wins and 13 track championships. Anvelink has also won some big races along the way, including the $5,000-to-win Legendary 100 at Cedar Lake Speedway in western Wisconsin and the $4,000-to-win Mid-Summer Classic at Shawano. Anvelink was a 2009 inductee into the Shawano Speedway Hall of Fame.
For more details on “5-10-32 – McBride, Parker and Anvelink,” email Verdegan at jverdegan2@gmail.com or follow his website, joeverdegan.com.
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