The Scoop
LATE MODEL ACE ANVELINK RETURNS TO MODIFIED ROOTS AT SHAWANO
Posted on: Thursday July 21, 2022
Late model ace Nick Anvelink will go for the $5,000 top prize with this MB Customs IMCA modified at Shawano Speedway July 23.
Nick Anvelink is well known for his prowess wheeling a dirt late model with his multiple track titles along with four Dirt Kings Tour titles.
But this weekend the second-generation racer will return to his roots in a way. Anvelink will wheel an IMCA modified in the “Big Money Style At The Half-Mile” special event at Shawano Speedway.
The car he’ll be wheeling will be numbered 158 which is especially fitting since this MB Customs modified was constructed with his longtime chum A.J. Diemel, a Bonduel native who has lived in Menominee, Wisconsin and worked for MB Customs for several years.
Nick’s number is 15 while A.J. has raced with 58 during his entire career. “We built this modified over at their shops in Menominee and it was something that A.J. and I had talked about doing for quite a while,” Anvelink explained. “MB Customs doesn’t have a lot of IMCA-type modifieds over on the eastern side of the state, yet we’ve also got a ton of really good modified racers in this area. They have the market covered well in USMTS (United States Modified Touring Series) and WISSOTA so we’re gonna run this car and try to help them out and give them some good feedback.”
Anvelink has pretty much “been there” and “done that” in the dirt late model scene, winning multiple track titles at his home track Shawano Speedway along with the Dirt Kings Tour crowns. In fact, heading into this weekend Anvelink stands at 88 career late model victories at Shawano alone. That puts him just four victories behind Kaukauna legend and national dirt late model hall of famer Pete Parker in total wins at the fabled half mile.
Nick Anvelink was just a kid when he and A.J. Diemel constructed their first IMCA modified well over 20-plus years ago. (danlewisphoto.net)
But remember Anvelink was a pretty good shoe in the IMCA modifieds – the class where he cut his teeth. Anvelink scored track titles on a pair of half-miles, Shawano and at the Langlade County Speedway in Antigo. The IMCA modifieds of 2022 are whole different animal when he and A.J. cobbled together their first modified of mainly cast-off parts from the local junkyard. “Yeah, this car has some pretty good pieces on it compared to the junk we used when we built that first car,” Anvelink admitted. “I’ve got a couple of nights on this car already and it took a few laps to get used to it again. I’m probably not as good as some of the best mod guys around here but we’re starting to get the car dialed in.”
Anvelink got the car dialed in at Red Cedar Speedway in Menominee a couple of weeks ago. “We had a pretty decent run against the WISSOTA A mods even with an IMCA type car,” Anvelink admitted. “We were running some older WISSOTA legal tires but even with the crate motor we hung with them. That deal with the crate motors is to not get your car too tight.”
Nick Anvelink (158) goes wheel-to-wheel with IMCA modified veteran Brian Mullen (72). (danlewisphoto.net)
Anvelink also has a pair of nights under his belt with the 158 at Luxemburg and Shawano where he says they’ve “made strides” in both outings. “Me and A.J. are both in on this car as I didn’t feel comfortable with him having to own it 100 percent,” Anvelink explained. “The car is for sale if anybody comes to buy it.”
Anvelink has pulled double duty before racing both the modified and his late model but admitted it’s more than taxing on an already thin pit crew. “Not sure if we’ll bring the late model out Saturday yet or not,” Anvelink said. “It all depends upon how much pit crew help we can get. We did that already once this year and honestly it’s a hassle running both of them.”
As for closing in on Pete Parker’s record of 92 late model wins at Shawano? “Yeah, overall, I guess that is a pretty neat deal,” Anvelink admitted. “Over the last several seasons we’ve run about 80 percent of the Saturday night shows at Shawano. Not sure if I’d even be able to pull that off this year as even if we were here every week, you’d have to get pretty hot by the end of the year. We just take the feature wins one at a time as they come. It’s just getting harder and harder each year with pit crew help and everybody’s kids are in sports. There’s a lot going on outside of racing.”
Sponsors on the Anvelink/Diemel/MB Customs modified include MB Customs, CMD Shocks, Wehrs Machine, Keyser Manufacturing, JigE Signs and Speedwerx Headers.
SHAWANO NOTEBOOK – Shawano’s “Big Money Style At The Half-Mile” will pay $5,000-to-win the modified feature and another $2,500 to win the stock car feature. In addition to the IMCA stock cars and modifieds, the late models and IMCA northern sportmods will also be in action while the 4-cylinder class will have the evening off. Racing action gets underway at 6 p.m. This event will award IMCA state and national points.