The Vault
MCBRIDE’S TORINO TAKES FIRST FEATURE AT SHAWANO
Posted on: Friday May 6, 2022
Shawano’s M.J. McBride put his Ford Torino into victory lane at Shawano Speedway June 10, 1972. (Vercauteren family photo)
McBride’s Torino Takes First Feature at Shawano
By Gary Vercauteren (reprinted from the Midwest Racing News Thursday June 15, 1972)
Shawano, Wis., June 10 – M.J. McBride, driving the Dey Construction 1968 Ford Torino, won his first feature event of the season at the Shawano County Fairgrounds Speedway Saturday night before a crowd of 3,000 spectators. McBride also won the fourth heat race.
The hometown favorite needed only five laps to forge into the lead and held off J.J. Smith at the finish.
Russ Peterson of Milwaukee led the first three laps of the contest before surrendering the top spot to Underhill’s Jerry Schultz. Schultz kept his 1969 in front for only one lap when McBride took command of the situation.
J.J. brought his 1967 Dodge Charger home second followed by Kimberly’s Roger Regeth, Schultz, Allan “Red” BeDell and Dave Conger.
The main event was red flagged on lap two when Regeth, Willy Schoppenhorst and Bob Kleinschmidt tangled on the backstretch. The cars of the latter two slid off the track and bounced through a field next to the raceway. None of the drivers were injured but only Kleinschmidt was unable to continue.
The first heat was marred by a near disastrous fire which occurred on the third lap. John Rosso’s 1970 Monte Carlo burst into flames as it headed down the backstretch and he brought the car to a halt in the fourth turn.
A safety crewmember rushed to the scene and extinguished the flames under the hood as members of several pit crews ran onto the track and used their extinguishers to help put out the fire. Rosso was uninjured and luckily the car was able to be repaired in time for the semi-feature.
SUMMARY
20 LAP FEATURE – M.J. McBride, Shawano (’68 Torino); J.J. Smith, Appleton (’67 Charger); Roger Regeth, Kimberly (’72 Monte Carlo); Jerry Schultz, Underhill (’69 Torino); Allan “Red” BeDell, Green Bay (’63 Thunderbird); Dave Conger, Oshkosh, (’66 Chevelle)
15 LAP SEMI FEATURE – Buck Bacon, Navarino; Howie Mess, Menominee Falls; Dan Johnson, Green Bay; Lou Moesch, Shawano; Corny Schmidt, Pella
10 LAP HEATS 1ST) Bacon; John Leverance, Milwaukee; Terry Baldry, Omro 2nd) Schmidt; LeeRoy Raddant, Shawano; Bob Haws, Bonduel 3rd) Regeth; Mess; Schultz 4th) McBride; BeDell; Conger
Fast Qualifier: J.J. Smith, 26.027 seconds
This excerpt appears in Joe Verdegan’s seventh book “5-10-32 McBride, Parker & Anvelink” and can be purchased at this website by clicking on the “books” tab in the upper left corner.