Veteran sports personality Bob Wilber has released his long-awaited autobiography, “Bats, Balls, & Burnouts” with publisher Outskirts Press. It is on sale to the public, effective immediately, and can be purchased online at Amazon.com and other internet retailers. It can also be obtained in both print and digital versions. In just its first day on amazon.com it moved into the Top 50 Sports Biographies or Memoirs on sale.

The memoir traces Wilber’s life from the age of three to the present day, including tales of a childhood as the youngest son of a former Major League catcher (Del Wilber) and a radio-personality mother (Taffy Wilber) before recounting numerous stories about his own baseball career, his sports marketing experiences, and three stints as a senior-level executive for professional indoor soccer franchises in St. Louis, Kansas City, and Indianapolis.

In 1991 Wilber was named general manager of Heartland Park Topeka, and in that position he saw his first drag race. In 1996, he began a career working directly for National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) drivers as a team manager and public relations representative, initially for Funny Car star Whit Bazemore, followed by Funny Car driver Del Worsham (1997-2008), as well as Worsham’s Funny Car teammates Frank Pedregon (2000-2002), Johnny Gray (2003-2004), Phil Burkart (2004-2006), and Jeff Arend (2007). Wilber then completed his 20-year career with Funny Car star Tim Wilkerson (2009-2015).  

“Bats, Balls, & Burnouts” was more than 16 months in the making, as Wilber worked on it full-time from January, 2016 until its release on May 22, 2017.

Wilber plans a promotional tour at 10 NHRA Mello Yello races, beginning with the Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Joliet, in early July. All scheduled book signings at the event will take place on Saturday of the race weekend, with the exception of the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, where signings will take place on Sunday, September 3.

The book will be available for purchase at the Stupid Fast souvenir trailer where Tim Wilkerson merchandise is sold, beginning with the Joliet race. Wilkerson’s Funny Car will also display a decal of the book’s cover for the remainder of the 2017 season, after Joliet. Precise schedules for signings at the trailer will be announced later, while informal signings and fan interactions with the author can easily occur thanks to NHRA’s popular “every ticket is a pit pass” policy. Wilber can often be found at the Team Wilkerson pit area, or roaming the pro pits.

Wilber’s tentative schedule:

Route 66 Nationals - Route 66 Raceway - Joliet, Ill. - July 8

Mopar Mile-High Nationals - Bandimere Speedway - Denver, Colo. - July 22

Toyota Sonoma Nationals - Sonoma Raceway - Sonoma, Calif. - July  29

Lucas Oil Nationals - Brainerd International Raceway - Brainerd, Minn. - August 19

Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals - Lucas Oil Raceway - Indianapolis, Ind. - September 3

North Carolina Nationals - zMAX Dragway - Charlotte, N.C. - September 16

AAA Insurance Midwest Nationals - Gateway Motorsports Park - Madison, Ill. - September 30

AAA Texas FallNationals - Texas Motorplex - Ennis, Tex. - October 14

Toyota Nationals - The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway - Las Vegas, Nev. - October 28

Auto Club Finals - Auto Club Raceway at Pomona - Pomona, Calif. - November 11

Specific times for organized signings will be announced at each event.