Tim Wilkerson, 2015 winner, returns to Atlanta Dragway with renewed confidence
Posted by: Kelly Topolinski
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (May 3, 2017) –This weekend's 37th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Southern Nationals will take place at a facility that holds a rich history, and one that has been good to Tim Wilkerson and the Levi, Ray & Shoup team. Wilkerson, currently No. 11 in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car standings, is eager to get to Atlanta Dragway and continue the climb.
Last weekend in Charlotte qualifying, the Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Shelby Mustang was a little more even-tempered than it had been in recent weeks, and that provided Wilkerson with a bright spot on which to focus.
"I just need to beat on it one round at a time [in Atlanta]," said Wilkerson, a 20-time NHRA nitro Funny Car winner who has found himself just outside the top 10 after the first six events. "The right guys that need to be losing aren't losing, but that's okay. We just need to do our jobs and keep trying to move forward."
The return to Atlanta Dragway marks the two-year anniversary of Wilkerson's 2015 victory there, when he beat current Funny Car champ Ron Capps in the final.
"We usually run pretty well there, but I could never get out of the semis for some reason. Getting to the final there in 2015 made me pretty excited," said Wilkerson, who was the No. 1 qualifier at the Southern Nationals in 1999 and 2008. "I was like, well finally. We looked like we knew what we were doing, but then in the finals it pulled the tires loose about 400 feet. Capps was in more trouble than me so we got lucky – smoked 'em down through there and won the round. It was a good day."
Team owner, driver, and tuner Wilkerson will be looking for another good day on Sunday in Atlanta, and one that will bring in a bunch of points that will move him into the top 10.
"We were pretty confident on Sunday in Charlotte, and I was surprised when it smoked the tires second round; I think getting stuck in the lane we did had a lot to do with that," said Wilkerson. "We have confidence going into Atlanta. We're all hoping for a good weekend."
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**Full results posted throughout the weekend at DragRaceCentral.com**
Wilkerson in Atalanta
- 1 win in 1 final rounds
- Won 2015 (defeated Ron Capps)
- No. 1 in 1999, 2008
- At Atlanta in 2016: Qualified No. 7, lost in round one to Del Worsham
- Notable: Wilkerson won Atlanta in 2015 in his first Atlanta Dragway final round. His son, Daniel – who is also a Funny Car driver but does not compete regularly on the circuit – was working on the crew.
Updated Career Stats heading into Houston, race 5 of 24
- No. 11 in Funny Car standings
- 451 races
- 20 wins
- 17 runner-up finishes
- 37 overall final rounds
- 18 No. 1 qualifier awards
- Career best e.t.: 3.844 (2017 Phoenix)
- Career best speed: 333.74 (2016 Topeka)
Race Info
37th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Southern Nationals
Atlanta Dragway
Atlanta (Commerce), Ga.
May 5-7, 2017
Run Schedule (all times ET)
- Friday, May 5
- 8:00 am - Sportsman qualifying begins
- 4:15 pm - Pro qualifying session 1
- 7:10 pm - Pro qualifying session 2
- Saturday, May 6
- 8:00 am - Sportsman eliminations
- 1:15 pm - Pro qualifying session 3
- 3:45 pm - Pro qualifying session
- Sunday, May 7
Television Schedule (According to NHRA.com, May 3, 2017)
- Friday, May 5
- FS1 will televise one hour of qualifying highlights at 8 p.m. (ET).
- Saturday Night, May 6
- FS1 will televise one hour of qualifying highlights at 1 a.m. (ET).
- Sunday, May 7
- FS1 will televise three hours of elimination highlights at 6 p.m. (ET).
Photo credit: Auto Imagery.