Tim Wilkerson Notes and Quotes - Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals - Brainerd, Minnesota
Posted by: Kelly Topolinski
Notes:
- Tim Wilkerson and the Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Shelby Mustang Funny Car crew have one previous Brainerd final round. They were runner-up there in 2003 to Gary Densham.
- Wilkerson enters the event in the No. 11 position, just three points out of the top 10 with just two races to go before the Countdown to the Championship field is set.
- As the driver, tuner, and team owner of the Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Shelby Mustang Funny Car, Wilkerson is an independent campaigner and one of just two single-car teams in the category to finish in the top 10 in 2017.
- He has finished in the top 10 in 13 of his 22 years as a nitro Funny Car driver, including in each of the most recent 10 years.
- The Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals will be the 486th race of Wilkerson's career as a nitro Funny Car driver
- The early portion of Wilkerson's career included a successful run as a Top Alcohol Funny Car driver. He earned eight divisional trophies and one national event win in the sportsman ranks before going Pro.
Wilkerson in Brainerd
1 final round
Runner-up in 2003 (Gary Densham)
No. 1 qualifier in 2004
Last year: Qualified No. 7; first round
Wilkerson's Career Stats through 2018 NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle
(most recent event)
485 races
20 wins
20 runner-up finishes
40 final rounds
19 No. 1 qualifier awards
Career best e.t.: 3.844 (2017 Phoenix)
Career best speed: 333.74 (2016 Topeka)
Wilkerson on the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals
"Brainerd is a race I haven't won yet, but we usually run well there. I've been to the finals there, and I'm optimistic. We have a better car now than we did at this time last year. It's really responding well, and it's listening. I've been saying that the train is on the track and everyone knows it, so we're going to Brainerd to do as well as we did in Seattle, if not better, and it's just going to continue to get better from here. We have a good car, and we've had some good races. We don't want to give up any more points, and we've already put our troubles of the past behind us. Now we're focused on Brainerd, and we're going to take it one run at a time."
Race Info
37th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals
Brainerd International Raceway
Brainerd, Minnesota
August 16-19, 2018
Run Schedule (all times local)
Thursday, August 16
9:30 a.m. – Lucas Oil Series Sportsman qualifying and time trials begin
Friday, August 17
9:15 a.m. – Lucas Oil Series Sportsman eliminations begin
1:40 p.m. – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro qualifying session 1
4:20 p.m. – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro qualifying session 2
Saturday, August 18
9:15 a.m. – Lucas Oil Series Sportsman eliminations continue
12:45 p.m. – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro qualifying session 3
3:45 p.m. – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro qualifying session 4
Sunday, August 19
10:00 a.m. – Pre-race ceremonies
11:00 a.m. – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro eliminations begin, eliminations for all categories continue
Television Schedule (all times ET)
Friday, August 17, FS1 will televise qualifying coverage from 6 – 7 pm
Sunday, August 19, FS1 will televise qualifying from noon – 1:00 pm
Sunday, August 19, eliminations LIVE on FS1 from 2 – 5 pm
Join the conversation by using #BrainerdNats on social media
**Full results posted throughout the weekend at DragRaceCentral.com**
Photo credit: Auto Imagery