Tim Wilkerson Racing Charlotte NHRA Four-Wide Nationals
Notes and Quotes
Posted by: Kelly Topolinski
Notes:
- Tim Wilkerson won the 2016 NHRA Four-Wide Nationals with a final-round defeat of Cruz Pedregon
- Team Royal Purple driver Wilkerson, the driver, tuner, and team owner of the Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Shelby Mustang Funny Car, is an independent driver and one of just two single-car teams in the category to finish in the top 10 in 2017
- The NHRA Four-Wide Nationals will be the 475th 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 Charlotte
1 win in 1 Charlotte final round
Won Charlotte 1 2016 (Cruz Pedregon)
No. 1 at Charlotte 2 in 2012
In 2017: Qualified No. 5, lost in second round to Matt Hagan, J.R. Todd
Wilkerson's Career Stats through 2018 NHRA SpringNationals in Houston
(most recent event)
474 races
20 wins
19 runner-up finishes
39 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 NHRA Four-Wide Nationals
"I'm happy with our car. We should have been in the second or third round in Vegas, easily, and then last weekend we went to the semifinals in Houston. We're getting there, and I feel good going into Charlotte."
"It used to be that four-wide racing was something you could cry about if you didn't like it, but it never really bothered me either way. I've always done pretty good with it, so it didn't make a difference to me. The Vegas race was the first time I didn't do any good at a four-wide, but that was my fault. So I'm excited, and it's going to be a dog fight for the top 10 this year. We may be at the end of our leash, but we're still biting at their tails. We're going to get closer to them if we can keep it up."
Race Info
NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals
zMAX Dragway, Concord, North Carolina
April 27-29, 2018
Run Schedule (all times local)
Friday, April 27
8:30 a.m. – Lucas Oil Series Sportsman qualifying and time trials begin
2:30 p.m. – SAM Tech Factory Stock Showdown qualifying session 1
3:45 p.m. – E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod Series qualifying session 1
4:00 p.m. – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro qualifying session 1
6:00 p.m. – SAM Tech Factory Stock Showdown qualifying session 2
6:15 p.m. – E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod Series qualifying session 2
6:30 p.m. – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro qualifying session 2
Saturday, April 28
8:30 a.m. – Lucas Oil Series Sportsman eliminations begin with Stock Eliminator round 1
12:15 p.m. – SAM Tech Factory Stock Showdown qualifying session 3
2:00 p.m. – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro qualifying session 3
3:15 p.m. – E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod Series qualifying session 3
3:30 p.m. – SAM Tech Factory Stock Showdown round 1
4:00 p.m. – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro qualifying session 4
5:15 p.m. – E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod Series qualifying session 4
Sunday, April 29
11:00 a.m. – Pre-race ceremonies
12:00 p.m. – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro eliminations begin, eliminations for all categories continue
Television Schedule
Friday, April 27, FS1 will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at 8:00 p.m. (ET).
Saturday April 28, FS1 will televise LIVE qualifying coverage from 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, April 29, FS1 will televise three hours of finals coverage starting at 6:00 p.m. (ET).
Photo credit: Auto Imagery