Tim Wilkerson Notes and Quotes - NHRA Route 66 Nationals Chicago
Posted by: Kelly Topolinski
Notes:
- Tim Wilkerson's first national event win in a nitro Funny Car came at Route 66 Raceway in 1999, when he defeated John Force for the title
- Wilkerson, who hails from Springfield, will be racing for the trophy in his home state of Illinois
- 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
- The NHRA Route 66 Nationals will be the 478th 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 Chicago
1 win in 1 final round
Won 1999 (defeated John Force)
In 2017: Qualified No. 10, reached the semifinals
Wilkerson's Career Stats through 2018 NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta
(most recent event)
477 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 Route 66 Nationals
"Chicago is real close to home, and we'll have a ton of LRS people there. It was the site of my first fuel win ever, so I'm always excited about going to Chicago. NHRA has been prepping the track differently this year, and hopefully we can figure out how to make our car run well with it there. We'll have a lot of friends there, and we'd like to show them something in Chicago."
"I think my favorite Route 66 Raceway memory would be beating John Force in the finals there. Up until that point of the year, either him or Tony Pedregon had won every race. We were real lucky to beat him that day, and it was really a lot of fun. We were so excited. I will never forget Force coming up to me and saying, 'I told [crew chief, Austin] Coil, remember when it was fun to win?' It was a great day, and one we'd sure like to repeat."
Race Info
NHRA Route 66 Nationals
Route 66 Raceway, Chicago, Illinois
June 1-3, 2018
Run Schedule (all times local)
Friday, June 1
9:00 a.m. – Lucas Oil Series Sportsman qualifying, eliminations begin
5:15 p.m. – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro qualifying session 1
7:45 p.m. – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro qualifying session 2
Saturday, June 2
9:00 a.m. – Lucas Oil Series Sportsman eliminations continue
11:15 a.m. – Sportsman Allstars driver introductions at the starting line
12:00 p.m. – Sportsman Allstars round 1
1:45 p.m. – Sportsman Allstars round 2
3:15 p.m. – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro qualifying session 3, followed by Sportsman Allstars finals
6:00 p.m. – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro qualifying session 4
Sunday, June 3
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)
Saturday, June 2, FS1 will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday June 3, FS1 will televise #NHRAToday & qualifying beginning at 10:30 a.m.
Sunday June 3, FS1 will televise three hours of finals coverage starting at 5:30 p.m.
Photo credit: Auto Imagery