Continued Progress Is Wilk's Phoenix Focus
Posted by: Team Manager Bob Wilber
CHANDLER, Ariz. (February 17, 2015) -- It's not easy for an underdog single-car team to compete in today's NHRA Funny Car class. Picture David surrounded by not one, but a dozen or more Goliaths. Tim Wilkerson, though, doesn't allow himself to think in such terms when he puts his Levi, Ray, & Shoup Ford Mustang on the track, taking on the very best competition on the Mello Yello tour. He simply focuses on progress, on fighting the good fight, and on doing his very best with his young crew.
At the season opener in Pomona, that meant making two solid laps out of the three contested during qualifying, and while neither of the runs earned bonus points they got him solidly in the field. Having to face Robert Hight in round one didn't faze Wilk. Knowing he'd have to step up from his best qualifying number didn't dissuade him, either. He was simply there to put his best possible lap on the board and, if he did that, he knew he could beat the former World Champion.
"I think some people might look at us and think we're outnumbered here, and in terms of multi-car teams we are, but we're not really outgunned by that much," Wilk said. "One of key things is budget, because I couldn't afford to run my stuff on the ragged edge and blow it up all the time last year, much less now with the new oil-down penalties. So, I've always tried to run in that window where you're going to be competitive, you're going to be fast, and you're going to keep the other guys honest, but you've hopefully also got the dial turned to a safer zone, in terms of hurting the motor. It's worked for us in the past, and it will in the future.
"Right now, the key is to keep getting these new guys in shape, and while we do that we'll be extra sure to work with them to make sure everything is bolted together right, and bolted together the way we want it. I don't want to outrun my own guys' abilities right now, so we're focused on doing the job right and the rest of it will follow. This isn't like being a football coach, where you can push your guys beyond what they thought they could do. They're strapping me into a bomb, so I want it done right. Doing it fast will come with time."
Doing it right in Phoenix has not historically been Wilk's strong suit, and much of that has certainly had to do with his team's limited preseason testing regimen. Wilk has not only never won in Phoenix, he's never been to a final round at the desert oasis in the southern suburbs. In the last decade, the best he's been able to do was a pair of semifinal finishes in 2009 and 2013.
"I hadn't really thought of it, because I don't think of Wild Horse Pass being a place where I'm jinxed or I don't like the track, or anything negative at all," Wilk said. "It can be a tricky place, especially if the wind kicks up and starts blowing the dust and sand around, but here recently it's been a very good track. I think the scarcity of our testing, going back over the years, is probably what slowed us down the most. This year, we not only tested but we tested in Phoenix, so we're going right back to the place where we put two identical 4.04s on the board just a few weeks ago.
"My new guys won't be distracted by going someplace they've never been, and the whole team really ought to slide right into this with a lot of confidence. I feel confident about it, and I think we can get down this track with the best of them. After that, it's just a matter of keeping your focus and making good laps. Don't forget who won that David and Goliath deal."
Nitro qualifying sessions are set for 2:00 and 4:30 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday, at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. Sunday eliminations will kick off at 11:00 a.m.
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