For Wilk a Successful Sonoma Could Help Seal The Deal
Posted by: Team Manager Bob Wilber
SONOMA, Calif. (July 29, 2015) -- Tim Wilkerson has had some success, over the years, at Sonoma Raceway. He has reached three final rounds in the past 11 seasons and he's come home a winner twice, downing John Force in 2004 and Tony Pedregon in 2009. Overall, the Levi, Ray & Shoup owner/tuner/driver has consistently utilized Sonoma's oxygen-rich air to make power and be right in the Funny Car mix.
This year, with Wilk entering the NHRA Sonoma Nationals in a tie with Cruz Pedregon for seventh place, the value of another solid showing at the picturesque Wine Country facility would provide a huge boost as the regular season winds down and the Countdown playoffs loom. Sonoma, Seattle, Brainerd, and Indianapolis are the final four races in the regular season, and each bonus point and round-win from here on will be magnified as the playoff fields are set.
Heading into this weekend's Sonoma race, Wilk and Pedregon are knotted at 782 points. Alexis DeJoria sits in ninth, 51 points back, while Robert Hight anchors the 10th spot, 79 points behind. Outside the cutoff line, Courtney Force is now 102 points in arrears of Wilk, while Tony Pedregon would need to basically run the table to overcome the 153 points he'd need just to reach 10th.
"We've been qualifying better here lately, and that's really the most important thing right now," said Wilk, who has qualified in the No. 2 spot at the last two races. "Everyone who straps into one of these things can beat you, and you can easily beat yourself, but getting one of the top spots in the field is a big help going into round one. You're almost sure to race a car that didn't do nearly as much as you did in qualifying.
"Beyond that, it's all about getting at least one round win, and hopefully more, at every race. You have to remember that it's not just the fact we've got a 102-point lead on Courtney, it's also that there are three other teams she'd have to get by before she could get by us. Once you start thinking of all the scenarios of who has to win and who has to lose each round, it gets more complicated. Like I said, if we just keep adding to the win column, we'll be tough to catch, and right now I'm looking ahead of us to see who we can get by. We can still end up higher in this playoff deal."
Just up ahead, on this road to the Countdown, are Tommy Johnson (73 points ahead of Wilk), Del Worsham (86 points ahead), Ron Capps (97 points up), and John Force (109 points in front, and in third place). Basically, Wilk is nearly the same distance (six rounds) from third as he is from 11th. The key difference would be the average number of round wins per race for this group, as opposed to those in the bottom of the playoff hunt.
"Gaining 100 points on John Force is pretty hard, because you don't often get the chance to win rounds after he's eliminated," Wilk said. "He's on a hot streak right now and he's hard to stop. I think we have a realistic chance to break this tie with Cruz and maybe move up a spot or two, but it would be pretty critical to have a good weekend in Sonoma.
"It's a great track with great conditions, and if we can do our normal deal and get qualified, hopefully up high, and then get some more marks in the round-win column, we can hopefully start to cement our spot and seal the deal. I've had to go to Indy with wild scenarios in play, just to make the playoffs, and I'd really prefer to not have to do that this time around. It's in our hands to make that happen. I'd say we're in charge of our own destiny right now, and I like that a lot better than needing help just to get in."
Nitro qualifying begins on Friday, with sessions at 5:00 and 7:30, then concludes on Saturday with sessions at 1:45 and 5:00, while potential spots in the Countdown playoffs remain in play as the final month of the regular season plays out.
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