Wilk and Momentum Head For Kansas
Posted by: Team Manager Bob Wilber
TOPEKA, Kan. (May 20, 2015) -- Poll a group of drag racers and the majority will tell you that momentum doesn't really exist in their sport. Ask them again, individually in private, and with a slight nod and wink they'll generally admit that it does. With well-earned success comes confidence and a slight bit of intimidation, and that recipe equals momentum. Having just dominated the Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway, where his Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford left literally everyone in the dust, Tim Wilkerson clearly has some momentum on his side as he enters this weekend's NHRA Kansas Nationals in Topeka.
Momentum, as an entity, is an odd quality to capture in drag racing because one of the most important components is an unfeeling and unaware piece of machinery, which is more likely to not cooperate than to do so. But, race car aside, the ability of a tuner and a team to bolt it together correctly with a successful tuneup installed is the sort of thing that makes opponents press a little harder on their set-ups, knowing they're going to need to keep up.
"I'm one of those guys who will tell you there's no such thing as momentum in drag racing, but maybe that's because I'm a little superstitious and I don't like to admit it," Wilk said. "Basically, it's not like momentum in a sport like basketball where the home crowd gets behind their team and they start making every shot, and then the other team gets flustered and loses it. All of the other sports are kind of like that, but out here it's more a matter of having a really good handle on the car you have while you're doing that at a neutral site where the crowd roots for everyone. We have that handle on it right now, and have for most of this season. Good things finally happened in Atlanta, and I think the crowd enjoyed it.
"If you hit on it every now and then but can't string them together, that's one thing and we're familiar with that, trust me. To do what we did in Atlanta and make every lap a good one, in way different conditions, will give you the confidence to just keep doing what you're doing and not question yourself. And then you start going down the track every time and people notice that. We just want to keep going down the track, and we'll sneak in a bomb every now and then."
Adding to the intrigue and noteworthiness of this weekend's tussle in Topeka is the absolute uncertainty of the venerable track's future. With ownership in limbo, and the city's desire to purchase the track also being challenged, many believe this could be the NHRA's final trip to Heartland Park, barring a last-minute "Hail Mary" solution.
"It's a shame because I think every one of us on the Mello Yello tour loves coming here," Wilk said. "We go to a lot of big markets where it's hard for us to compete against the other major sports in town, but in Topeka it's never been like that. You come into town and every restaurant has 'Welcome NHRA Racers' on their sign out front, and they treat us so well. The fans are pretty special too, and they've always treated us like we're part of the family. I hope they get their issues sorted out, because it would be a shame for us and a shame for the people of Topeka to lose this track.
"Politics are not my strong suit, but I know it's hard to get any two people on the same page anymore. All I know is what I've seen ever since Heartland Park opened, and that's the fact that thousands of people fill the hotel rooms and pack the restaurants when the NHRA comes to town. And more than that, it's the lift it gives the community to host something as big as the Kansas Nationals. I hope we get to keep coming to Heartland Park forever, and I also hope the city understands how important it is to get this worked out. We have 23 other races, but they only have the one."
And for that one, this weekend at Heartland Park, Tim Wilkerson is looking forward to maintaining the momentum he firmly established in Atlanta, whether he or any other race will admit that it exists.
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