Tim Wilkerson Notes and Quotes - NHRA Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals - April 26-28, 2019
Posted by: Kelly Wade
Tim Wilkerson
Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang
Car No.: FC5
Notes:
- Tim Wilkerson won the 2016 NHRA Four-Wide Nationals with a final-round defeat of Cruz Pedregon
- Wilkerson drove his Levi, Ray and Shoup Ford Mustang to the final round at both Gainesville and Las Vegas so far this year. He was the No. 1 qualifier in Las Vegas.
- Team Summit driver Wilkerson, the driver, tuner, and team owner of the Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang Funny Car, is an independent driver and the only single-car team in the category to finish in the top 10 in 2018
- The NHRA Four-Wide Nationals will be the 499th race of Wilkerson's career as a nitro Funny Car driver. Race 500 will be the event in Atlanta the following weekend.
- The early portion of Wilkerson's career included a successful run as a Top Alcohol Funny Car driver. He earned eight division trophies, one national event win, and was the Division 3 Top Alcohol Funny Car champ in both 1994 and 1995 in the Lucas Oil Series before stepping up to the Pro ranks in Gainesville in 1996.
Quotes:
"I really have a fast car, and I'm happy with how it runs. It shook its tail off in Houston in the first round, and I'm very unhappy about that, so I've been working on figuring out how to make it not do that anymore. It's a little bit tricky because while we're working on that, we're also concentrating on keeping it fast. Anyhow, we're excited for this weekend and getting back to Four-Wide. Winning that race in 2016 was a lot of fun, and it would be really special to get this team and our LRS Ford Mustang to the winner's circle there again."
Wilkerson in Charlotte
1 win in 1 Charlotte final round
Won Charlotte 1 2016 (Cruz Pedregon)
No. 1 at Charlotte 2 in 2012
At Charlotte 4-Wide in 2018: Qualified No. 9, first round
At Charlotte 2 in 2018: Qualified No. 3, semifinals
Career Stats (through 2019 NHRA SpringNationals in Houston)
Tied at No. 7 in nitro Funny Car standings
498 races
20 wins
23 runner-up finishes
43 nitro Funny Car final rounds
20 No. 1 qualifier awards
Career best e.t.: 3.844 (2017 Phoenix)
Career best speed: 333.74 (2016 Topeka)
NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series
Funny Car Standings
(after the NHRA SpringNationals, race 5 of 24)
1. Robert Hight (3), 476
2. Matt Hagan (1), 366
3. J.R. Todd (1), 341
4. John Force, 339
5. Jack Beckman, 332
6. Tommy Johnson Jr., 315
7t. Tim Wilkerson, 286
7t. Ron Capps, 286
9. Bob Tasca III, 250
10. Shawn Langdon, 223
Race Info
NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals
zMAX Dragway, Concord, North Carolina
April 26-28, 2019
Run Schedule (all times local)
Friday, April 26
8:00 a.m. – Lucas Oil Series Sportsman qualifying
4:30 p.m. – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro qualifying session 1
7:30 p.m. – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro qualifying session 2
Saturday, April 27
8:00 a.m. – Lucas Oil Series Sportsman eliminations
2:00 p.m. – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro qualifying session 3
4:15 p.m. – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro qualifying session 4
Sunday, April 28
11:00 a.m. – Pre-race ceremonies
12:00 p.m. – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro eliminations begin, eliminations for all categories continue
#NHRAonFOX Television Schedule (all times ET)
Qualifying / Friday – 8-9 PM ET / FS1
Qualifying / Saturday – 11 PM-12 AM ET / FS1
Finals / Sunday – 6-9 PM ET / FS1
*Find detailed results at DragRaceCentral.com*
Photo credit: Auto Imagery