Tim Wilkerson Notes and Quotes - NTK NHRA Carolina Nationals - World Wide Technology Raceway - October 11-13, 2019
Tim Wilkerson
Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang
Car No.: FC5
Current points position: No. 10
Event-Specific Notes:
- Tim Wilkerson and the Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang nitro Funny Car crew have one previous win in Charlotte (at the spring race in 2016 over Cruz Pedregon)
- Wilkerson enters the event, the third in NHRA's 2019 Countdown to the Championship playoffs, in the No. 10 position
Driver Notes:
- 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
- Wilk has finished in the top 10 in 14 of his 22 years as a nitro Funny Car driver, including in each of the most recent 11 years
- Wilkerson was in the final at Gainesville, Las Vegas, and Atlanta this year. He was the No. 1 qualifier in Las Vegas.
- 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.
Wilkerson at the NHRA Nationals in Charlotte
1 win in 1 Charlotte final round
Won Charlotte 1 2016 (def. Cruz Pedregon)
No. 1 at Charlotte 2 in 2012
Last year: Qualified No. 3; semifinals
Wilkerson's career stats through 2019 NHRA Midwest Nationals in St. Louis
(most recent event)
513 races
20 wins
24 runner-up finishes
44 final rounds
20 No. 1 qualifier awards
Career best e.t.: 3.844 (2017 Phoenix)
Career best speed: 333.74 (2016 Topeka)
Quote:
"I feel good about Charlotte. I was good first round in St. Louis, I really was. Even my wife, Krista, said, 'Boy, you look pretty confident.' I wouldn't have wanted to race me there, and to take that to Charlotte is a good feeling. I know we've got a hot rod, but we need to qualify a little bit better so we don't get a tough first-round draw. Last year we went to zMAX Dragway for this race, and I threw everything to the wall. We ended up No. 3 and went to the semis, so we're gonna try to do the same thing. This Ford Mustang is pretty cooperative, and what happened with the blow-up was just an engine component malfunction. That's not a problem that will plague us, so I'm feeling pretty good."
2019 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock Standings
(after AAA Insurance NHRA Nationals, Countdown to the Championship race 2 of 6)
1. Robert Hight, 2235
2. John Force, 2222
3. Jack Beckman, 2211
4. Ron Capps, 2191
5. J.R. Todd, 2182
6. Bob Tasca III, 2156
7. Shawn Langdon, 2155
8. Tommy Johnson Jr., 2138
9. Matt Hagan, 2132
10. Tim Wilkerson, 2109
Race Info
12th annual NTK NHRA Carolina Nationals
zMAX Dragway
Charlotte
October 11-13, 2019
Run Schedule (all times local)
Friday, October 11
8:00am – Lucas Oil Series Sportsman qualifying, time trials begin
3:30pm – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro qualifying session 1
6:00pm – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro qualifying session 2
Saturday, October 12
8:00am – Lucas Oil Series Sportsman eliminations begin
1:15pm – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro qualifying session 3
3:45pm – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro qualifying session 4
Sunday, October 13
12pm – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series eliminations begin,
eliminations for all other categories continue
#NHRAonFOX Schedule (all times ET)
Qualifying / Friday – 9-10 PM ET / FS1
Qualifying / Sunday – 1-2 PM ET / FS1
Finals / Sunday – 2-5 PM ET / FS1
Event hashtags: #MidwestNats #NHRACountdown
**Full results posted at DragRaceCentral.com**
Photo credit: Auto Imagery
