Tim Wilkerson Pre-Race Package - NHRA New England Nationals - New England Dragway, Epping, N.H. - July 5-7, 2019
Tim Wilkerson
Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang
Car No.: FC5
Current points position: No. 9
Event-specific Notes:
- Tim Wilkerson returns to the seat of his 2019 Ford Mustang this weekend in Epping. Just one race after its debut in Richmond, the Levi, Ray & Shoup 40th anniversary Ford Mustang nitro Funny Car body was damaged in an otherwise-uneventful incident in which Wilkerson came into contact with the wall at the Route 66 Nationals.
- Fellow Ford campaigner Bob Tasca has earned the last two Funny Car wins on the circuit with the new body, fueling Wilkerson's fire to get back to driving the well-engineered race car.
- Wilkerson was a finalist last season in Epping, where his charge towards victory was interrupted by Matt Hagan.
- There are just five racetracks on the tour where Wilkerson has yet to claim victory. He is still in the hunt for wins in Epping, Bristol, Pomona, Brainerd, and Richmond.
Driver Notes:
- Wilkerson was in the final at Gainesville, Las Vegas, and Atlanta 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
- Wilkerson hails from Springfield, Ill., and will be racing for the trophy for longtime sponsor Levi, Ray & Shoup. Wilkerson has been primarily sponsored by LRS for 20 years in one of the longest standing partnerships in current-day NHRA drag racing.
- Wilkerson has been a devoted Ford campaigner for 10 years and has claimed 10 of his 20 nitro Funny Car victories piloting a Ford Mustang.
- 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 in Epping
1 final round
Runner-up 2018 (Matt Hagan)
In 2018: Qualified No. 10, final round
Wilkerson's Career Stats through 2019 Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk
(most recent Funny Car event)
505 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)
Quotes:
"We're letting these guys get too close to us, and we've got to put some distance between us," said Wilkerson. "We need to be badass again [in the Countdown to the Championship] like we were last year, and we've got until Indy to get ready for that. We've had some good races where we just got beat, and we need that to not happen anymore."
"We've got our new Ford Mustang body back, and hopefully we can learn something from Bob Tasca. He's doing a good job with that body now, and they seem to have figured out how to run it, where to put the spoilers, and all that. We're excited about getting this bringing this 40th anniversary Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang body back out now that we've got her all fixed up, and hopefully this weekend we'll have something to show for all the work that's went into it."
2019 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car Standings
(after Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, race 12 of 24)
1. Robert Hight (4), 1022
2. John Force, 869
3. Tommy Johnson Jr. (1), 856
4. Jack Beckman, 819
5. Ron Capps (2), 809
6. J.R. Todd (1), 764
7. Bob Tasca III (2), 689
8. Matt Hagan (1), 656
9. Tim Wilkerson, 619
10. Shawn Langdon (1), 580
Race Info
Seventh annual NHRA New England Nationals
New England Dragway
Epping, New Hampshire
July 5-7, 2019
Run Schedule (all times local)
Friday, July 5
9:15 a.m. – Lucas Oil Series Sportsman qualifying and time trials begin
4:00 p.m. – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro qualifying session 1
6:00 p.m. – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro qualifying session 2
Saturday, July 6
9:15 a.m. – Lucas Oil Series Sportsman eliminations begin
2:00 p.m. – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro qualifying session 3
4:30 p.m. – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro qualifying session 4
Sunday, July 7
10:00 a.m. – Pre-race ceremonies
11:00 a.m. – Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro eliminations begin,
eliminations for all categories continue
#NHRAonFOX Television Schedule (all times ET)
Qualifying / Friday – 6-7:30 PM ET / FS1
Qualifying / Saturday – 2-3 PM ET / FS1
Finals / Sunday – 1-4 PM ET / FS1
Join the conversation by using #NewEnglandNats on social media
**Full results at DragRaceCentral.com**
Photo credit: Auto Imagery
