Wilk Hopes Atlanta Dragway Is His Outlet For Success
Posted by: Team Manager Bob Wilber
COMMERCE, Ga. (May 13, 2014) -- Atlanta Dragway sits not in Atlanta, but rather in rural Commerce, Ga. to the northeast of the Georgia's biggest city, on a lonely stretch of interstate highway marked by roadside motels and fast-food establishments. The Commerce exit off of I-85 is just the same as most, in terms of the aforementioned "attractions", but is also very different thanks to two major tourist destinations. Hidden from view is the race track, just a few blocks from the highway but tucked into the woods on a two-lane road. What visitors see first, and what dominates as a local attraction when the race track is quiet, is a major outlet mall.<
Tim Wilkerson, owner/tuner/driver of the Levi, Ray & Shoup Mustang Funny Car, likes a discount as much as the next guy, and he's well-known for his ability to wring five dollars worth of performance out of every dollar spent on his race car, but sadly there is no Funny Car parts outlet store at the mall, so he won't be venturing over there to get two blowers for the price of one. Still, while he continues to seek out his first win since August of 2011, Wilk is clearly interested in finding the correct outlet for his skills as both a tuner and a driver. This weekend's Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals, at Atlanta Dragway, would work just fine for him.
"We're coming off a race in Houston where we did everything right for four qualifying runs, and then the race car turned on us and did exactly what it was not supposed to do in round one, so we need some success to feel good about right now," Wilk said. "Seriously, the car was absolutely agreeable and totally tunable for two days, and then Sunday came along and it was a brat. I'm beginning to think that this car just doesn't like Sundays.
"We're eager to get to Atlanta Dragway, and I know my guys are eager to put Houston behind us and get after it with a fresh start down there. I'm really happy with how well we did in qualifying in Houston, so I don't want that to get away from us, but we need to capitalize on that and beat some people on Sunday, plain and simple. There's no such thing as an easy lap in this deal, and everyone you line up against these days is fully capable of whipping you, but we're capable of whipping them too."
Finding that outlet for celebration on Sunday would be welcomed at any stop on the NHRA Mello Yello tour, but there are a few races on the circuit that represent a slightly more special venue for four round-wins on race day. Being a longtime marketing partner with Summit Racing Equipment, the title sponsor for this weekend's race, gives Wilk and his LRS crew just one more reason to break their winless streak. The Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals also kick the season into high gear, leading off a grind of 10 races in the next 12 weeks.
"Summit Racing Equipment has been with us for a long time, and it's been a fantastic relationship with some truly good people, so there's no getting around the fact that it would be just a little sweeter to take them to the Winner's Circle with us this weekend," Wilk said. "We're bound and determined to get there, and maybe we just need a little racing luck to make this thing get on a roll. We've sure been on the wrong side of that a lot, so pretty soon I think things have to turn around and reward us for all the effort.
"Looking at the schedule, the first thing that comes to mind is the weather. We've been cursed a little at Atlanta Dragway over the years, including last year when we got totally rained out and had to come back the next week. Now we're short on options if the wet stuff gets in our way at any of these stops. Between now and the first week of August we're going to be circling the entire country and going at it pretty much nonstop, but we're ready for it, and my guys are charged up, so I'm charged up right along with them."
A win at Atlanta Dragway this weekend would be a trip to the mountain top, and the view from the summit at the Summit event would be quite the outlet for for celebration, just down the road from the mall.
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