Wilk Brings His Hot-Rod Ford To The Land Of Lincoln
Posted by: Team Manager Bob Wilber
CHICAGO, Ill. (June 24, 2014) -- Looking ahead to playing just up the road from his own backyard this weekend, at Route 66 Raceway near Chicago, Tim Wilkerson is focused on a number of details. First off, he'd like to replicate the performance his Levi, Ray & Shoup Shelby Mustang has been showing as of late, but he'd prefer to alter the outcome he experienced in round one at Epping, where he ran the single quickest run of elimination but still lost to Ron Capps by inches. Secondly, he'd like to get through the weekend surrounded by smiling faces and the typically great support provided by Wilk's Warriors, without having to run for cover from threatening weather.
Route 66 is not the closest track to Wilk's shop in Springfield, Ill. (that honor belongs to Gateway Motorsports Park near St. Louis, at about 90 miles distance) but at 195 miles it still provides a strong magnetic pull for the legions of Warriors who populate the Land of Lincoln. In addition, staffers from LRS and their guests attend in large numbers, filling the team's pitside hospitality area. It all combines to create a high-energy vibe in the Team Wilk pit.
"It's a big race, both in terms of LRS and Dick Levi, but also because we have so many fans in the state, and they enjoy making the trip up to Route 66 to see some drag racing in such a great stadium set-up," Wilk said. "I'm feeling good about the car, because it's running just like I want it to and it's very competitive in just about all conditions. That first round in Epping was a disappointing deal, because I did just about everything I could do and the car ran great. It's a tough sport, and we're facing enormous competition, so it's never easy but that one was tough to swallow. Ron went on to win the race, and I don't have any trouble envisioning us having done the same thing had we been a few inches ahead of him instead of the other way around.
"Once we get all set up and ready this week, and the fans start pouring in, it will all settle down and we'll just focus on racing and entertaining our guests. The only thing that will slow us down is the weather, and it seems like every year we have a moment when we're all standing out in front of our pit areas staring at the sky. Hopefully we won't be doing that this weekend. In this case, I think the racers and the fans have earned a pass on having to deal with big dark swirling clouds."
The "stadium set-up" Wilk referred to is one of the most appealing draws on the NHRA Mello Yello tour. Built in 1998, it broke the mold for drag strip construction and is still one of the most impressive venues in the world, with wrap around seating in a huge but still intimate stadium bowl. Outside the seating area, in the pits, the look of the grandstands would not be out of place on any college football campus. Route 66 was the first true stadium built for drag racing.
"It really does look like a stadium, both inside and out, and it's still impressive after all these years we've been coming here," Wilk said. "I can't hear it in the car, of course, but my guys tell me it's one of only a couple of tracks where crowd noise is really noticeable, and that's pretty neat. I hope we have a chance to make a lot of crowd noise with the way we run.
"Last year, we had some pretty stout conditions on about a 79-degree track, and the three-second runs were falling out of the sky, but we messed up and didn't get one. We've been close, with the 4.01 we ran in Bristol, so if we get those conditions again there's no doubt I'm going to be aiming for a three. If the air and the track are right, we'll go for it. If not, we'll just try to run as low as we can go."
Wilk has a fast Ford, and he's bringing it home to the Land of Lincoln with positive things in mind. If his LRS Shelby continues to run as well as it has been, he should be right in the mix for all sorts of good results.
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