CONSISTENCY IS WILK'S BIGGEST CHANGE FOR 2014
Posted by: Team Manager Bob Wilber
POMONA, Calif. (Feb. 3, 2014) -- Changes come fast and often in the world of NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing. Tune-ups change, parts change, and even the rules are altered from time to time, but the single biggest hurdle created by change can be the challenges presented by changing crew members. Tim Wilkerson knows all about that last one.
In 2013, Wilk entered the season with two rookie crew members on his Levi, Ray & Shoup squad, along with one other critical spot occupied by a second-year man. By all accounts it was a challenging transition that took time and patience to overcome, but by season's end the group was clicking like a cohesive squad, and the owner/tuner/driver was pleased with their progress. This year, as the season-opening Circle K Winternationals event looms this weekend in Pomona, the biggest change for Wilk is the lack of change.
"It will be nice to start the year without having to worry too much about guys knowing their jobs and being able to do them in the right amount of time," Wilk said. "Last year was pretty unique, but the guys stuck with it and by the middle of the year it was really great to see how they were doing. By the end of the year, they'd been through the battles together and they were really a team, not just a group of guys.
"This year, we can focus on the race car and the tune-up. I won't have to be so worried about stuff getting bolted together right or us running out of time between rounds. Getting the work done right and getting it done on time is a challenge every team faces, every round and that means you can't ever let up or coast, but at least now I know the guys are a much better team and they're up for the task. We just need to run fast and get off to a good start."
The LRS Ford team did not participate in the preseason testing session in south Florida, but Wilk not only doesn't see that as a negative, he's fairly sure it's a nonstarter as an issue.
"It's good to go out and make some laps, there's no getting around that, but it can also be a negative thing if it all doesn't go right," he said. "You can spend a boat-load of money and, if the conditions are too good or too lousy, you can waste all of that on data that doesn't do you any good. We're just going to trust ourselves enough to bolt it together and put the right combination in it, and we'll hit the ground running in Pomona.
"As much as it would've been good to go down there, I guess, the bottom line was the track there was so cold and tight it was either big home-run laps or tire shake. When we show up in Pomona this week the conditions will be whatever they are, so we're all going to be in the same boat figuring that out."
With consistency and continuity on his side, Wilk has some goals for 2014, both in the short term and long range.
"We need to win some races, to get LRS, Summit Racing Equipment, and all our other great sponsors back in the Winner's Circle with our Ford Funny Car," Wilk said. "The primary focus is to go out and win some rounds, to get off to a good start. If we go rounds, we're going to get to a final pretty soon, just like we have every year. The key thing is to get the runner-up monkey off our backs. We've been the bridesmaid for the last two and a half years and I'm over it. We just want to win.
"With the class getting more and more competitive, we need to step up and make those kinds of runs too. We have a car that's fast, and at times last year it was too fast, so we need to harness that and get after it. I felt like we should have dipped into the three-second range last year, but we didn't. When the time is right and the conditions are right, this year, I'd be very disappointed if we didn't get into the threes. So, win races and run fast. Those are two pretty good goals."
It will take a consistent team to accomplish those missions. Consistency is the counterpart to change, and the biggest change in 2014 for Wilk is the consistency of his group. Game on.
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