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The weather allowed for only one pro qualifying session today at the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, and Tim Wilkerson needed to take full advantage of his only chance to get the Levi, Ray & Shoup Funny Car into the show. And take advantage of the opportunity is exactly what Wilkerson did by laying down a stunning 4.777 at 319.98 mph. At the close of the session, Wilkerson found himself in the No. 10 qualifying position.
But the awesome run was bittersweet for Wilkerson. Posting such a good number meant that things were turning around for the hard working Funny Car pro. The new chassis went down the quarter-mile as straight as an arrow, which meant many of his past problems went away with his old chassis. But the 4.77 came with a very expensive price tag. As the beautiful Levi, Ray & Shoup Monte Carlo got to the finish line it burst into flames. It was one of the worst fires Wilkerson experienced in his outstanding career. On the bright side, the damage was confined to the race car and Wilkerson came out unscathed.
"We made a nice run today," said Wilkerson. "The car is coming around and it appears to be running good. But the air is so good here that the car just didn't have enough gas in it at the other end. It's kind of the chicken or the egg dilemma. I can't tell what happened first. I don't know if it broke a rod or if it just pulled the head. It looked like it pulled the head off the valve to me because the blower came off of it first and then it stuck a valve in the top of the piston and knocked the rod out of it. It was pretty spectacular. We ought to get on TV for that one, but that's not the way I want to get on TV. But we're happy to be in the show.
"I'm a little upset about hurting another motor. Man we're running out of motors. We'll be lucky to have enough to make it to the end of the year at the rate we're going. But that's part of it. We just have to figure out a way to keep from doing that. We need to get all this crap behind us so next year we can look like heroes again."
Wilkerson's first round match-up will be Robert Hight. The two have met twice this year, with each one earning a win.
"Hopefully we'll run good tomorrow against Robert," said Wilkerson. "We've beat him once this year and maybe we can do it again. We're showing some signs. It's running nice and straight. That's what we put it together for. The rest of the stuff is all going to fall into line. And I hope it starts tomorrow."
Wilkerson Blazes to the No. 10 Spot
The weather allowed for only one pro qualifying session today at the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, and Tim Wilkerson needed to take full advantage of his only chance to get the Levi, Ray & Shoup Funny Car into the show. And take advantage of the opportunity is exactly what Wilkerson did by laying down a stunning 4.777 at 319.98 mph. At the close of the session, Wilkerson found himself in the No. 10 qualifying position.
But the awesome run was bittersweet for Wilkerson. Posting such a good number meant that things were turning around for the hard working Funny Car pro. The new chassis went down the quarter-mile as straight as an arrow, which meant many of his past problems went away with his old chassis. But the 4.77 came with a very expensive price tag. As the beautiful Levi, Ray & Shoup Monte Carlo got to the finish line it burst into flames. It was one of the worst fires Wilkerson experienced in his outstanding career. On the bright side, the damage was confined to the race car and Wilkerson came out unscathed.
"We made a nice run today," said Wilkerson. "The car is coming around and it appears to be running good. But the air is so good here that the car just didn't have enough gas in it at the other end. It's kind of the chicken or the egg dilemma. I can't tell what happened first. I don't know if it broke a rod or if it just pulled the head. It looked like it pulled the head off the valve to me because the blower came off of it first and then it stuck a valve in the top of the piston and knocked the rod out of it. It was pretty spectacular. We ought to get on TV for that one, but that's not the way I want to get on TV. But we're happy to be in the show.
"I'm a little upset about hurting another motor. Man we're running out of motors. We'll be lucky to have enough to make it to the end of the year at the rate we're going. But that's part of it. We just have to figure out a way to keep from doing that. We need to get all this crap behind us so next year we can look like heroes again."
Wilkerson's first round match-up will be Robert Hight. The two have met twice this year, with each one earning a win.
"Hopefully we'll run good tomorrow against Robert," said Wilkerson. "We've beat him once this year and maybe we can do it again. We're showing some signs. It's running nice and straight. That's what we put it together for. The rest of the stuff is all going to fall into line. And I hope it starts tomorrow."
