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Sonoma, prerace: The 19th annual Fram Autolite Nationals at Infineon Raceway is the last stop of the mid-summer Western Swing on the 2006 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series tour. The first two races have been grueling for Springfield, Ill. Funny Car pilot, Tim Wilkerson, but he's optimistic that this weekend will be the highlight of the trip. Infineon Raceway, nestled in the peaceful wine country of Napa Valley makes for a beautiful setting for a drag race, but Wilkerson isn't looking for peace and beauty at Infineon. He is focused on the performance of his Levi, Ray & Shoup Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
Wilkerson likes to close out the Western Swing with a good showing. Last year he qualified in the top half of the field, and the previous year he won the race, taking out the legendary, John Force. But this year has been tough for the talented Wilkerson, and he would like to see things improve. He is going to make some changes to his clutch set-up, hoping to start the climb to improvement.
"I ordered some clutch parts for Sonoma," said Wilkerson, "and I want to make some changes to our clutch program. From the data I've accumulated, I think this is what we need to do in order to get a handle on this tire that has been giving us nightmares. I hope this change is what we need to get back to the numbers we would like to run.
"It's not going to be as hot this weekend, as it's been the last two races, so maybe we can finally get our car to come around like we had planned when we started the Western Swing."
Wilkerson looks to close the Western Swing with a good showing
Sonoma, prerace: The 19th annual Fram Autolite Nationals at Infineon Raceway is the last stop of the mid-summer Western Swing on the 2006 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series tour. The first two races have been grueling for Springfield, Ill. Funny Car pilot, Tim Wilkerson, but he's optimistic that this weekend will be the highlight of the trip. Infineon Raceway, nestled in the peaceful wine country of Napa Valley makes for a beautiful setting for a drag race, but Wilkerson isn't looking for peace and beauty at Infineon. He is focused on the performance of his Levi, Ray & Shoup Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
Wilkerson likes to close out the Western Swing with a good showing. Last year he qualified in the top half of the field, and the previous year he won the race, taking out the legendary, John Force. But this year has been tough for the talented Wilkerson, and he would like to see things improve. He is going to make some changes to his clutch set-up, hoping to start the climb to improvement.
"I ordered some clutch parts for Sonoma," said Wilkerson, "and I want to make some changes to our clutch program. From the data I've accumulated, I think this is what we need to do in order to get a handle on this tire that has been giving us nightmares. I hope this change is what we need to get back to the numbers we would like to run.
"It's not going to be as hot this weekend, as it's been the last two races, so maybe we can finally get our car to come around like we had planned when we started the Western Swing."
