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Denver, prerace: Time goes by too quickly, and once again it's time for the famous, yet grueling three race Western Swing, marking the second half of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing season. Springfield, Ill. Funny Car veteran, Tim Wilkerson looks for the 5200 mile trek to be a turning point in the struggling performance of his Levi, Ray & Shoup Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
The first stop on the demanding trip is Bandimere Speedway for the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals. Set 5,860-feet high in the Rocky Mountains, the thin air at that altitude makes Bandimere a challenge for both man and machine. The abnormal racing conditions make for an equally abnormal challenge for the crew chiefs and the drivers. But it's a challenge that Wilkerson and his talented team are ready to face.
"We've run pretty well in Denver over the years," said Wilkerson. "We qualified No. 1 two years ago and last year we went to the semi's, so we seem to do be able to handle the extraordinary conditions. I think that we can do well again this year. But you run the car so differently in Denver that it doesn't help when you're trying to figure things out like we are. We really would like to be able to go rounds on race day but it seems that it's not getting any easier, it's getting harder. So, our main focus will be on Seattle and Sonoma, they will be crucial for us. I'd like to do well on the Western Swing so that we can pull things together for the second half of the season and I can't think of a better place to start than on the mountain."
Wilkerson looks to the mountain for the start of something good
Denver, prerace: Time goes by too quickly, and once again it's time for the famous, yet grueling three race Western Swing, marking the second half of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing season. Springfield, Ill. Funny Car veteran, Tim Wilkerson looks for the 5200 mile trek to be a turning point in the struggling performance of his Levi, Ray & Shoup Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
The first stop on the demanding trip is Bandimere Speedway for the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals. Set 5,860-feet high in the Rocky Mountains, the thin air at that altitude makes Bandimere a challenge for both man and machine. The abnormal racing conditions make for an equally abnormal challenge for the crew chiefs and the drivers. But it's a challenge that Wilkerson and his talented team are ready to face.
"We've run pretty well in Denver over the years," said Wilkerson. "We qualified No. 1 two years ago and last year we went to the semi's, so we seem to do be able to handle the extraordinary conditions. I think that we can do well again this year. But you run the car so differently in Denver that it doesn't help when you're trying to figure things out like we are. We really would like to be able to go rounds on race day but it seems that it's not getting any easier, it's getting harder. So, our main focus will be on Seattle and Sonoma, they will be crucial for us. I'd like to do well on the Western Swing so that we can pull things together for the second half of the season and I can't think of a better place to start than on the mountain."
