June 26, 2009
DISAPPOINTED WILK PART OF "ALSO RAN" GROUP
TEAM WILKERSON RACING
LEVI, RAY & SHOUP NHRA Nitro Funny Car
"Notes & Quotes" from Tim Wilkerson, driver of the Levi, Ray & Shoup Shelby Mustang Funny Car, after Friday's qualifying sessions at Summit Motorsports Park, in hot/muggy Norwalk, Ohio
Tim Wilkerson hasn't had to come back to his pit and decipher the reasons for an 0-for-2 day very often this year, but that was exactly the task he faced after spinning the tires during both Friday sessions in Norwalk. Under a blazing sun on the first run, Wilkerson was simply part of the total package, since no Funny Cars made full laps under power without tire spin. On the second run, however, when the sun was low in the sky and the track temperature became reasonable, the class began to show off a bit and make some stout passes. Wilkerson, though, spun the hoops again. Heading into the second day of qualifying, therefore, he is part of the five-driver group of "also rans" who have no official time, and with another hot one predicted, that group of five may very well be simply fighting for the last four spots in the field, which are filled on Saturday.
"Pitiful with capital P," Wilkerson succinctly put it, upon his return to the Levi, Ray & Shoup pit area. "We just had too much, but I really didn't think the tune-up was out of bounds or crazy. We really thought low 4.20s would be good laps there, which they were and that's pretty much what we were trying to do. Either we're just knuckleheads and messed up, or something didn't do what it was supposed to do, because we missed it and now we have to figure out why.
"I'm sure we will, and we'll have two daytime sessions tomorrow to get our act together. The one good thing about that is that tomorrow's runs will be like race-day runs, in terms of the conditions. It will be hot again, and humid I'm sure, so we'll be able to get a good grip on how we match-up with everyone else on those two laps. I'm not going to worry about the qualifying spot, because we're going to race a good car on Sunday no matter what, so we'll just try to be the best we can be on Saturday."
TEAM WILKERSON RACING
NHRA Nitro Funny Car
www.timwilkerson.com
Posted to Auto Racing - Drag Racing by Motorsports Journal « Go Back
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