For Tim Wilkerson, it may seem like the time for counting points, adding up rounds, and imagining theoretical advancements up the points sheet should be over. Entering this weekend’s NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Raceway near Phoenix, the Levi, Ray & Shoup driver is in the same 10th spot in which he entered the Countdown, but his focus now is on changing that number. It’s as simple as that, and it gives him great incentive heading into what looks to be a sweltering weekend in the Valley Of The Sun.
Wilk has run the entire 2011 campaign with the number 10 on the side of his car, indicative of his 10th-place finish in the standings last year. In that case, it was a matter of slipping four spots after having started the Countdown in the No. 6 spot in the standings but this year, with three races left on the docket, it’s all about maximizing his performance while minimizing the digit that will adorn his LRS Ford in 2012.
“We didn’t have a good Countdown last year, and it cost us some spots in the Top 10,” Wilkerson said. “It’s not just the number on the car, it’s also the number on the bonus check, and even though we may not be counting points for the championship right now, I can guarantee you that we count dollars, every day all year long. Unless you’re going to be up in the top couple of spots, the bonus check is more of a nice way to end the season rather than any sort of life changer, but dollars are dollars and that 10 on the side of the car sort of reminded us of that all year.
“Right now, we have three races left to change the number, and that’s our mission. Realistically, we’re probably going to have to win a race or two to do any better than seventh, but you know how that goes. If we get hot and get on a roll, we could do that and end up in the middle of the pack and that would be an accomplishment. It’s a one-at-a-time deal right now though, and this weekend the goal is to leave Phoenix with someone else in 10th place.”
After a disappointing and surprising first-round loss in Reading, Wilk remains only 14 points behind John Force in ninth but the gap to the higher positions widened a bit in Pennsylvania. Jeff Arend now holds a 46-point lead over Wilk, while Bob Tasca sits in the No. 7 spot, 47 points up. With three races to go, that puts Arend and Tasca three rounds ahead, without counting bonus or qualifying points. Ron Capps is next on the list, sitting in sixth with a 91-point edge. A couple of multi-round races, possibly with a win thrown in, could jumble the order considerably.
“That’s what I mean, and if we can avoid looking like knuckleheads and just do what we’re capable of doing, we can move up the list pretty fast and pretty far,” Wilk said. “We’re going to Phoenix now, and even though it’s October it’s still really hot there and they’re calling for highs right around 100 for all three days, so it will be a finesse game. We’re good at finesse games.”
When Wilk and his fellow Funny Car competitors are trying to find a way to negotiate a 1,000-foot track in 100-degree temperatures, the LRS driver will be doing so with a special-edition body atop his chassis, in support of a program called the Big Website Makeover, managed by the LRS Web Solutions division of Levi, Ray & Shoup. The flashy car will fit right in under the scorching Arizona sun, and its goal is to not only raise awareness for a great charitable cause, but to also get NHRA fans involved in the voting process to select a worthy charity. NHRA fans will have access to an exclusive early-bird voting period during the Phoenix race, and they can vote either on-line or in-person at the Team Wilkerson pit area.
“It’s a neat deal, and we get to be involved and try to bring along all of the great fans we have in this sport,” Wilkerson said. “LRS is a great neighbor in our community, in Springfield, Illinois, and this program is great example of how they like to give back to the Central Illinois region. We hope thousands of people will see this car and then take part in the vote, to pick a charity that needs and deserves a professional website makeover.”
While he helps one charity get that complete makeover, Wilk will also being trying to redesign the order of the Top 10 in the Full Throttle points. That focus begins on Friday, in Phoenix.
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