It’s down to the wire for championship contender, Tim Wilkerson. The NHRA POWERade Funny Car Championship will be decided at the final race of the season, the upcoming Automobile Club of Southern California Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. And Wilkerson plans to give it all he’s got and take the title home to Springfield, Ill.
Wilkerson’s Levi, Ray & Shoup Chevrolet Impala SS has been the dominant Funny Car this season. With four No. 1 qualifying spots and six event wins, he held the coveted point lead for 15 out of the 23 contested races. But last week in Las Vegas Wilkerson stumbled slightly in the first-round of eliminations and watched his lead slip through his fingers. He will be going into this weekend’s race in second place, a mere 12 points behind.
But Wilkerson hasn’t given up. He has faith in his hot rod, his tuning ability and his hard working team. He knows they all have a lot more to give and are all committed to fight for what they so badly want.
“We’re ready for Pomona,” said Wilkerson. “We know we’ve got to do our best because it’s going to be a battle. We’re looking to do about the same thing we did in Vegas, but obviously with a better outcome. I think the track got away from us there in the first-round. I don’t think it was as good as I thought it was. It got better second round, but that was too late for us.
We’re hoping for better luck this weekend and maybe some of our competitors will have worse. We think we can turn things around and come home with the championship. That’s all we can ask for now.”
The likeable Wilkerson has become a fan favorite and will have strong support for this challenge. As a single car, independent team he has amassed huge numbers of fans and well wishers around the country. And he has always been a favorite in his hometown, where Wilkerson fever is strong. This weekend, half the town will be making the trip to Pomona while the other half will stay home with their fingers crossed. So, by the sheer strength of his support, Wilkerson will emerge from this fight as a winner.
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