EPPING, NH (June 13, 2021) — The veteran driver from Springfield, Illinois, rolled into the TascaParts.com NHRA New England Nationals presented by Bandero Premium Brand Tequila with momentum from a semifinal finish two weeks ago. Over two days of qualifying veteran driver and crew chief Tim Wilkerson continually improved the performance of the Levi, Ray & Shoup Summit Racing Shelby Mustang. The team rolled into the first round sitting No. 8 in qualifying and facing another first round match-up with Blake Alexander.
Two weeks ago Wilkerson drew Alexander in the first round and the veteran was able to get the win. Today Wilkerson was once again able to turn on the win light against the up and coming driver. When both cars leapt off the line Wilkerson’s race car moved out into the lead and Alexander’s car went into immediate tire smoke. Down-track Wilkerson’s Levi, Ray & Shoup Summit Racing Mustang began hugging the centerline but he was able to get it to the finish line for the win.
In the quarterfinals Wilkerson pulled up beside No. 1 qualifier Matt Hagan, who had won the previous three Funny Car titles at the New England Nationals. When the tree flashed, Wilkerson took off first and never trailed for the win. His winning time of 3.956 seconds was his quickest pass of the weekend and gave him lane choice headed into the semifinals.
“That run in the second round was just about perfect. You can’t give me that many shots at the track because I will figure it out,” said Wilkerson, a 20-time Funny Car national event winner. “We got off the line first and this Mustang just made a great smooth run. Racing against Hagan is tough but that was a great win for this team. We have another tough customer in Robert Hight in the semifinals. I think we have a shot at winning this race.”
The Levi, Ray & Shoup Summit Racing Shelby Mustang and driver Wilkerson were racing in their third semifinal race of the season. In an unfortunate turn Wilkerson jumped the start, lighting up the Christmas Tree with a premature red-light and handing the win to Hight. Wilkerson’s race car lit up the scoreboard with a 4.367 seconds just behind Hight’s 4.022 seconds but it was all for naught after the misstep on the starting line.
“That is not how we wanted that round to go,” said Wilkerson. “I just messed up but I will put that behind me and head on to Norwalk. I am really happy with how this race car reacted to the changes I was making. We made some great runs on a warm race track and that will pay dividends for us as we head into summer.”
Qualifying Results
Q1: 7.863 sec, 82.65 mph; Qual. 9
Q2: 4.076 sec, 268.71 mph; Qual. 8
Q3: 3.974 sec, 320.89 mph; Qual. 8
Bonus Points: 0
Race Results
First Round
Driver Qual R/T ET MPH
Tim Wilkerson 8 .080 4.492 206.10 (W)
Blake Alexander 7 .054 10.409 73.61
Second Round
Driver Qual R/T ET MPH
Tim Wilkerson 8 .058 3.956 324.44 (W)
Matt Hagan 1 .067 3.983 328.06
Semifinals
Driver Qual R/T ET MPH
Tim Wilkerson 8 -.090 4.367 205.07
Robert Hight 10 .097 4.022 322.27 (W)
Camping World Funny Car Top Ten
1. Bob Tasca III, 495
2. John Force, 480
3. J.R. Todd, 450
4. Robert Hight, 423
5. Matt Hagan, 375
6. Ron Capps, 372
7. Tim Wilkerson, 364
8. Alexis DeJoria, 325
9. Cruz Pedregon, 305
10. Terry Haddock, 226