Wilk Carries Positive Momentum Into Phoenix

Tim Wilkerson started the 2012 season this past weekend in Pomona, with a new car, three new crew members, and a recent history of early-season frustration that confounded him. He then squeaked into the field in the 14th spot while worrying if his team could handle the quick turn-arounds needed on race day. In the end, he pounded out a win in round one with a huge 4.06, then watched as his crew swapped motors and got him back to the lanes in time for round two. In four short days, he felt his team had grown, his performance was on track, and that things were generally all moving in the right direction for his Levi, Ray & Shoup organization.

With little time to rest, Wilk now brings his LRS Shelby Mustang to Firebird Raceway in Phoenix, for the running of this weekend's NHRA Arizona Nationals, and he's pumped up to maintain the progress and momentum.

"You normally kind of look for things like a team coming together or the car coming around in terms of months or even a year, so it's kind of funny that we could see both of those things happening over the course of four days in Pomona," Wilkerson said. "We got better as a team every day we were there, and the car ran better as we went along. We're not where we want to be yet, with the crew or the car, but we made a ton of progress and that's all you can ask. The guys are working hard, giving it every ounce of energy and focus they have, and if they keep doing that they're going to become a really great unit, and the car will reflect how well they work together.

"The hard part is just getting the repetition for the guys, because we don't have the wherewithal to go run the wheels off the car in testing. We entered Pomona with about six laps of experience as a group, and then in qualifying there we only made one lap a day, for three days, so they never had to thrash and get it turned around under pressure. Well, we blew it up in round one and had to swap motors, so they found out early what that's like. We weren't as efficient as we want to be, but they learned with that deal. Now, we go right to Phoenix without a break and the guys will be right back at it. All I want to see is that they keep making progress. That's our goal."

This trip to Firebird Raceway is a unique one, coming just a few months after the tour last visited Phoenix. Traditionally an early-season winter race, coming right on the heels of Pomona, last year's Phoenix event was shifted to the fall and held in mid-October. Now back in its familiar February slot, the Phoenix race should provide better action on a cooler track.

"I think we raced on about a 135-degree track last fall, if I remember correctly," Wilkerson said. "A track that hot might make for a lot of excitement, in terms of pedal-fests, but I think the fans and the racers will always prefer a cool track and low elapsed times. At this time of year, it's probably going to be in the 70s while were there, so the track ought to be tight and the racing should be great.

"I think we have a reputation for being a hot-weather team, but I also think that reputation is outdated. We can still give people fits on a hot track, but I went after that 4.06 in the first round at Pomona for a reason. I wanted to see if we could really get after it on a cool track, and we did, so I don't think we need a hot track to even things up for us at all. We can run with the best, and we plan to do that this weekend. I'm pretty excited about what we can accomplish this year, and we're all ready to see what we can do in Phoenix. As long as we just keep making progress, I'll be happy."

If Tim Wilkerson and his LRS team continue to make progress and maintain their momentum, the legions of Wilk Warrior fans around the world could have plenty of reasons to be happy, and those smiles could come as early as this weekend.

Wilk Aims for Quick 2012 Start

(Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

Tim Wilkerson and his Levi, Ray & Shoup Shelby Mustang Funny Car team are, like other NHRA racers and fans, primed and ready for the 2012 season to kick off this weekend, at the 52nd Annual O'Reilly Winternationals in Pomona. This time around, though, Wilk would like to jump-start his season with big opening effort; something he has not been able to do over the course of many years. Stunningly, Wilkerson has not won a round at the Winternationals since 2004.

Starting the season with a new three-rail chassis, Wilkerson and his LRS squad took part in the annual January preseason testing session in south Florida, aiming to work out the kinks and expose any gremlins before things get started for real this Thursday. Although the team kept to a plan of running only 600 to 800 feet on all their test runs, Wilk is confident they accomplished their mission.

"For whatever reason, we've had a heck of a time getting out of the gate okay at Pomona, and we want to change that this year," the popular driver said. "We took our testing very seriously, we had some good days at the track to help the team gel and fit in together, and the car ran really nice the whole time, so we feel like we're miles ahead of last year. Hopefully, it pays off and we get some win lights this time around.

"If I could explain why we seem to have trouble at the Winternationals, I wouldn't waste time talking about, I'd just fix it. We've qualified at the top, at the bottom, in the middle, and we've DNQd too, but the bottom line is that when Sunday comes around we've been pretty much whitewashed for a lot of years. It doesn't seem possible that it's been since 2004 that we won a round at the Winternationals, but I guess that's right. In 2008, the year we lost the championship on the final day, we qualified number one and then still managed to lose in the first round. Since then, another DNQ in '09 and then we just plain got whooped in 2010 and 2011. Maybe we'll smarten up a little and turn things around this year."

Although Wilk is well known for his ability to squeeze more horsepower and performance out of every dollar bill than many of his big-budget opponents, the significant expense of the trip to Florida was not only justifiable, he deemed the trip absolutely necessary. With a new car and three new crew members, the test runs were needed for many reasons.

"We saved some money and didn't go to that testing session last year, and we started out the year looking like we were searching around and trying to figure it out," Wilkerson said. "This year, we'll be watching our budget as closely as we ever do, but to me it was pretty important for us to go down there and get ourselves ready to go. With three new crew guys, we're still going to need some time to really come together, but at least we're not going into the season completely cold.

"Now, here we are and our short little off-season is over. I don't think most people realize just how short it is, when you factor in getting back to the shop from the Finals, then servicing everything and getting it all ready to go. You give the guys some time off over the holidays, and there just aren't that many days before you're packing it up and heading back out to start all over again. We're ready, though, and all of us are excited to get out there and get a new season underway. The way I see it, we just need to stop giving the rest of the class a head start, so maybe this year we'll come out strong and never look back. It would be neat to get back to Pomona in November, for the Finals, and be fighting for a championship. Then maybe we could look back to this race in February and see that a successful season started there."

Effort made, kinks worked out, testing laps in the book. Now it counts, and Tim Wilkerson is intently focused on getting out of the gate strong. Let the games begin.

NHRA Preview: Wilkerson Looking for Third Consecutive Final Round

(Tim Wilkerson, seen here after his 2008 NHRA Full Throttle Series Funny Car victory at the now-defunct Gateway International Raceway, is the most recent winner on the tour after his third-straight win at Seattle. GIR Photo)

It has been a slow and steady climb for veteran Funny Car driver Tim Wilkerson, who has clawed his way into position to make the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six-race playoffs. At one point during the season, the Levi Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang driver was mired as low as 14th in the standings.

The Springfield, Ill. driver had a great Western Swing, posting a runner-up finish at Sonoma, Calif. and claiming his first victory and No. 1 qualifying position in more than a year at Seattle.  The net result is that Wilkerson jumped to ninth in the standings and now appears solidly in the mix as the final two races of the regular season approach.

For insurance, Wilkerson will focus on moving up another points position or two by trying to keep his final round streak going at the 30th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, Aug. 18-21 at scenic Brainerd International Raceway.  Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Bob Bode (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are the defending winners of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event, which will be televised on ESPN2HD.

Wilkerson realized that if he was going to make a move to get into the playoffs it would need to be during the Western Swing, a part of the season where he’s had some recent success.

“There’s no doubt about it that we got hot at the right time, although this year I think we strung it out a little too far,” Wilkerson said. “We got to the point where it really was ‘now or never’ and that just happened to line up with the time when we were really getting a good handle on the car. It’s been a challenging year, and it was almost like you could throw away a bunch of our early races when we weren’t getting much done. Before Denver, the car was showing what we have now, but we didn’t have any racing luck and that can wear the team down faster than running bad. We had to stick together as a team while we kept the car running strong, and we managed to do that.”

Following a final round effort at the VisitMyrtleBeach.com NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, Wilkerson posted five first round losses over the next seven races. His fortunes started to turn in Denver, when he qualified 10th and advanced to the quarterfinals. He followed that with the runner-up at Infineon Raceway and then won for the third consecutive year at Pacific Raceways.

“We have as much confidence, right now, as we’ve had all year,” said Wilkerson, who enters the penultimate race in the regular season 46 points in front of 10th place driver Bob Tasca. “We’ve got a real good handle on the car, and on things like the clutch that were driving us nuts earlier in the season, so we feel pretty good about our chances every lap now. It wasn’t that way earlier, so that’s a big step forward for us.”

During his back-to-back final rounds in Sonoma and Seattle, Wilkerson knocked off some of the category’s top competitors in head-to-head meetings, including defending world champ John Force, second place points sitter Robert Hight and Jack Beckman, who is currently third in the standings.  As an independent team owner, he knows he’ll have to continue to beat the top cars from the John Force Racing and Don Schumacher Racing stables to contend for victories and the championship as the season moves into its latter stages.

“I won’t kid you and say it doesn’t mean anything to us when we knock off the biggest hitters out here,” Wilkerson said. “It means a lot to me, to Dick Levi and LRS, and to our guys. There’s some good mojo in playing the David vs. Goliath thing and coming out on top, and you can see our guys strutting around with some pride right now. They earned it, and that sort of intensity and pride can keep building.”

Wilkerson trails eighth place driver Jeff Arend by less than one round and his goal is to move into that spot before the playoffs kick off.  He knows that his LRS Mustang is sitting directly in the sightlines of both Tasca and 11th place Johnny Gray. Tony Pedregon, who won at BIR in 2008 and 2009, will need to create some more “Minnesota Magic” if he’s going to make the Countdown, as he’s in 12th, 119 points behind Tasca.

“Momentum is a funny thing in this sport, because the car doesn’t care,” Wilkerson said. “It’s good for the crew guys, because I don’t think there’s any getting around the fact that they work a little bit better, harder, and with more focus when they’re feeling good about the results. So that’s good, and hopefully we’ll continue to have some success on the track. The thing now is that we have a real chance to move up to eighth if we can keep doing any good, so that’s what we’re after, and after that we just want to feel good about ourselves as we enter the playoffs.”

In Top Fuel, former Funny Car racer Del Worsham has posted six victories in seven finals in his Al-Anabi Racing dragster and holds a nice lead over second place Spencer Massey, driver of the FRAM/Prestone dragster. Antron Brown and Larry Dixon have posted wins this season while seven-time world champ Tony Schumacher – a three-time winner at BIR  – is still looking for his first victory of the season in his U.S. Army dragster. Those battling on the bubble in Top Fuel include 10th place David Grubnic and Terry McMillen and Bob Vandergriff, who are both less than two rounds outside the top 10.

Minnesota natives Jason Line and Greg Anderson return to their home track at the top of the standings in Pro Stock behind the wheel of their Summit Racing Pontiac GXPs. Line holds the lead with four victories, while Anderson has three victories and trails Line by 27 points. Other pre-race favorites in the 200 mph category include Mike Edwards, rookie Vincent Nobile, red-hot Erica Enders and the always tough Allen Johnson. Several drivers are locked in a tight battle for the final two positions in the Countdown, including Shane Gray, Ron Krisher, Larry Morgan, Ronnie Humphrey and V. Gaines.

 The Pro Stock Motorcycle class returns at BIR with Karen Stoffer leading the way on her GEICO Powersports Suzuki, followed by two-time season winner Eddie Krawiec on his Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson and three-time season winner and defending world champ LE Tonglet, who rides the Nitro Fish Suzuki. Defending winner Hines, Matt Smith, Lucas Oil Buell rider Hector Arana and surging Michael Phillips are all among those to watch in the two-wheel category. As many as seven riders are floating around the bubble, including Jerry Savoie, local favorite Jim Underdahl, rookie Hector Arana Jr., David Hope, Chip Ellis, Steve Johnson and Angie Smith.

 

 

* * *

MINNESOTA NATIVES LINE AND ANDERSON HAVE PRO STOCK MOMENTUM HEADING INTO LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS

BRAINERD, Minn. – Two of Minnesota’s native racing sons will return to the North Star State this weekend, one as the current NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series points leader in Pro Stock and the other as the defending NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock world champion.

Yes, two local boys – Jason Line and Greg Anderson – have done good. Very good.

The Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GXP duo will certainly have plenty of good things to share with the many family and friends who join them at Brainerd International Raceway this weekend. The two past NHRA world champions are multi-time winners this season and are locked in an intense battle for the No. 1 seed in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, as Anderson trails Line by 27 points in the series standings.

They will try to win their hometown race and put some distance between themselves and the rest of the competitors in the 200 mph category at the 30th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, Aug. 18-21 at the popular northern Minnesota multi-purpose motorsports facility. Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Bob Bode (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are the defending winners of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.

Anderson grew up in Duluth, while Line cut his racing teeth in nearby Wright, Minn. Both have since relocated to the Charlotte , N.C. area where their race shop is situated, but each driver looks forward to this date on the racing schedule each season with great anticipation. 

 

“It’s obviously special for both Jason and I to race in Brainerd because our parents, our aunts and uncles, our friends and a lot of people we went to school with still live there,” Anderson said.  “It’s the only time of the year I really get to see them, and it’s neat to go back and race in front of them, showing them what we’ve been able to accomplish. I also enjoy racing in Minnesota because it takes me back to when I would go with my dad to the track when he was racing his Hemi Barracuda in B Modified Production.   I guess that was the spark that got me started, and being home just reminds me of those days. Besides, knowing there are all those people in the stands pulling for you can be a tremendous morale booster, almost like a home field advantage.  It’s an intangible that goes in our corner every time we compete in Brainerd, and why we enjoy racing there.”

Line also looks forward to spending some time with his family and friends. This time around, he’d like to host a celebration on Sunday evening. The track was a big part of his Stock world championship run back in 1993, but he has been shut out of the winner’s circle there during his Pro Stock career, having lost to Dave Connolly in the final in 2006 and Anderson in 2009.

“It’s the one race on the schedule I want to win more than any other, and even though I’ve come close, I’ve yet to make it to the winner’s circle there,” Line said.  “Hopefully, we can take care of that this year.  As well as my Summit Racing Pontiac has been running, I think we have as good a chance as anyone.”

Line has raced to four victories, including titles at Pomona, Gainesville, Atlanta and Seattle. In three of those final rounds, he beat Anderson. Meanwhile, Anderson has posted victories at Charlotte, Chicago and Sonoma. All of these final round appearances have put the two drivers at the top of the Pro Stock category.

“Having our two Summit Pontiacs fighting for the No. 1 spot in the Countdown is the ideal situation for any two-car team,” Line said. “It just says a lot about this KB Racing team, and their commitment to doing everything to the best of their abilities.  In fact, we’d like nothing better than to have it come down to just the two of us battling for the championship at the last race in Pomona.  It will take a lot of skill, hard work and luck, but the potential is there.”

For Anderson, who pulled off an emotional championship victory last year as the team had to fight through a huge amount of adversity throughout the season and even after the season, the work the team has done this year is just a credit to their overall tenacity, he says.

“When you consider that we spent most of our off-season rebuilding after our transporter fire in November, the fact that Jason and I are currently 1-2 in the points having won three of the last four races is a testament to the ability and dedication of this KB Racing crew,” Anderson said.  “Jason and I are the guys that are lucky enough to drive these great hot rods, but we couldn’t do it without a lot of hard work by everyone on this team.  It’s great to see their efforts paying off, but we also know there is still a lot of work to be done and a lot of races to be run, so we can’t back off even for a minute, because the competition in Pro Stock is that close.”

That competition includes 2009 world champ Mike Edwards, who has won three times this season behind the wheel of his Penhall/Interstate Batteries GXP, and rookie Vincent Nobile, who has won twice in his Mountain View Tire Dodge Avenger. Erica Enders, who has been to two finals and claimed two No. 1 qualifying positions, is on the verge of an historic first win, while veteran driver Allen Johnson has been very fast in his Team Mopar Avenger recently after a slow start to the season.

While those drivers are trying to move up in the standings before the Countdown, several Pro Stock drivers are locked in a tight battle to claim the final two positions in the Countdown, including Shane Gray, Ron Krisher, Larry Morgan, Ronnie Humphrey and V. Gaines.

In Top Fuel, former Funny Car racer Del Worsham has posted six victories in seven finals in his Al-Anabi Racing dragster and holds a nice lead over second place Spencer Massey, driver of the FRAM/Prestone dragster. Antron Brown and Larry Dixon have posted wins this season while seven-time world champ Tony Schumacher – a three-time winner at BIR  – is still looking for his first victory of the season in his U.S. Army dragster. Those battling on the bubble in Top Fuel include 10th place David Grubnic and Terry McMillen and Bob Vandergriff, who are both less than two rounds outside the top 10.

Mike Neff has been pulling double-duty this season in Funny Car as both driver and crew chief for his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang and has posted strong results as his four victories in seven final rounds have pushed him into the series points lead. His teammate, Robert Hight, is close behind in his Auto Club Mustang, also with four victories. Jack Beckman, Ron Capps and John Force, Jeff Arend and Tim Wilkerson have all advanced to the winner’s circle this season and would like to add another title to their collection. Bob Tasca sits on the bubble in 10th, 95 points ahead of Johnny Gray and 119 up on two-time world champ Tony Pedregon.

The Pro Stock Motorcycle class returns at BIR with Karen Stoffer leading the way on her GEICO Powersports Suzuki, followed by two-time season winner Eddie Krawiec on his Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson and three-time season winner and defending world champ LE Tonglet, who rides the Nitro Fish Suzuki. Defending winner Hines, Matt Smith, Lucas Oil Buell rider Hector Arana and surging Michael Phillips are all among those to watch in the two-wheel category. As many as seven riders are floating around the bubble, including Jerry Savoie, local favorite Jim Underdahl, rookie Hector Arana Jr., David Hope, Chip Ellis, Steve Johnson and Angie Smith. 

* SCHEDULE: Full Throttle Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 2:45 and 5:15 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 19 and at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 20.  Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 21.

* TICKETS: Tickets are available for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. Please call Brainerd International Raceway at (866) 444-4455 or visit www.brainerdraceway.com.

* ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at 11 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, Aug. 20. ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours and 30 minutes of eliminations coverage beginning at 10 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Aug. 21.

* LUCAS OIL SERIES: The Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals also will feature competition in six categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series, where the future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Series are born. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 9:15 a.m. on Aug. 19. Lucas Oil Series eliminations begin at 9:15 a.m. on Aug. 20 and continue through Aug. 21.

* ON THE WEB: Get live timing, scoring, multimedia and the latest news updates from every NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event on the Internet at www.nhra.com. Visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

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LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS FACT SHEET

WHAT: 30th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, the 15th of 22 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Drivers in four categories - Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle - earn points leading to 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series world championships. NHRA is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2011 and will pay tribute to the evolution of the hot rod and honor its legendary racers as well as the sport’s current stars.

WHERE: Brainerd International Raceway and Resort, Brainerd, Minn. Track is located a few miles north of the Brainerd area off Highway 371. The track is located on the east side of the highway.

WHEN: Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 18-21.

SCHEDULE:

THURSDAY, Aug. 18 - LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying at 9:30 a.m.

FRIDAY, Aug. 19 - LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations at 9:15 a.m.

FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 2:45 p.m. and 5:15 p.m.

SATURDAY, Aug. 20 - LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations begin at 9:15 a.m.

FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

SUNDAY, Aug. 21 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m.

FULL THROTTLE SERIES eliminations begin at 11 a.m.

TELEVISION:      

Saturday, Aug. 20, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at 11 p.m. (ET).

Sunday, Aug. 21, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two and a half hours of eliminations coverage starting at 10 p.m. (ET).

  

2010 EVENT WINNERS: Larry Dixon, Top Fuel; Bob Bode, Funny Car; Jeg Coughlin, Pro Stock; Andrew Hines, Pro Stock Motorcycle.

MOST VICTORIES: John Force, 11, FC; Joe Amato, 6, TF; Kenny Bernstein, 5, FC/TF.

TRACK RECORDS:

Top Fuel - 3.786 seconds by Larry Dixon, Aug. ’10; 320.13 mph by Doug Kalitta, Aug. ’10.

Funny Car - 4.057 seconds by Jack Beckman, Aug. ’10; 306.33 mph by Beckman, Aug. ’10.

Pro Stock - 6.593 sec. by Mike Edwards, Aug. ’10; 209.04 mph by Edwards, Aug. ’10.

Pro Stock Motorcycle - 6.904 sec. by Andrew Hines, Aug. ’10; 196.82 mph by Hines, Aug. ’05.

NATIONAL RECORDS:    

Top Fuel - 3.770 sec. by Larry Dixon, Feb. ’11, Pomona, Calif.; 327.03 mph by Tony Schumacher, Feb. ’11, Pomona, Calif.

Funny Car - 4.011 sec. by Matt Hagan, Oct. ’10, Reading, Pa.; 316.45 mph by Robert Hight, June ’11, Bristol, Tenn.

Pro Stock - 6.495 sec. by Rodger Brogdon, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.; 213.57 mph by Erica Enders, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.

PS Motorcycle – 6.777 sec. by Hector Arana, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.; 199.26 mph by Eddie Krawiec, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.

TICKETS: Order tickets by phone at (866) 444-4455. Tickets also are available online at brainerdraceway.com.

GENERAL ADMISSION (includes pit pass) - Thursday: Adult, $20; Child (6-12 years), $10. Friday: Adult, $40; Child (6-12 years), $15; Saturday: Adult, $55; Child (6-12 years), $15. Sunday: Adult, $55; Child (6-12 years), $15.

RESERVED SEATS (includes pit pass) -Thursday: Adult, $45; Child (6-12 years), $35. Friday: Adult, $65; Child (6-12 years), $40. Saturday: Adult, $80; Child (6-12 years), $40. Sunday: Adult, $80; Child (6-12 years), $40.

* * *

NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SERIES POINT STANDINGS

GLENDORA, Calif. -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the 14th of 22 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series -

Top Fuel:  1.  Del Worsham, 1,256; 2.  Spencer Massey, 1,130; 3.  Antron Brown, 1,086; 4.  Tony Schumacher, 1,061; 5.  Larry Dixon, 1,034; 6.  Doug Kalitta, 751; 7.  Brandon Bernstein, 691; 8.  Shawn Langdon, 662; 9.  Morgan Lucas, 626; 10.  David Grubnic, 550.

Funny Car:  1.  Mike Neff, 1,132; 2.  Robert Hight, 1,007; 3.  Jack Beckman, 994; 4.  Cruz Pedregon, 909; 5. Matt Hagan, 861; 6.  Ron Capps, 828; 7.  John Force, 827; 8.  Jeff Arend, 729; 9.  Tim Wilkerson, 711; 10.  Bob Tasca III, 665.

Pro Stock:  1.  Jason Line, 1,110; 2.  Greg Anderson, 1,083; 3.  Mike Edwards, 1,059; 4.  Vincent Nobile, 905; 5.  Erica Enders, 874; 6.  Allen Johnson, 872; 7.  Rodger Brogdon, 845; 8.  Greg Stanfield, 840; 9. Shane Gray, 637; 10.  Ron Krisher, 595.

Pro Stock Motorcycle:  1.  Karen Stoffer, 633; 2.  Eddie Krawiec, 608; 3.  Matt Smith, 493; 4.  LE Tonglet, 487; 5. Andrew Hines, 475; 6.  Hector Arana, 459; 7.  Jerry Savoie, 394; 8.  Michael Phillips, 388; 9.  Jim Underdahl, 371; 10.  Hector Arana Jr, 334.

Nitro Rewind Focuses on Countdown Contenders and Strategy

With the Western Swing in the rear view mirror teams are looking to secure their position in the Countdown or looking at strategies to enhance their NHRA championship chances. Coming out of Seattle and the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Northwest Nationals and looking ahead to the 30th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd Minnesota, Nitro Rewind talks with winners and contenders. The show, an internet based broadcast, is hosted by Bill Stephens and features interviews from Top Fuel and Funny Car NHRA competitors, is available on the NHRA’s YouTube channel after every NHRA national event.

“The points chases are really tightening up in Top Fuel and Funny Car with only two races left before the Countdown. This episode gives you two different perspectives as the final two races approach,” said Ashley Force Hood, John Force Entertainment president.

“We were able to produce three Nitro Rewinds in a row throughout the Western Swing which is a huge accomplishment. I want to thank all the drivers who have participated so far. This is the eleventh episode and the response from drivers and fans has exceeded our expectations.”

Top Fuel driver Bob Vandergriff Jr talks about the pressure of battling for one of the last spots in the Top Ten while Funny Car’s Fast Jack Beckman examines how he will approach the final two races before the Countdown now that his Aaron’s Valvoline Funny Car has clinched his spot. Funny Car winner Tim Wilkerson won for the third year in a row in Seattle and his win could not have come at a better time he tells Nitro Rewind viewers.

Finally, Nitro Rewind cameras took a behind the scenes look at JFR chef Jonny Roscher and how he prepares champions caliber food every national event.

Every episode is posted on the NHRA YouTube channel the Thursday after each national event. This week’s episode can be found here: http://youtu.be/XOuxTQYUrsk

Fans can check out all the episodes of Nitro Rewind by going to www.youtube.com and searching Nitro Rewind or they can go directly to the NHRA YouTube channel.

Wilkerson, Worsham, Line Win Western Swing Finale

Tim Wilkerson ended a yearlong winless drought by racing to his third consecutive O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Northwest Nationals Funny Car victory Sunday at Pacific Raceways.

Del Worsham (Top Fuel) and Jason Line (Pro Stock) also were winners of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.

Wilkerson moved up to ninth in the standings with his 17th career victory and greatly improved his chances for earning a berth in the Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six-race playoffs, which begin Sept. 15-18 in Charlotte.

Wilkerson powered his Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang to a 4.146-second run at 300.53 mph to defeat final-round opponent Jack Beckman, whose Aaron’s/Valvoline Dodge Charger lost traction near midtrack and finished in 4.598 at 238.64.

Tim Wilkerson

Del Worsham

Jason Line

Wilkerson beat Brian Thiel, Tony Pedregon, and Robert Hight to advance to his second consecutive final round and third of the season.

“We’ve really got a good handle on this place for sure,” said Wilkerson, who also won here in 2009 and 2010. “This win really couldn’t come at a better time for this team. Hopefully, we can stay on this roll and take it on to Brainerd and right into Indy [for the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil]. This win is definitely a big morale boost for my team and really helps our position in the Countdown for sure.”

Wilkerson moved to ninth in the standings with the win, and points leader Mike Neff lost in the first round but holds a 125-point advantage over teammate Hight.

In Top Fuel, Worsham earned his sixth victory of the season and 31st of his career by outrunning Tony Schumacher in the final round. Worsham, who posted a 3.891 at 316.38 in his Al-Anabi Racing dragster to hold of Schumacher’s 3.915 at 313.95 in his U.S. Army dragster, joined Ron Capps as the only drivers to win in both nitro categories at the Seattle track.

Worsham, who beat Ron Smith, Shawn Langdon, and Spencer Massey in the first three rounds, won in Funny Car here in 1999.

“It’s been unreal,” said Worsham, who extended his series points lead to 126 over second place Massey. “To watch this Al-Anabi team work is amazing. They gave me a great car that could win. This team is so detail oriented and just really good at what they do.”

Line took his fourth Pro Stock win of the season and 25th of his career by beating teammate Greg Anderson in the final round. Line covered the distance in 6.553 at 210.87 in his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP to finish in front of defending world champ Anderson, who trailed with a 6.567 at 211.13, also in a Summit GXP.

“It doesn’t get any better than this,” said Line, who beat Ron Krisher, Vincent Nobile, and Rodger Brogdon in earlier rounds. “I had a great feeling that if I did my job today that we had a car that could win this race. We made some changes to the car from Sonoma, and it ran good all weekend. It was phenomenal. I was able to let the clutch out on time today, and it worked out for us.”

With the victory, Line increased his series lead to 27 over Anderson.

Several drivers secured Countdown playoff berths, including Hight, Beckman, and Cruz Pedregon in Funny Car, and Nobile, Erica Enders, Allen Johnson, Brogdon, and Greg Stanfield in Pro Stock.

The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series continues Aug. 18-21 with the 30th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd Int'l Raceway, the penultimate event in the regular season.

Nitro Rewind Burns Out in Bristol, Focuses on Norwalk

(Daniel Wilkerson talks about racing against his dad Tim in the NHRA Full Throttle Series, like he did at Memphis Motorsports Park in 2009 in a qualifying session. Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

This week’s episode of Nitro Rewind looks back at the NHRA Ford Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol and previews this weekend’s 5th annual NHRA Summit Equipment Nationals, June 24-26. The show, an internet based broadcast, is hosted by Bill Stephens and features interviews from Top Fuel and Funny Car NHRA competitors, is available on the NHRA’s YouTube channel after every race.

“We talked to some of the young guns of Nitro, Dan Wilkerson and Austin Lambright, in Bristol to get their thoughts on heading to Norwalk,” said Ashley Force Hood, John Force Entertainment president.

“We also caught up with veteran Rod Fuller who we are glad to see back on the tour in Top Fuel. You’ll see he is especially excited to get back into the heat of battle in Top Fuel. My dad and NHRA Marketing VP Gary Darcy give fans an update on the John Force Road Show which is cool.”

Dan Wilkerson talks about racing with his father Tim in a two Funny Car team sponsored by Summit and Austin Lambright talks about doubling up the Terry McMillen Top Fuel effort. Terry also has some nice things to say about Austin. Auto Club Mustang Funny Car driver Robert Hight talks about conquering Thunder Valley and setting his first national record.

Every episode is posted on the NHRA YouTube channel the Thursday after each national event. This week’s episode can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjAzuXsTmk4

Fans can check out all the episodes of Nitro Rewind by going to www.youtube.com and searching Nitro Rewind or they can go directly to the NHRA YouTube channel.