In a first-round battle between DI 30 Under 30 honorees Daniel Wilkerson (2017) and Bobby Bode (2022), Wilkerson suffers a catastrophic engine explosion that destroys the SCAG Power Equipment Jackal-themed Ford Mustang Dark Horse body at the 70th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals.
[Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #191, the 30 Under 30 Issue, in November / December of 2024.]
The engine wasn’t happy from the time Wilkerson smashed the throttle pedal, as it had a dead cylinder before the big boomer ended Wilkerson’s weekend at The Big Go. Wilkerson, running his first full season in Funny Car after taking over driving duties from his father, past U.S. Nationals winner Tim Wilkerson, would’ve needed a stout run to take down Bode, who threw down a 3.934-second pass at 323.58 MPH in the family-owned Ar-Bee Plastic Bags Ford Mustang.
Photographs by Cengiz Basu
Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park
Brownsburg, Indiana
Monday, September 2nd, 2024
This story was originally published on January 3, 2025. 
