NHRA raced into the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip for the third event of the 2023 season, and Tim Wilkerson and his Maynard Wilkerson Racing Funny Car crew were looking for a boost of early-season success at the storied facility.
Behind the wheel of his SCAG Power Equipment/Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang, Wilkerson was quick off the trailer and powered to a 3.938-second pass at 324.51 mph in the opening qualifying session, which placed him in the provisional No. 4 spot. The team remained in the top half of the field throughout qualifying, eventually settling into the No. 6 seed, which is the best starting position for the team this season. The SCAG/LRS team faced a familiar first-round opponent by drawing Chad Green, who is tuned by Wilkerson’s son, Daniel, setting up a ‘Wilkerson vs. Wilkerson’ intramural family battle to start race day. Wilkerson powered to victory in 3.976 seconds by taking the SCAG/LRS Ford straight down the groove while Green’s car failed to move off the starting line.
Wilkerson next faced Terry Haddock, who had yet to defeat the driver/tuner in eliminations. Wilkerson got off the line first and was on a strong run until the tires hazed and Haddock went around him to set off the win light versus ‘Wilk’ for the first time.
“We had some type of mechanical problem down track that took us off the run to beat Terry,” said Wilkerson following the E2 loss. “That thing was just driving along without any problems, and then I felt the car having issues. We’ll go to the next race and try some more. We qualified a little better this weekend, but every Saturday is still a test session for us. I’m looking forward to getting four cracks at it (during qualifying) when we go to Vegas. There’s a lot of new parts and pieces in my car, and I wish I could tell you when I’ll have my hands around it.
“I’m looking forward to knowing how hard I can push these parts and bringing home a win for our friends at SCAG. I’ll tell you, having SCAG on board as a partner has been so great for me, and I’m looking forward to bringing home a win for them soon.”
Wilkerson started the weekend ranked 10th, and by advancing to the quarterfinals, he successfully moved up two positions in the standings to eighth. Wilkerson will take to the track next at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on April 14-16.
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