Over the last two seasons, veteran Funny Car racer Tim Wilkerson might not have killed his arsenal of vehicles, but he didn't do it any good either.

Wilkerson, since crashing his new "Jamie" Funny Car last May in Topeka, and returning to his old girl "Bessie," only to crash the repaired Mustang a second time two months later. 

Last weekend in Denver, Wilkerson had moments of mayhem as his Levi, Ray and Shoup Ford Shelby Mustang pulled a massive wheelstand in qualifying which resulted in a bent a-arm. The team prepared and competed on Sunday with a spare chassis and a second wheelstand also damaged this car. They plan to run a third car this weekend in Sonoma.  

This is not exactly the way Wilkerson wanted to start the grueling, three-race Western Swing.
 
"We didn't have a car," said Wilkerson, whose race shop is all the way back in Springfield, Ill. "I called [chassis builder] Murf McKinney, and he had a third chassis that he was front-halving. He's got that done."

Wilkerson deviated from his plan of traveling to Sonoma following Denver and instead made the hurried haul back to McKinney's Indiana shop. He arrived this morning ahead of schedule, initially expecting to miss today's qualifying. However, the team is expected to make both sessions. 

"These boys, including Richard Hartman, all have my demeanor, and that's a good thing," said Wilkerson. "We all know this is the job, and we have to fix it. We're not here to drag our chins on the ground and say, 'woe is me.' We're a team, and thank goodness, we live and die as a team. That's the rule for 99% of the teams out here, and that's what makes me proud to be part of this NHRA family. We all work that way.  
 
"We'll regroup and win some rounds on the western swing. Man, we gotta be there for this deal. These people are catching us, and I don't like it."