Wilkerson Shocks Field With Top Speed

No one was snickering more than funny car driver Tim Wilkerson after Thursday’s first round of qualifying for the 43rd K&N; Filters Winternationals at Pomona Raceway.

Getting nearly everything he could out of his ride, Wilkerson shocked the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series field with a top speed of 318.32 mph in a career-best 4.759-second run down the quarter mile, taking the provisional top qualifying position for Sunday’s main event.

Wilkerson, 42, a team owner from Springfield, Ill., driving a 2002 Pontiac Firebird that he helps tune with crew chief Fred Mandolini, finished ahead of Bellflower driver Gary Densham. In one of three cars fielded by defending event and series champion John Force, Densham clocked 4.826 and 313.88 mph. Cruz Pedregon of Camarillo, the only driver other than Force to win the funny car title since 1990, was third in 4.859 at 304.32 mph.

Wilkerson’s was an impressive performance for a shoestring-budget team that ran only 16 races last season but committed to the full 23-race schedule this year. His time was just off the national record, 4.731, set by Force at Reading, Pa., in 2001.

“Our goal is to be the biggest thorn in the side of every team out there,” said Wilkerson, who was fastest in a field of 19 cars. “When we drive up to the starting line, we want them to go, ‘Oh, no, not that knucklehead!’ ”

Force qualified eighth at 4.91 but played a role in Wilkerson’s success. Most of the parts used by Wilkerson are second-hand from Force’s shop.

“You ought to walk in [Force’s] shop; it’s like a funny car junkyard,” said Wilkerson, who out-dueled Force at Chicago in 1999 in a tire-smoking battle for the only victory of his career. “There are more parts than a guy can throw away. It’s perfect for a guy like me.”

The big loser of the day was Ron Capps, who appeared to have run a career-best 4.78 and 318.17 mph for team owner Don Prudhomme, only to have the time disallowed because of a timing system malfunction.

In top fuel, Larry Dixon, who won his first top fuel title last season, leading the standings from start to finish, picked up where he left off. Dixon clocked 4.586 seconds and 313.88 mph, winning a side-by-side duel with Tony Schumacher at 4.593 and 315.19 mph.

Darrell Russell, the No. 1 qualifier at the season-ending event last year at Pomona, was third at 4.604 and 311.92 mph.

Rookie Brandon Bernstein, taking over for his father, six-time NHRA champion Kenny Bernstein, had an inauspicious start as the first top fuel driver down the track. About halfway through the run, he smoked the tires, then drifted across the finish line in 5.67 seconds at only 155.04 mph.

“It felt good until about half-track where it lost traction,” Bernstein said. “It was going to run a decent number; it wasn’t set on kill.”

Troy Coughlin was top qualifier in pro stock at 6.809 seconds and 202.42 mph in his 2002 Chevy Cavalier. Coughlin finished 16th last season, while his teammate and brother, Jeg Coughlin, won the championship. So Coughlin Brothers Racing brought in Tommy Utt as Troy’s crew chief and his son, John Utt, to work on the clutch. “I think it was a good move on Jeg’s part to bring Tommy and John onto the team,” Troy Coughlin said. “They have a lot of experience to take the program to the next level.”

Mark Pawuk qualified second, and Mark Whisnant was third in pro stock.

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Drag Racing

* What: 43rd annual K&N; Filters Winternationals, at Pomona Raceway, the first of 23 events on the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series. It includes the $100,000 Budweiser Shootout for top fuel dragsters on Saturday, an event postponed in November by rain.

* Schedule: Gates open at 7 a.m. today, qualifying and Sportsman eliminations 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Professional qualifying at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sportsman eliminations and qualifying, 8:15 a.m. to 6 p.m. Professional qualifying at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Budweiser Shootout rounds at noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday prerace ceremonies, 10 a.m., final eliminations at 11 a.m.

* TV: Saturday qualifying highlights, ESPN2, 7 p.m. Sunday race, ESPN2, 3:30 p.m.