NORWALK, Ohio. (July 3, 2012) -- The track is known as Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park. The race is the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals. When young Dan Wilkerson takes to the track this weekend, in his attempt to extend his professional qualifying streak to eight-for-eight, he will be doing so in his familiar Summit Racing Equipment Shelby Mustang Funny Car. One might say it's the pinnacle of his young career, and the son of longtime favorite Tim Wilkerson knows the climb to the mountaintop, via many round wins, is a viable challenge. Making just his second appearance this year, D. Wilk is focused on continuing the maturation process for both himself and his team. With each appearance, the young driver gets more comfortable in the car and the inner racer in him begins to display itself more and more. At the same time, his young team continues to mesh as a group, and with every appearance they are more able to work autonomously, with less hands-on help from his father's Levi, Ray & Shoup crew. With a fast hot rod at their disposal, the group is ready to win some rounds. "Definitely, we are getting better and I'm feeling more like I used to in my alcohol car, or even my sportsman cars or the junior dragster I started racing in," Wilkerson said. "When you make the step up to a nitro Funny Car, the change is so immense that you're really thinking a lot and just trying to make sure you don't mess up and do something dumb. With every lap down the track, I feel more like I'm able to concentrate on being the best driver I can be, trusting myself to do it right. I might not race all that much these days, but in my mind I'm in that race car every single day, trust me. "My guys get better each time out, too, and in Atlanta I felt like they were really clicking as a team. The first few times we raced, just a couple of years ago, I'm not sure we could've gotten the car started without my dad's guys pitching in a ton. Now, if both of us win in round one, I'm confident we can turn this Summit Racing Equipment Ford around and be ready for the next one. It's a good feeling." The relationship with Summit Racing Equipment has continued to grow and solidify over the years, and D. Wilk is focused on keeping that trend on track going into the future. His qualifying streak may be modest compared to the veteran champions in the class, but for a young driver who typically races two or three times a year, it's a noteworthy accomplishment in a landscape full of big-budget teams who follow the entire Full Throttle tour. For Dan Wilkerson to qualify, someone who normally expects to make the field has to take a back seat. "The people at Summit Racing have been awesome, and without them I wouldn't be out here," D. Wilk said. "To race a Funny Car with their name and design on it, at a track they sponsor, during a race they sponsor, is the ultimate. I know they like to align themselves with winners, and one look at their long relationship with Greg Anderson and Jason Line in Pro Stock tells you they've won a lot, so it's my goal to give them a taste of winning with one of these really loud cars that go 300 miles per hour. It's one step at a time, and our first step in Norwalk is to get qualified. "Just doing that is pretty big deal, because there are good full-time teams that don't make it with the competition this tough. When we show up, we add one more good car to the mix and that puts stress on everyone, because we aim to be in there and that subtracts another spot for all the other teams trying to get in. It hasn't been easy making seven straight fields, but it hasn't surprised me either. We have good parts, good tune-up help, and good support. We'll just do our best this weekend and try to make Summit Racing proud. I think if we do that, my dad will be proud too." It's a long way to the top in the Funny Car class, but Dan Wilkerson has shown he has the talent to make the journey. All the way to the summit. From: Bob Wilber
