Independent driver, tuner and car owner Tim Wilkerson won three consecutive Northwest Nationals (2009-11), but so far this season has been disappointed with the performance of his Levi, Ray & Shoup Mustang Funny Car. That may be turning around for the Springfield, IL, team.

“Everything is coming around with our car and our parts after we figured out what we'd been doing wrong procedurally in Epping a couple races back,” Wilkerson said. “We've got it nipped in the bud now, and with any luck, we can go to Seattle, Brainerd, and Indy and make some good runs. The more runs you make once you figure something like that out, the better you get.

“The way the points are right now, I know I have to win rounds. When it comes down to it, if we're ninth or 10th in the Countdown [to the Championship], it will be stupendous. But if not, it sure won't be from a lack of trying. I've got a good group of kids, and our problems are behind us because we've knuckled down and fixed them. Now we're going to be focused on winning some rounds up there in Seattle."

Wilkerson heads into Seattle at number 11 in the points standings, with three more chances to break into the top ten.  (Ron Lewis photo)  [08/02/18]

Oberto brand ambassador, Jim Dunn Racing, will display its 10,000 horsepower Funny Car at the Seattle Mariners game on Thursday, August 2, with special graphics recognizing Oberto Beef Jerky’s 100th Anniversary. Founded in 1918, the popular snack product is headquartered in Kent, WA, which is also the host community to this weekend’s NHRA national event at Pacific Raceways.

Oberto Beef Jerky has partnered with Jim Dunn Racing for several seasons and has shown multiple versions of its graphics on the race car depending on product announcements and retailer tie-ins. The 100th Anniversary scheme is special for everyone involved. Team Manager, Jon Dunn, noted “It’s special for Jim Dunn Racing to have the opportunity to recognize such a great brand during their 100th Anniversary celebration. Our race team has been around for more than 50 years, so we can relate to how hard the Oberto group has worked to build their following over the decades.”

Funny Car driver, Jim Campbell, will be signing autographs at the stadium prior to the Mariners game, and will then appear on-field during pre-game ceremonies. Fans attending the game can get their picture taken next to the Oberto 100th Anniversary Funny Car starting at 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 2, at SafeCo Field.  [08/02/18]

The Supercharged AA/Gassers of America will bring their unique excitement back home to the Buffalo, NY, area this weekend, Aug. 4-5.

The 4-second gassers have been running with the PDRA circuit this season but will return home this week with the help of Dolce Panepinto, Attorneys at Law, and Summit Racing Equipment.

Mark Korzaniewski will be driving his “Calamity Jane,” already a two-time winner this year. Among other cars to watch for are Tom Fritz’s “Goin’ Broke” and Jim Oddy’s “Junkyard Dog.”  [08/02/18]

The Agent found a couple of photos in the old mayo jar on the Phlegm Building’s second-story penthouse porch this morning. A couple of doorslammer racing's premier power makers, Jeff Prock (right) and Luis Fernando Baches de Leon from Fuel Tech at a dyno session on Rage Fuel Systems dyno.

From the photos it appears they are flogging a non-magneto ignition on a supercharged Hemi. The engine reportedly made more power with the coil-over plug ignition than with a magneto. Part of that gain could be credited to the engine not driving a magneto.   [08/02/18]

Three generations of the New York-based Caruso family are headed to the WSOPM on the mountain in Denver on August 10-11. Family patriarch Joe will watch over his son Marc and granddaughter Camrie when the family racing team head to Bandimere Speedway.

Marc has recently stepped up his Pro Mod program in the PDRA Pro Boost category with the purchase of an ex-Todd Tutterow '69 Camaro, and the fitment of an Al Billes-fed Noonan 4.9. The switch to Billes Superchargers & Fuel Systems and the revolutionary 4.9 Noonan Race Engineering Hemi came about after the Noonan brains-trust assisted with getting both of the family's hot rods to the PDRA Firecracker Nationals race in June.

“We are headed to Bandimere with the intentions to have fun,” said Marc. “But make no mistake, we are coming to represent ourselves and PDRA at the highest level possible. Considering the company we will be rubbing shoulders with, it will be a tough deal, but we aren't hauling out to Colorado with the plan to come second!"   [08/02/18]

Australian record holder Steve Barnett will begin his pursuit for a world record by debuting a new car at the Honeywell Garrett Jamboree, presented by Link ECU and Tuners Edge (August 25-26 at Willowbank Raceway).

After becoming the first in the country to run a 6-second 13B-turbo-powered pass in 2016 in his RX3 Coupe, Barnett has taken the Pac Performance Billet 13B engine from his RX3 and put together a never-before-seen combination in a re-born Pac Performance Mazda 6.

“I have purchased a well-known Mazda 6 which was previously owned and raced by Pac Performance,” Barnett said. “The car was crashed by Rocky Rehayem a few years back and then sold to someone else who had started rebuilding it but ran out of motivation. I have been slowly working away on it and over the past six months we have really stepped up the build.

“We have taken the Pac Performance Billet engine from my RX3 and combined that with some new technology with a Quick Drive Transmission – this is something that has never been done before, combining this kind of engine with this kind of transmission. With this combination you don’t have a clutch, you have a stall converter like what you have with an automatic-style gearbox but my gearbox is manually shifted,” explained Barnett.  (photo courtesy Pac Performance)  [08/02/18]