At NHRA Route 66 Nationals, Daniel Wilkerson hopes it’s like father, like son

JOLIET – Cover your ears. The straightliners are back.

All this weekend, Route 66 Raceway will be a beehive of activity, with a decibel level well above a beehive’s buzz. The NHRA, drag racing’s traveling circus, is back in town for the Route 66 Nationals, running two-at-a-time down the track for cash and – for the fortunate few – the coveted Wally Trophy.

Those baubles, named after NHRA founder Wally Parks, only go to the winners of Sunday’s match-play finals. The cash is spread through the field of those who qualify.

On Sunday, expect Springfield native Daniel Wilkerson to be in the Funny Car mix. If not for Gateway near St. Louis being an hour or so closer, Wilkerson would consider Route 66 his home track. It’s a favorite anyway, as father Tim Wilkerson, his crew chief, won his first Funny Car race at Route 66 in 1999, the track’s second year.

Now the son hopes to do the same.

“Now I have another reason to love racing near Chicago,” Wilkerson said. “Metalcraft of Mayville [one of his sponsors] hosts their employee day here, and I get to see so many friendly faces this weekend. Some I email and talk on the phone with regularly for administrative race car stuff, so it’s awesome to catch up face to face.”

Sponsors are the lifeblood of racing, as the purses don’t cover every expense. Wilkerson’s funny car will be decked out with not only the logo of SCAG Power Equipment, but Metalcraft and a host of supporting sponsors.

Wilkerson is looking for his first win of the season, having run second at the Winternationals in Ponoma, California, a major boost for his current seventh-place spot in the standings. It’s been three weeks since a loss in the four-wide show in Concord, North Carolina, but Wilkerson couldn’t sit still.

“In true racer fashion, we went bracket racing last weekend to stay fresh,” Wilkerson said of his venture in another car at a local track. “Got to hit the tree a couple of times. I don’t care what you’re driving. That helps.”

That same crowd of sponsors also will be rooting for Top Fuel driver Justin Ashley, who is sixth in that category’s standings.

“This is our most meaningful race of the year,” Ashley said. “We’ll have dealers, distributors and hundreds of employees in attendance. We are grateful for them.”

Like the younger Wilkinson, Ashley’s also looking for his first career NHRA win. Shawn Langdon could stand in his way. A two-time winner this season, including at Concord, he leads the Top Fuel standings, with former IndyCar and NASCAR notable Tony Stewart second, 59 points in arrears. Langdon was runner-up to Antron Brown in the Route 66 final last year.

“It’s definitely been a really good start to the season with two race wins and a runner-up and then winning the bracket race [at Gateway] last weekend,” Langdon said. “We have to keep doing what we’re doing. We do that by going through the car to double check everything – every part.

“We need to do everything we can do to make sure we don’t make mistakes. Chicago’s always been a track where I’ve struggled a little bit, so it would be nice to actually get a win there.”

Two rounds of qualifying are slated for both Friday and Saturday. Friday’s pro action begins at 2 p.m., Saturday’s at noon. Sunday’s knockout competition starts at 10:30 a.m. There also are support categories that will keep the track and the pit area busy from early to late each day.

FS1 is the TV outlet for the weekend, with qualifying highlight shows at 9:30 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Sunday. The head-to-head elimination coverage begins at 2 p.m. Sunday.