Tim Wilkerson’s 27-year reign as the full-time driver/tuner/owner of his Ford Mustang Funny Car is coming to an end as the Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series begins its 2024 season with the Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway in that Florida city this March.
After 14 part-time national event races between 2009 and 2022 behind the wheel, and as the tuner of record for Chad Green’s similar Mustang – the car that elevated Green to his first NHRA national victory in the season finale at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Raceway last November – Tim’s son Daniel Wilkerson, 35, will take over the SCAG Wilkerson Racing driver’s seat on a full-time basis.
Wilkerson’s team transitioned from being part of the JCM Racing family to being fully sponsored by SCAG Power Equipment this winter. Tim Wilkerson decided that his 24 wins, 20 No. 1 qualifiers and best finish of second place in 2005, combined with 16 consecutive seasons finishing in NHRA’s vaunted Top 10 were the culmination of his years behind the wheel, and it was time to give Daniel his due.
“Putting Daniel in the seat is, quite simply, the right move for this team and for me,” Tim Wilkerson reflected. “I love to drive; it’s why I’ve done it for so long and I’ll miss it, but I’m more excited for Daniel to get this opportunity. We’ve both wanted this for a long time, and SCAG has made it possible,” he said.
Tim Wilkerson will continue as the crew chief for SCAG Wilkerson Racing. “Daniel is a great fit for the program. he’s one of the few drivers I’ve put in the seat that can tell me what happened on the run – in detail – and that’s important. And he’ll be a great ambassador for SCAG and our partners. That’s what’s really important, moving forward.”
While Daniel Wilkerson has spent some time behind the wheel, his 2023 results as a crew chief tuning Green, helped that driver secure a fifth place points finish in 2023, thanks to that single win in Pomona, two runner-up results and a single No. 1 qualifying position.
“I enjoy working on the cars,” Daniel Wilkerson stated. “I’ve enjoyed being a crew chief. I probably could have done it forever. But the dream was always to drive for my dad. It was kind of like when Chad and Tim lined up in the finals at Pomona, going head-to-head for a race win, we always talked about it, but we were never certain it would happen. SCAG has created an opportunity for us that has been 15 years in the making,” Daniel Wilkerson said. “I got my license in 2007. We’ve been trying to put this together one way or another since then and we finally got it done. I’m living the dream!”
Since Daniel Wilkerson has never participated in more than four national event races in a single season as he learned the driving craft, he’ll be eligible for the 2024 NHRA Rookie of the Year award, an achievement he’s firmly aware of and hoping to achieve. “I had it in the back of my mind,” he said. “I knew what the limit was to stay eligible. What a year to be in the running, too. It’s a strong class and I’m excited to be a part of it. I’ll be even more excited when I say we won it!”
Before the official NHRA season begins in March, Daniel Wilkerson will debut as the full-time driver of the SCAG Wilkerson Ford Mustang Funny Car during the SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout, taking place at Bradenton Motorsports Park from February 8-10. He’ll make his full season debut at Gainesville as the 21-race Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series gets underway a month later.
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