Words compiled from NHRA and team press releases by Kay Burk, Photos by Ron Lewis, Jeff Burk, Linda Brock and Bret Kepnerk - 5/6/2008

im Wilkerson denied John Force Racing's Mike Neff his first career win on the same day Neff's boss made history at the 12th annual O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway.
    
Wilkerson, of Springfield, Ill., earned his first win at his hometown track, his second of the season and seventh of his career when he drove his Levi, Ray & Shoup Chevy Impala SS to a 4.874 at 317.27 mph to Neff's 4.886 at 321.58 in his Old Spice Ford Mustang. He started the weekend with a No.1 qualifying position, his fourth of the season.

The win marked Wilkerson's second victory over a JFR entry this year - he defeated Ashley Force in Las Vegas. He enters the season's next event in Bristol leading the NHRA POWERade Series points for the first time in his 11-year career after qualifying No. 1 at the event.
    
"The emotions are out of control," Wilkerson said. "It was all I could do at the other end of the track just to get out of the car...It'll get the monkey off our back.”

The Madison, Illinois, track is just 90 miles from the LRS headquarters and many Wilkerson friends, family, sponsor, Dick Levi, and his employees and friends were in attendance.

“We had a really good car this weekend,” said Wilkerson.  “We had the same car last week in Atlanta, but we just got beat early.  So, we tried to bring that momentum here to St. Louis and we’re glad to do it in front of the home crowd.  We’re really glad to have Dick here yesterday.  He doesn’t get to enough races in my opinion, so we like to see him show up.  And I’m glad all the guys that work for me were here, all the guys I went to school with, all my buddies from home, the Wilk Warriors, even my pop was here and it’s so cool they were all here to share this with us.“  [Note: We’ll have a feature on Wilkerson in the May issue of DRO.] .