Jeff Romack of Pontiac Motorsports provided CompetitionPlus.com with this video tour of the Jim Yates Wiley X/Pontiac Motorsports team.

When a Funny Car driver starts qualifying No. 1 on a regular basis and
following that success with national event wins, things happen.

For Tim Wilkerson, he’s royalty in his hometown of Springfield, Illinois.

Springfield, Ill. Mayor, Timothy J. Davlin proclaimed June 3, 2008 as
Tim Wilkerson Day in the capital city.  In front of a packed house at
Tuesday night’s city council meeting, Mayor Davlin cited the owner,
driver and tuner of the Levi, Ray & Shoup backed Chevrolet Impala
SS Funny Car for bringing pride to the community.  Davlin went on to
cite the milestones in Wilkerson’s drag racing career culminating in
his current lead in the NHRA POWERade points standing.

“Tim Wilkerson has a long and distinguished racing career that has
brought pride and excitement to our citizens and community, and I am
honored to mark June 3rd as Tim Wilkerson Day in the City of
Springfield, Ill.,” proclaimed Mayor Davlin.

Melanie
Troxel has reached the finals in Chicago before while racing Top Fuel.
She wouldn't mind adding a Chicago win to her portfolio as a Funny Car
racer. (Roger Richard Photo)

Two years ago, Melanie Troxel was runner-up at Route 66 raceway just outside
Chicago behind the wheel of a Top Fuel Dragster, and this year, now driving the
ProCare Rx nitro Funny Car, she's hoping to take win one more round than 2006
and put her Dodge Charger in the winner's circle at this weekend's Torco Race
Fuels NHRA Route 66 Nationals.

 
In just her first season behind the wheel
of a nitro flopper, Troxel has gained momentum in the past several events,
moving up in the points chase and proving her mettle in a Funny Car. Troxel won
the event in Bristol, Tenn. just three weeks ago, made a quarter-final finish
last weekend in Topeka, Kan. and moved closer to breaking into the all-important
top ten in order to make the NHRA's Countdown to One playoffs.
 

Randy Jewell and the JFM
Racing team get the chance to race at home this weekend. The turbocharged Pro
Modified team will be competing at this weekend’s PMRA event at their home
track, New York International Raceway
Park.

“When we were away winning
two championships with the NSCA we never got to really race at home in front of
our family and friends,” Jewell explained. “Now that we are running the PMRA we
finally get to do that and its only half an hour down from the RJ ProFab race shop.
Our first outing at the cancelled Toronto
event gave us a lot of encouragement. I am pretty confident we could have
maintained our third spot and may even have been able to go quicker. Things
should go well for us this weekend. It will also allow some of our marketing
partners come out and see what we do. The PMRA is a truly professional series and
I am sure they will be impressed.”

Newly crowned Australian ANDRA Top Doorslammer Champion John Zappia is at the
Willowbank track this week for the Winternationals and Final Round of the Top
Doorslammer Championship, and will be going all out to try and set some very
fast times and speeds.
 
“Winning the Championship has taken the pressure
off the team to be consistent and relatively conservative in our tune”, said
Zap, “So we can hot up the Striker Monaro this meeting and try and set some
records and thrill the fans. This weekends racing should be very exciting, with
eighteen racers trying to squeeze into eight spots in
eliminations”.
 
After being the first driver to run a legal 5 second
pass, Zap is currently the fourth quickest Doorslammer in the world, with US
Pro-Mod drivers John Russo currently first in the Firebird on 5.895, Josh
Hernandez in the Camaro on 5.912, Jay Payne in the Camaro on 5.920, and Zappia
in the HQ Monaro on 5.922. John wants the number one spot back and will be
trying to do it this weekend at the Winters.

One of the Drag Racing Association of Women's biggest
fundraising activities, the annual DRAW Auction, will take place this
weekend during the Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Chicago. The 23rd annual auction will be held Saturday, June 7, and will feature silent and live auctions. Admission is free.

More than 3,000 Caterpillar employees, along with family and
friends, will be attending this weekend’s 11th annual Torco Racing
Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Chicago as part of a
Caterpillar-sponsored event to support the David Powers-owned
Caterpillar Top Fuel team.

“We wanted to plan
something unique for our drag racing fans since 'Hot Rod' Fuller is
competing just a few hours from Caterpillar’s corporate headquarters in
Peoria, Ill.,” said Jim Parker, vice president of Caterpillar’s North
American Commercial Division. “We’re thrilled so many of our employees
are engaged and will be supporting the team.”

Steve Scheidker, public
relations director for VP Racing Fuels, confirmed a price increase will be
enacted this weekend during the NHRA Torco Race Fuels Route 66 Nationals in Joliet, Ill.

When Chevy driver Ron Krisher won the NHRA Summer Nationals this past weekend at Topeka, the ultra-competitive Pro Stock

Ron Krisher needed a victory like he experienced on Sunday in Topeka. (Auto Imagery Photos)

class crowned its eighth different winner in this season's first nine
races of the NHRA POWERade Series.  Although he knocked on the door
last year with a runner-up finish to Allen Johnson at Denver, Krisher's
sixth career victory was the veteran's first in nearly five years.  But
there will be no time to celebrate for the Ohio native as the factory
hot rods head to Route 66 Raceway for this weekend's 11th annual Torco
Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals.  

Veteran Pro Stock/Outlaw 10.5 racer to compete in Xtreme 10.5 competition ...

Billy
Glidden will officially make his ADRL debut this weekend during the
ADRL Summer Drags at the Knoll Gas Motorsports Park in Martin,
Michigan.

Glidden will be competing with the familiar silver
Pontiac GTO sponsored by Mickey Thompson Tires and used primarily as a
test car for the tire manufacturer. Glidden has run the car in NHRA Pro
Stock as well.