Funny Car racer Tim Wilkerson, for the second time this season, has been relegated to his back-up car. 

Wilkerson will not race in Sunday's NHRA Mopar Mile High Nationals final eliminations despite qualifying for the 16-car field.

Wilkerson crashed his Ford Shelby Mustang Funny Car when he left the starting line from the left lane and made a sharp turn crossing the centerline and impacting the Bandimere Speedway retaining wall shortly following a launch. 

“That’s the only car we’ve got,” Wilkerson said. “We’ll get back and look at it and I have no clue why that thing does that. That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. I’m telling you that’s ridiculous. As quick as you can get off the gas, but it just keeps on sliding and it’s kind of the same thing it did at Topeka. I really thought it just had something on the track in front of me there, but this track was spectacular, nothing going on there.”

After inspecting the car, the decision was made not to compete on race day.

“As of right now we are not racing. We’re going to try to get our spare car from Murf McKinney and bring it to Sonoma, and we will work on it there,” said Wilkerson. 

Saturday's crash marks the second time he's crashed the new car he debuted earlier this season. In May, during NHRA Kansas Nationals eliminations at Heartland Park - Topeka, Wilkerson launched from the right lane, crossed the centerline and struck the right retaining wall.