Denver: Tim Wilkerson Saturday notes

LAST LAP IMPROVEMENT NUDGES WILK INTO 5th

Tim Wilkerson made two very solid laps on Saturday, posting a 4.234 while the sun was out and a 4.157 under the lights. Having started the day in the No. 2 spot, Wilk fell to 3rd after the first run, and was sitting in the 6th slot by the time he ran in Q4. By streaking down the track and improving, he moved back up one position, but the downside to that performance was that it lined him up against teammate Bob Tasca on the Sunday eliminations ladder.

"We were trying to run a little better than that, on the last one, but we had little mechanical breakage in the fuel system and that leaned it out and torched it, basically shutting it off a little early," Wilkerson said. "That's all water under the bridge now, though, so we move on and get ready for tomorrow. The bad part is that we really haven't even been close to being lined up against Bob, in terms of the ladder, all weekend. Then, in that last session, all the positions were getting juggled so fast you couldn't keep track of who was in what spot. I had no idea we had ended up with Bob until they told me back here in the pit.

"The only time it's really any fun to run your teammate or ally is in the final. First round is the worst, because we're guaranteeing that one of us is going to have a day we won't be happy with. They'll be up there to spank our butts, and we'll be up there to do the same, and it will just be survival of the fittest, I guess. Whoever wins the round will have a lot of help getting ready for the next one."

-credit: twr