Memphis: Tim Wilkerson Saturday notes

WILK STAYS 11th, WILL FACE TASCA IN ROUND ONE

Like everyone else, Tim Wilkerson battled a hotter race track on Saturday, smoking the tires with a too-aggressive tune-up on his first lap and then posting an A-to-B 4.199 on his final qualifying pass. With nary a move made in the top 12, Wilk held onto his 11th spot on the grid and will face teammate Bob Tasca in round one.

"It sure seems like we run each other an awful lot, and neither one of us likes to do it in the first round," Wilkerson said. "We're both fighting for points and position in the Countdown, so it's going to have to be a knock-down drag-out deal, I guess, and this is the point where the trading of information comes to a stop and we both go up there with our best tune-up.

"The track got away from us a little, on the first one today, but on the last one we were trying to run a little better than that but it put a cylinder out way down there and that took some e.t. from us. If we can get it down there tomorrow, with all eight lit, we'll give those guys a run for their money. Now, kind of out of the blue, the weather forecast says we're going to have cloud cover and cooler air. We might all have to be adapting to that, if it's true."

-credit: twr