NHRA Funny Car veteran Tim Wilkerson is retiring from competition and turning over the car to his son, Daniel.
“Putting Daniel in the seat is quite simply the right move for this team and for me,” Tim Wilkerson said. “I love to drive, it’s why I’ve done it so long and I’ll miss it, but I’m more excited for Daniel to get this opportunity. We’ve both wanted this for a long time and SCAG has made it possible.
“Daniel is a great fit for the program. He’s one of the few drivers I’ve put in the seat that can tell me what happened on the run in detail. That’s important. And he’ll be a great ambassador for SCAG and our partners. That’s what’s really important moving forward.”
The elder Wilkerson will not be going far, as he’ll remain with SCAG Wilkerson Racing as Daniel’s crew chief.
Tim Wilkerson has 24 career wins and 20 No. 1 qualifiers in a career that has spanned 27 years. He finished in the top 10 in the championship points in 16 consecutive seasons, which dates back to the 2008 season. It was in 2008 that Wilkerson finished a career-best second in the Funny Car championship.
Daniel Wilkerson will make his debut in the SCAG car in the Pro Superstar Shootout at Bradenton Motorsports Park in early Feb. The NHRA season begins in early March at Gainesville.
For the last two years, the younger Wilkerson has served as the crew chief on Chad Green’s car. The duo scored a victory in the season finale in Pomona, which was also the first career victory for Green. They finished fifth in the 2023 championship.
“I enjoy working on the cars — I’ve enjoyed being a crew chief, I probably could have done it forever,” Daniel Wilkerson said. “But the dream was always to drive for my dad. It was kind of like when Chad and Tim lined up in the finals at Pomona, going head-to-head for a race win, we always talked about it, but we were never certain it would happen.
“SCAG has created an opportunity for us that has been 15 years in the making. I got my license in 2007, we’ve been trying to put this together one way or another since then. We finally got it done. I’m living the dream.
Daniel Wilkerson competed on a part-time basis between 2009 and ’22 and has 14 national event starts. He will be eligible for Rookie of the Year this season.
“I had it in the back of mind,” Wilkerson said. “I knew what the limit was to stay eligible. What a year to be in the running, too. It’s a strong class and I’m excited to be a part of it; I’ll be even more excited when I say we won it.”
Last month, SCAG Power Equipment announced it would have a greater presence in the NHRA with a new multi-car factory team. SCAG acquired ownership to the Maynard Wilkerson Racing teams, which is now branded SCAG Wilkerson Racing for which Daniel Wilkerson will compete, as well as the Maynard Ashley Racing team.