Ford shuns Stock and Super Stock support

[Ralph A Powell]

Ford has announced that it has extended its commitment with Tim Wilkerson and his team to run a Mustang Funny Car in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

Wilkerson has been with Ford Performance since 2009 and has acquired ten NHRA Wally trophies in that time. Wilkerson is at the top of the heap for Ford Performance with two drivers, Force, and Height, having more wins than he does in a Funny Car.


Share

Wilkerson has been racing Funny Cars since 1996 and has 20 NHRA victories to his credit. At the same time, the team is signing again with Ford; it is also announcing its 21st season with Levi, Ray & Shoup. The team says that they don’t think there are many in the sport that have had a relationship with a sponsor that spans more than two decades.

Last month Ford signed again with Bob Tasca III and Tasca Racing. Tasca extended his contact after winning two races for the last season and appeared in four final-round races. The season was one of the most successful in his career despite being his first back in full-time competition. The extension that Tasca signed with Ford Performance was a multi-year deal. It’s not clear if the deal Wilkerson signed was multi-year. The first event on the 2020 NHRA schedule is the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, CA, on February 6th.

[jmcarter]

Please define “shun”; the Big 3 all sponsor funny cars but don’t see how that impacts contingency programs. Last year they paid contingency for Fords in Stock and Super Stock, is that changing for 2020? Looks like Butner, Skillmans, etc are continuing with the FS program as well.

[Myron Piatek]

Contingency postings are always last minute, or late, as "stragglers" get their budgets sorted out for the new year. Seems that NHRA is at the mercy of each company's respective timetable and I doubt they want to lose any more. It's particularly frustrating for Div. 2 where the season has its earliest start.

[bykr]

I remember when Ford dropped Force there was some talk of a more "grassroots" program. Then they jump on another Funny Car

[Ralph A Powell]

The dropped Force to pay for the GT LeMans program!

Originally Posted by bykr

I remember when Ford dropped Force there was some talk of a more "grassroots" program. Then they jump on another Funny Car

[pmrphil]

I would be inclined to believe that being involved with the Force program certainly has to be much more costly (to Ford) than Wilkerson's car, or even Tasca, for that matter.

[Tom P]

Didn't they also cut the drag support in 67 to pay for LeMans that year and the previous? Seems to me there were not as many factory cars in 67 as there were in 66. But there were still some.

[Jesse Kershaw]

Originally Posted by Ralph A Powell

The dropped Force to pay for the GT LeMans program!

It was actually for IMSA which led to LeMans. The "sportsman" angle was spin in response to negative public feedback.

[Jesse Kershaw]

Originally Posted by pmrphil

I would be inclined to believe that being involved with the Force program certainly has to be much more costly (to Ford) than Wilkerson's car, or even Tasca, for that matter.

I have no idea what they give/pay Tim now but during my time there his package was minimal. He was IMO the best ROI we got in all our racing programs. He was always willing to help, always wore the Ford hat, and was good for a couple wins per season. That's not to say Force wasn't great also, just that Tim gave us a phenomenal value.

If Tim is getting a bigger payday now I'm sure he earns it. He's a genuinely good dude.

that said there is definitely a feeling of "abandonment" among Ford racers and enthusiasts I hear it from drag racers, road racers, drifters, and parts distributors. There's a reason I still get calls nearly 3 years after I've gone.

[Superfan1]

Most, if not all, Ford fans miss you Jesse; I know I sure do!