WILKERSON PICKING UP STEAM HEADING INTO ST. LOUIS

ST. LOUIS -- The hottest man in NHRA drag racing heading into the Third annual Sears Craftsman Nationals on June 24 - 26 may be Funny Car driver Tim Wilkerson.

Beginning with the Fram Southern Nationals last month in Atlanta, the 38 year-old Springfield, Ill., native took the No. 1 qualifying spot, advanced to the semifinals at Englishtown after qualifying third, won his first career Funny Car race at Chicago and then advanced to the final round at the Pontiac Excitement Nationals in Columbus before losing to Phil Burkhart. All of this commotion for the Terry Manzer-tuned Pontiac Firebird has the John Costanza-owned race team in fifth place in the Winston standings as they approach the halfway point of the 1999 campaign. The Demand Flow Racing team includes John Dehillips, Kevin Butterfield, Mike Stallings, and Rob Emmit.

The Sears Craftsman Nationals is the 11th race on the 22-event NHRA Winston champion tour. At last year's event, Wilkerson qualified in the No. 1 position before losing to eventual race winner Frank Pedregon in round two of eliminations. Wilkerson holds the Funny Car track record for elapsed time at 5.064 seconds and top speed at 293.54 mph. ABC will have taped-delayed television coverage of the event on Sunday, July 4, beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern.