Don Shuford and the Rock

For those of you that don't know, Don was in a terrible accident at the end of march. Let's just say he is extremely lucky to be here but he has a long road to recovery. Don was working at the muffler shop, there was an explosion, and his leg was severely damaged. After spending a couple of weeks in the hospital he has finally made it home to finish his recovery.

First i want everyone to know that racing just will not be the same without Don's help. Of course everyone expects him to make a full recovery, it just going to take some time. Without a doubt the success of Wilkins Motorsports can be directly related to the team of Shuford and Wilkins. To quote John Furr, "If there's a picture to be had you can count Wilkins and Shuford to be nearby". So in Don's honor i am including a picture of him made after the final round at Rockingham spring 2008.

We love you buddy!!!! Get Well SOON!!!!!

Starting Out The Year # 2

I hope the winter has been good to everyone, but I sure am glad it's spring. I know all you guys are ready to race. We finally did get to race last weekend. With Rockingham getting postponed due to rain and then the Farmington race getting pushed back a week, it seemed as though we would never get to race. Let's back up a couple of weeks.

In the last blog the car had just been painted at Chuck Chapman's place. Following that, Sandy assembled the car and I met him at Mooresville Dragway to test. Sandy has an eighth mile set up where he runs only on motor (no nitrous). While most cars just turn off the nitrous and race, Sandy changes the rear end gear, converter and other settings on the car to maximize performance and minimize problems. The testing went well. Sandy made three runs of 4.98, and back to back 4.97's. We loaded up with the outlook good and we were ready for Farmington.

The Farmington weekend started off with sunny skies and a little wind. It was about ten degrees cooler than when we tested in Mooresville, but hey, no rain in the forecast. Sandy made his two qualifying runs Saturday, which was a 4.88 and a 4.90. We thought about running the combo race but the temperature was falling fast. The track gets real tight when it gets cold and bracket racing a 4.80 door car in forty degree weather can get a little crazy. So we hung out with our friends at the Jay Zimmerman camp before calling it a night.

Sunday was sunshine and no wind. Temperature in the upper fifty's. First round we ran Mike White in his 63 Corvette. Second round was the Allen Racing Engines Monte Carlo. Third round was Tim West from Asheville, NC. He was going for the jugular. He was -.001 & dead on with a 1. That was about to be ugly. In the semi's we got around Mark Payne in his new Cavalier. Sandy had been in the zone all day with the car running the number. In the finals, we were matched up against Jeff Rudisill who was making his Top Sportsman return after a four year absence. Sandy and Jeff both missed the tree and both cars were one number over. But unfortunately for the Sandflea, the win light was in the other lane. Congratulations to Jeff Rudisill, but losing sucks. It was a hard pill to swallow after having such an awesome day.

After a person gets over the what ifs and emotional roller coaster of the day, you have to look at the big picture. 1. This was the first race of the year and we made it to the finals. 2. It was back to back finals after ending 2008 with a win at the Rockingham National. 3. We are second in divisional points. A top three finish in the division gets you in the shootout for the championship at the end of year. 4. The car performed flawless over the course of the weekend and 5. Sandy made his first driver error in ten rounds of competition. Going back to the fall Rockingham win to end 2008 and this race to start 2009, that is one mistake per ten runs. I will take that ratio every time.

As the title states, Sandy started out the year number 2. He has #2 on the window from last year and in our first race we ended up # 2. Now if we can only finish the year #1. Honestly, Wilkins Motorsports has been truly blessed this past year (other than the crash). But even in the crash we were blessed. Winning rounds is fun and winning races is great. It is why we race. We love the people, the competition and Sandy loves the challenge of taking a 432 cubic inch small block and making it run wicked fast. See you in Mooresville.

Don

What Have We Missed?

How have things been? The last blog was about the awards banquet in Ohio and when we left it was snowing. As I write this, their is snow left on the ground from the snow storm we got yesterday. Very nice but I am ready for Spring.

Since last December my family and I had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Sandy also got everything he asked for. He is especially fond of the 60 lb. bag of twenty dollar bills. But seriously, Sandy has been busy building engines and trying to get his car looking normal. Thanks to Chuck Chapman, that has been accomplished. More on that later. On the engine building side, I know he has built engines for Brian Williams, Josh Miller's cars, the champ Steve Corker and many more. While he has been staying busy, one always can stand a little more business.


The most exiting thing that has happened this winter is the birth of Lowman Elizabeth Wilson. This is Sandy's new little niece. She was born on December 9th, 2008 @ 12:39 am and weighed 7 lb 7 oz and was 20.5 inches long. In this photo she is two months old and is being held by her big brother, the King, Mr. Banks. Freda and Lucien are overwhelmed and very proud as well as mom Elise and dad Joel.

If you remember, Sandy's car did not win best appearing at the Rockingham fall race. That was when his car was given the nickname "Wilkemon." You know, it had the John Montecalvo front end on it. It was an ugly winner's circle pic, but it was a winner. Some people told Sandy he was crazy for painting a car that had just won a race. "You don't want to change your luck" they said. Well, I believe it was a winner when it looked good, so I will go with the fresh paint. It has a few tweaks to the paint scheme and I think it looks cleaner, shinier and meaner. It's just plain Hot!!!! Chuck Chapman does an awesome job.

As you know the Rockingham race was rained out this past weekend. Sandy was going to test on Friday for the first time this year and then go racing. Now this gives him another week on the car and I believe testing we be this Saturday at Mooresville Dragway. From there he will head to Farmington for the next divisional race on March 13-15. Hopefully it will be sunny and mildly warm for March. At least we will have the extra hour of day light from the time change.

Sandy has added a few things to the car that will make the 2009 even stronger. You can ask Sandy about that. Like most racers Sandy is trying to keep enough cash flow going so he can race all year. With the economy down, racing closer to home makes common $ents. Hopefully, Sandy can continue the momentum from last year and get one of the spots for the championship shootout at the final race of the year in Rockingham. All you have to do is Win! Sounds easy, right?

Don

Awards Banquet !!

Hello to everyone and Happy Post Thanksgiving. I hope all is well.

As most of you know, the IHRA Awards Banquet was held a couple of weeks ago. It was in Mason, Ohio, about 20 minutes north east of Cincinnati. Teresa and I left out Friday morning while Sandy and his family came up that night. We all finally got together around 10 pm and hung out with our sportsman friends. They are always a rowdy crowd.

Saturday we woke up to a cold and rainy day. But we were staying at the Great Wolf Lodge which has a huge indoor water park. A lot of the people brought their children and that is where most spent their day. The kid came out in Sandy as he spent a few hours in the water with Case Stott. Teresa and I on the other hand left our kids in NC and went to downtown Cincinnati and had lunch at a fancy smancy restaurant. We all hooked back up that evening for the big show and enjoyed an excellent meal with our friends. Our table consisted of Sandy & Emily Stott, Lucien & Freda Wilkins, Tracy & Jennifer Robbins and Mr. and Mrs. Billy Wilson.

As you can see in the pic, Sandy was all smiles after receiving his second place trophy. To finish #2 after the year he has been through is really satisfying. This was the most wins in a season for Sandy. Let's recap! Rockingham National, spring and fall. The Maryland National. The Piedmont divisional win on Sunday and the bracket race win the night before. Pretty stellar year, only to be slightly tarnished with the crash in Pittsburgh.

While we all had a good time supporting Sandy, we watched as Steve Corker gave an outstanding speech after he received his Championship Trophy. Steve did not have the fastest car this year, but he raced smart and covered a lot of territory to win and will always be your 2009 Top Sportsman World Champion. Congratulations to him and Brenda and it was also nice of him to say thank you to Sandy during his speech.

Sunday morning we woke up to a light snow and decided North Carolina was where we needed to be. We said our goodbyes and headed south, arriving home around 5 pm. What do I remember most about the banquent weekend? 1. Sandy's mom looked like a hot rock star Saturday night, 2. Herb Jr. is constantly promoting/talking, 3. Linda Butcher was not happy with the bar closing down at midnight, 4. The way Allison Hall passed me on interstate, well, she may need to drive the vette.

Don

Post Rockingham

Hey guys,

Talked with the Sandflea today and he is still jacked up from the win at the Rock. The downside is he is not feeling to well. It seems he has been under the weather for about a month. He was feeling his best when he was at Rockingham. What does that tell you. The race track, plus a win, does wonders for the body. I asked about the car and he says it is still in the trailer. He is giving the car a break while he works on customers engines. He did tell me that he has us rooms for the banquet next month in Ohio. And believe it or not, I think my wife is going with me. Our ten year anniversary is next month. Do you think I can get by with taking her to the awards banquet only?

I posted the final qualifying sheet from Rockingham. Sandy qualified 31st with the smallest engine in the field. Our other small block pal Stacy Hall was 1st alternate and would have qualified deep in the field, but I think he had a some clutch issues. He got in as an alternate, but shook and lost first round. If you are having trouble seeing the pic, click to enlarge it.

On a side note, Teresa and I went to the Patton High football game and watched our niece become crowned the new homecoming queen. She is a beautiful girl with the sweetest personality. Very deserving of her title. The funny thing is that her name is Sandy. When I tell my boys that I talked to Sandy, they ask if I talked to the boy Sandy or the girl Sandy. Funny!!!

Don

WilkieMon To The Front!!!!!!

Happy Tuesday to you all,


What a difference a week makes. Last week we wondered how the car would run. This week we are still smiling after the big win at Rockingham. We can't believe how the year has went. Sandy started out the season with a win at the spring national event at Rockingham followed by a divisional win at Piedmont dragway. Then he won the national event in Budds Creek, Maryland which was followed by the dreadful crash the second week of July. To sit out the summer with this car and come by in October and win the last race of the year is awesome. I can't be more proud of the Flea if I must say so my self. With that win, the Sandflea ends up in second place.

Thursday we went over every detail on the car to make sure it was ready. After that, we had supper that night with the Butcher's and it was wonderful. Thank you Linda and Glenn. On the first qualifying run Friday, Sandy ran one stage of nitrous to half track and ran a 7.21 to end up in the 31st position. He wanted to make sure from half track on that it was handling good. Then rain set in around 5 pm and we had supper that night at the Outback. Yummy!



Saturday morning it was still raining a little and they did not get on track until after lunch. Unfortunately, we did not get to run any that day because of the rain. We watched the ball of fire show and had supper with fellow Top Sportsman competitor Bruce Thrift. He had potato's, sausage, shrimp and stuff warming in a cooler. I forget what it was called, but I'll call it delicious.



Sunday it was still cool and windy when we finally made our 2nd qualifying run. Sandy ran one system to the stripe that produced a 7.04 and again that placed us 31st. Hey, we are in. First round Sandy ran Ricky Adkins and ran dead on his dial to save that round. Because IHRA was behind schedule, the sportsman cars were bumped to Monday to finish up. So off we went with the Stott's to Ruby Tuesday's. Good eating!

Monday was nothing but sunshine. Cool but pleasant. Second round Sandy defeated Jason Harris. Third round was Robert Jones. In the semi's he beat Josh Miller. Facing Sandy in the finals was Glenn Teets Jr. Both guys were .o1 on the tree and Sandy ran a little closer to his dial for the win. This was Glenn's first national event final round. He said he was happy with the runner up and that he would have to pay his dues. I thought that was pretty classy. Sandy was the runner up 9 times before he finally sealed the deal. Now he is a six time national event winner.



The weekend went flawless for Sandy and the car required little maintenance. He had a ton of help from people just to get to Rockingham. I will try to touch on those people in a day or two. A thanks goes out to Jeff Miles for the special WilkieMon title he gave Sandy. For those of you who don't get it. Sandy Wilkins car with a John Montecalvo front end. Aww!! Angel Miles took the first pic of us holding the trophy. If you notice we are holding up four fingers to indicate winning four iron men this year. The second pic is a little note that Lauren Jones and the team left us. They were parked three doors down and also our third round competitor. Good people. The last pic is what she was talking about. As Howie Dalton said, Uniforms look good, car not so well. I think it will be an excellent eye catcher hanging in the office.



Don

Rockingham Bound!!!!!!!

Hey again,

It is finally Wednesday night. After working in the muffler shop all day and fixing a project at the house, I can now concentrate on leaving. It is 10:22 pm as I am writing this and clothes are in the wash. Hopefully in the morning I can throw everything in the suitcase and leave. Oh wait. I have to take kids to school first. Then go by the bank. I need to swing by Chucks. Wait. I need to run to the hardware and bring that stuff back to the house. It is three hours to the Rock. I'm thinking I will be there between noon and 8 pm.

Enough of that. Talked with Sandy a little while ago. Remember the pic from yesterday's blog. Sandy tells me that he is in the same spot from the spring race. And the same neighbor is beside us. It is already starting out good. He has the awning up and that is no quick task. When I get there tomorrow we are going into town to pick up groceries for the weekend. One last race to do some grilling. I looked at the points standings for Top Sportsman and Sandy is in a tie for third place. So yes we would like to go some rounds. The weather shows it to be cool this weekend. So you know that means fast racing. I need to go put some clothes in the dryer. See you tomorrow.

Don