Altered State: Tim Wilkerson's Record-Setting AA/Fuel Altered

With a professional drag-racing career spanning more than three decades, Nitro Funny Car veteran Tim Wilkerson already has a place reserved in the NHRA history books. In 1996, he was the first rookie to ever run over 300 mph, as well as the first to break the 4-second barrier. And that impressive pace continues today. He currently boasts a career-best speed of 333.74 mph, a fastest pass of 3.844 seconds, and 23 wins to his name, but the next chapter in Wilk’s story reads unlike any other.

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In March 2021 Wilkerson took a 4-second diversion from his Funny Car season to shatter a couple long-standing records in his one-of-a-kind nitro-burning Fuel Altered. With his car chief Richard Hartman behind the wheel, the pair tripped the lights in a history-making 4.920 seconds at 296.13 mph, and then again at 304.53 mph to seal the deal.

A far cry from the short-wheelbase, unpredictable hotrods that thrilled crowds back in the 1960s and ’70s, Wilkerson’s entry is underpinned by a retired Funny Car chassis from his 2005/2006 racing season and motivated by an 10,000 hp supercharged Hemi. Outside, the vehicle sports huge Top Fuel-style aerodynamics front and rear, plus a custom open-cockpit body that harkens back to the wildest days of drag racing. And the best part of all? Wilkerson says the car has plenty left to give.

So what’s it like to rewrite the history books behind the wheel of this modern-day throwback racer? Head to OnAllCylinders.com to find out, and see what’s next for the fastest Altered ever built!

FAST SPECS

Body & Chassis
McKinney Corp. Funny Car chromoly chassis
Fiberglass Bantam altered body
Custom Top Fuel-style front and rear wings
Strange Engineering carbon brake pads and rotors

Wheels & Tires
Sander Engineering wheels
Goodyear Dragway Special rear slicks
Goodyear Eagle frontrunner tires

Engine
AJPE TFX Hemi Billet block (500 c.i.d.)
SSI Supercharger Systems 14-71 blower
Bullet Racing camshaft
MBE billet aluminum Funny Car cylinder heads
Victory 1 Performance titanium valves and retainers
PAC Racing valve springs
Dechellis Machine billet rocker stands
Jesel rocker arms and lifters
Manton chromoly pushrods
Bryant Racing billet steel crankshaft
GRP billet aluminum connecting rods
CP-Carrillo forged aluminum pistons
Mahle Performance piston rings
Clevite engine bearings
RCD Engineering dry sump oil pump
Dan Olson Racing Products TFX oil pan

Ignition & Electronics
RacePak data logger
MSD Pro-Mag dual magneto ignition
Champion spark plugs
Multi Fire ignition wires

Fueling
Rage Fuel Systems dual fuel pumps
Hartman Machine Works nozzle bodies
Crawford drop-in fuel nozzles

Clutch & Driveline
AFT five-disc clutch system
Bohr Racing titanium bellhousing
Rob Moore Racing driveshaft and reverser
Strange Engineering 12ʺ rear end

Visit our blog at OnAllCylinders.com for more details and photos!