Foundation.

BW: They say you can’t pick your parents, and after we lost both Del and

Taffy at the end of some traumatic years, the legitimacy of that cliche’ was

overwhelmingly obvious to some of us. I don’t think there’s such a thing as

“perfect parents” and Big Del and Taffy had a few flaws like any dad or mom,

but they raised us right, loved all of us, and were always very proud of

what we accomplished. When they passed away, what struck us was the good

fortune we all had to be so luckily born into this family. There’s no doubt

that doors opened for us, and good things happened, because we were Wilbers.

Another common cliche’ is “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” and

that was true for us, no doubt. We wanted TPGF to be the “who you know” for

aspiring and talented young people who want to get a foot in the door in the

sports world. Through TPGF, we could pay it forward and be that person who

gives an otherwise unconnected applicant a shot. Our oldest brother Del Jr.

was absolutely the driving force behind this, and he steers the ship to this

day. I’m proud to have simply helped out. My sisters Mary and Cindy have

been deeply involved, and it’s been a real bonding thing for all of us.

TPGF: Tell us about your childhood, in the Wilber household.

born, and it was located in Kirkwood, Mo., a St. Louis suburb that was

straight from Hollywood, with tree-lined streets and safe neighborhoods. We

didn’t sell it until both of them were moved into an assisted-living

facility, so it was “home” well into my 40s, no matter where I happened to

actually live. It was a small neighborhood with 10 houses and a cul de sac,

and we didn’t own a key to the lock on the front door. It was always

unlocked. What I remember most was how warm and loving the place was during

the winters. Big Del traveled so much as a scout, coach, or manager during

the other three seasons that we treasured his time at home during the

baseball off-season. We made the most of every minute he was there. I would

say the word “cherished” is probably more accurate. During the warmer

months, when I was a boy, our house was headquarters for all the kids in the

surrounding neighborhoods. They’d all arrive on their bikes in the mornings

and we’d play whatever sport was in season until it was time to go home.

Seems pretty idyllic, looking back on it, and I think it was.

career. Tell us about that.

BW: Like all the Wilber kids, I was pretty athletic although I was really

sick a lot as a little kid, with asthma and bad allergies. Because of that,

I was a bit of a late bloomer, but I earned a full athletic scholarship to

Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville and was fortunate to be a part

of two teams there that advanced to the NCAA Div. II World Series. It was a

good baseball school and I got my degree in TV/Radio Broadcasting. My plan

was to play 10 years in the Big Leagues and then go into the broadcast

booth, but I wasn’t quite that good. I got to play two seasons in the

Detroit organization and one summer in the Oakland A’s system, but that was

it. Just as I was about to start looking for a broadcasting job, the Toronto

Blue Jays offered me a scouting job and I took that. Four years later, I was

beginning to realize the hit-or-miss part of the scouting profession wasnt

really for me, and that I needed to make a move while I was still young. I

went to work for Converse Shoes for a couple of rewarding years, then joined

Del Jr’s sports marketing agency in Washington D.C. for three years. I ended

up going into indoor soccer, running a couple of successful franchises in

the early 90s, and then as I closed in on 40 I saw my first drag race, when

I was hired as the general manager of the track in Topeka. I truly never saw

the drag racing thing coming, but I’ve been doing it for 20 years.

racing?

BW: That’s right. Bill Kentling had been the Commissioner of the Major

Indoor Soccer League and he knew me and respected what I’d done in that

sport. He called me one day and said “Son, I’ve got good news and bad news.

The good news is we’re going racing together. The bad news is we’re gonna do

it in Topeka, Kansas.” First I said “Bill, I don’t know anything about

racing” and he told me that’s why he’d called me. He didn’t want a racing

fan, he wanted a marketing guy. We learned racing together. And as for

Topeka, I was fine with that. I’m a Midwest boy, and it was a fine place to

live.

TPGF: And how did that translate into your jobs with Funny Car teams?

things there, but working for the track wasn’t for me. I’m a team player,

and by that I mean I like to win or lose as a part of a team. When you run

the track, you just pray it doesn’t rain. So I hooked on with a guy in New

Jersey, as his assistant, and that was my first taste of doing public

relations for professional drag racing teams. By 1996, after I’d gone back

into indoor soccer for a couple of years in Kansas City, I landed my first

gig as the sole PR rep for a Funny Car team. For the last 20 years I’ve

worked for two great guys, Del Worsham for 12 years and Tim Wilkerson since

then. You couldn’t work for two better people in this sport. And we’ve been

good enough to get to the Winner’s Circle so many times my wife wants me to

find a new home for all of these trophies.

TPGF: And you write a very successful blog on the NHRA website, correct?

BW: Correct. 10 years ago, we all started hearing about these new things

called “blogs” although we didn’t know what that meant. NHRA.com asked a

bunch of drivers to write them for an entire month, but my guy Del Worsham

wasn’t really suited for that, so the powers that be challenged me to write

it as myself, just so readers could see what it’s like to be a part of a

team and do this for a living. The challenge was “Let’s see if a guy nobody

ever heard of can write about stuff nobody cares about, and still keep them

entertained.” I didn’t see how I could do that for an entire month, and I

had no idea if anyone would read it. I took a pretty big chance doing it, I

think, because it could have been an utter failure with my name attached to

it. Instead, it was quickly the most popular blog on the site and it remains

that to this day. I’ve written well more than 2,500 installments and have

about 10,000 readers around the world. It absolutely changed my life,

because I’m no longer a guy nobody ever heard of. The fans are amazing, and

I have fantastic conversations all day long at every race. It’s really been

a fantastic thing. I’m proud of it. There’s no denying that the success of

the blog gave me the writing chops and the confidence to take on just about

anything.

another change. Is that true?

BW: YBW: Yes, that’s true. 20 years is long enough, and I want to take on the next great challenge while I’m still young enough to do it with all my youthful energy, despite the fact I’ll be 60 next summer. Our season just ended, and I’m in the process of leaving the sport after I wrap up a few PR things and help Team Wilkerson
Racing with the transition. I’m going take 2016 to write a book. The book is in me, and I’ve known for decades that I’m destined to write it, but the only thing getting in the way was my career. It’s time to make the commitment and just do it. And maybe it’s good that I’ve put it off this long, because some great stories to tell are things that have happened recently. That will be my job in 2016. I’ll be a self-employed and underpaid writer.

TPGF: And the subject matter?

BW: Pretty much everything we’ve talked about here. It will be the story of

my very fortunate life. My upbringing, baseball, college, my short but

eventful minor league career, then traipsing through the world of sports and

sports marketing until I was 40, at which point I stumbled into NHRA Drag

Racing for the next 20 years. It’s been a wild and wonderful ride, and there

are too many great stories and rich characters to not write it all down. I’m

excited to do it.

TPGF: When will we see it?

BW:  I guess when I’m done (laughing). If it takes a year, that’s what it

takes. I don’t believe it will, and I’ve already written what looks like

in it won’t pay at all, but I’m going to be very dedicated to it and I hope

some people find it entertaining when it’s in print.

TPGF: And what happens to your blog?

do you follow?

BW: Oh my gosh, I don’t go through a day without closely following just

about every major sport out there. My wonderful wife Barbara and I moved to

Minnesota in 2002, where we lived in an east-side suburb of St. Paul for a

decade, and we adopted all the Minnesota teams as our own. We still consider

have a home in Spokane. Once she retires, we’ll go back to Minnesota for

good. At one point we had season tickets to the Twins, the Wild, and the

Timberwolves and I wouldn’t be surprised if we signed up for all of that

again when we get back. Hopefully next spring.

TPGF: Tell us the back-story about your affinity for the Twins.

lived in St. Louis, and I had Cardinal baseball in my blood, considering

they were the first team Big Del played for in the Major Leagues, but with

him working for the Twins during those childhood years, I was a huge Twins

fan growing up. Harmon Killebrew was my first “favorite player” ever. I

suspect I was probably the only kid in St. Louis who constantly wore a cap

honestly felt like I was finally “home” and we’ll keep it that way.

advisory council here at TPGF.

BW: He is, and he’s been a great help to us from the first day. When Barbara

and I moved to the Twin Cities in ’02, I sent a note to Dave just to

introduce myself as a member of the extended Twins family, dating back to my

childhood years wearing that TC cap, and he wrote back immediately. When we

agreed to join the Advisory Council without hesitation. He helped us get

Bert Blyleven on-board as well. They’re both great guys and have been so

helpful. Dave and I exchange emails regularly and every one of them ends

with “Win Twins!”

TPGF: Thanks for your time, and best of luck with your next great adventure.