Bill Swim, aka “Wild Willy” is well known throughout the sand drag racing community. The fun loving racer always is a crowd pleaser wherever he goes. “Wild Willy” is in his sixth year of sand drag racing. He started out in the infamous “Wild Willy” T-Bucket bodied altered that brought him to prominence with its wild rides across the country. The altered progressed and eventually pushed well into the 3.5 range before taking a wild ride in Avenal, CA, where it was decided that it was time to move on to a new ride. The current “Wild Willy” dragster was purchased and equipped with the motor/transmission combination out of the altered. The dragster picked up where the altered left off and was a winning entry. Things were going great with the dragster until a nitrous fire prompted Swim to go to Steve DeNunzio, of DeNunzio Racing Engines, to go to a new engine combination that would take him away from nitrous. What he came up was the current 468 c.i. Big Block Chevy that makes approximately 1000 Horsepower. The motor is topped with an 8-71 BDS Blower and is backed by a Powerglide transmission. This has proved to be a consistent winner in the Pro 1 class.
“Wild Willy” looks to run the whole 2007 NSDA tour as well as stops in Oklahoma and possibly Michigan. The eventual plan for the team is to step up to the Top Eliminator category. This may happen sooner than later as the team is currently searching for a sponsor that could take their program to the next level. A potential sponsor can’t go wrong with one of the most recognizable personalities in the sport.
Bill would like to thank his crew, especially Crew Chief AJ and “Master Guru” Gyan, as well as his current sponsors DeNunzio Racing Engines and Erwin’s AutoDoc.
Swim netted a semi-final round finish in Pro 1 at the March NSDA event and is looking to be a contender for the season point series championship. Look for the “Wild Willy” team in action at races across the country in 2007.
The "Wild Willy" dragster in action at the NSDA March event.
Swim made it to the semi-final round at the March NSDA event in Pro 1.
Bill Swim's "Wild Willy" machine runs in the mid 3.5 second range at around 90MPH on a normal pass.