There are two parts to the question:
1) How does wheel size affect launch?
Generalizing considerably, larger wheels (18+) go hand-in-hand with shorter, stiffer sidewalls. Short stiff sidewalls are worse than long flexible sidewalls in handling the events which occur during launch. Thus, smaller wheels and taller tires are better for launch. This is quite significant in Viper 1/4 mile times.
2) How does wheel size affect acceleration?
Part of the engine's output during acceleration goes to rotating the vehicle's wheels & tires. Thus, acceleration decreases as wheel+tire rotational intertia increases. Larger wheels carry more of their mass at a greater radius from the axis of rotation, and in general tend to be heavier, and thus usually have greater rotational inertia. Wheel weight is typically of only minor significance in Viper acceleration, as the total power consumed in rotational momentum is modest.
... so yeah, bigger wheels are slower in the 1/4 mile