BROWNSBURG, Ind. (June 10, 2026) – Jack Beckman has the rare opportunity to earn both his first and second Funny Car event victories of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season when his John Force Racing PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car team competes in the June 12-14 Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway.
Beckman and his John Force Racing teammate Jordan Vandergriff were scheduled to meet in the final round of the NHRA New England Nationals in Epping, N.H., last Sunday but it was postponed due to rain and rescheduled during Friday qualifying for the Thunder Valley Nationals.
Once that race is settled, the PEAK SQUAD will focus its energies on winning this week’s Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge earned from making it to the semifinals last week in Epping. The final goal of the weekend is to capture the Thunder Valley Nationals Funny Car title and finally add a “1” to Beckman’s Bristol win column.
The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Funny Car point standings after eight of 20 races are: : 1. Ron Capps, 617; 2. J.R. Todd, 602; 3. Jordan Vandergriff, 588; 4. Matt Hagan, 546; 5. Chad Green, 545; 6. Jack Beckman, 511; 7. Alexis DeJoria, 487; 8. Spencer Hyde, 401; 9. Austin Prock, 358; 10. Daniel Wilkerson, 296.
Quotes
How are you dealing with, and preparing for, having to wait five days to run the final round of the New England Nationals during Friday qualifying for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals?
“From what I understand, it’s going to be Q2 Friday. I’m not a philosopher, but I have certainly come to embrace the philosophy that you can control the things you can and don’t worry about the things you can’t. So, if it’s Q2, that will be the night run, the hero shot. I’ve always raced smart, which means you qualify shallow. It gives you a worse looking reaction time because you have to move further until it stops your reaction time, but it gives you the best possible elapsed because you get to move further before it starts your elapsed time. Well, because Q2 is also going to count for qualifying and likely is going to be the best conditions we see in qualifying, I’m gonna treat that aspect of it like a qualifying run. I’m going to stage shallow but it’s a big deal because it’s also the final round of the Epping national event on the line. It was tough to lose the momentum to not finish it in New England, if for no other reason than all those New England fans deserve to see that final. But the fact is we’re gonna finish it at Bristol, they’re going to give a trophy to someone, and I sure hope it’s the PEAK SQUAD.”
What have you heard about what the track used to be like and what it’s looking to be with the new resurface?
“It had two big dips in it and was very hard to navigate. Our initial scouting after they repaved it is it’s fantastic so I’m happy to hear that it sounds like we’re gonna have a level playing field. Anytime they repave a racetrack, the upside is the new surface. The downside is there’s no rubber on it, so it will be a very green racetrack. Typically, when you have a situation like that, the track gets a little bit better every day with the multitude of cars going down it. We’re not gonna have that luxury in running the final round from Epping. Hopefully, we’re going to run a final round there for the Thunder Valley Nationals on Sunday night after three days of cars going down there. But we’re going to run a final round of the Effing race on Friday night where not many cars have gone down there. So, it really is just going to be whichever team does a better job overall. Jordan and I have to be on our games and the fastest horse is gonna win.”
Do you have any memories of Bristol, positive or negative, that stick out most?
“The negative is I don’t have any wins there and I’d sure like to change that this year. There are tons of history at Bristol. Bristol was on the NHRA schedule in 1965 when they doubled it from two races to 4 races before going off the schedule. Then it came back into the NHRA fold, and one of those names on the grandstands is John Force. Nothing compares to Bristol. The fact that it’s called Thunder Valley is not hyperbole. That place is amazing. It is nestled down in a valley. It has an echo and a sound like no other racetrack. It’s got a very special flavor to it and you don’t need any incentive to go out there and drive a race car well. But we’ve yet to win this year. We’re coming off a final round at Maryland right back in another final round at Epping. We also have the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and we’ve got the Bristol race on top of that. There are so many reasons to need to be 100% when you strap that helmet on. I’m going to do two days of fixing elevators and then hop on that airplane to Bristol and be 100%.”
How are you handling the travel and staying in race mode in the third week of this three-race swing?
“Jordan has the benefit of staying in his own time zone for these east coast races. I’m traveling long flights across three time zones, with connections along the way but it is what it is. I got home Monday, did a workout and unpacked. I’m up at 4:20 Tuesday morning to go to work, come home and try to get a workout. On Wednesday, I’m up again at 4:20 a.m., go to work, come home and try to get a workout, then pack everything that’s now cleaned up. We’re typically out of the house about 4:30 Thursday morning driving to the airport. That’s just part of the job, though. There are plenty other jobs that you don’t have travel. I love driving the PEAK race car. Travel is just part of the job, and I’ve known that since I made this commitment. Since I don’t have a choice in any of this, I’ll take the silver lining in that I’m not gonna spend three days fixated on how important the second run at Bristol’s going to be on a recently repaved racetrack. I’m gonna be fixing elevators and focused on that. When I get on the airplane, then it’s time to start thinking about the race car stuff.”
Weekend Appearances
Beckman will do an autograph session at the John Force Racing merchandise trailer on the NHRA midway on Fri., June 12, from 7:45-8:15 p.m. ET. He will also be signing autographs Sat., June 13, from 5-6 p.m. in the Bristol Dragway pavilion near the tunnel.
Track Schedule
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 5 and 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, June 12, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, June 13 at 12:30 and 3 p.m. Eliminations will begin at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 14.
TV Schedule
Television coverage includes qualifying action at 8 p.m. ET on Friday and 2 p.m. on Sunday on FS1, leading into eliminations at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Race Results
Wins: 0
No. 1 Qualifiers: 0
Event Record: 17-13
2026 Results
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Beckman and his John Force Racing teammate Jordan Vandergriff were scheduled to meet in the final round of the NHRA New England Nationals in Epping, N.H., last Sunday but it was postponed due to rain and rescheduled during Friday qualifying for the Thunder Valley Nationals.
Once that race is settled, the PEAK SQUAD will focus its energies on winning this week’s Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge earned from making it to the semifinals last week in Epping. The final goal of the weekend is to capture the Thunder Valley Nationals Funny Car title and finally add a “1” to Beckman’s Bristol win column.
The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Funny Car point standings after eight of 20 races are: : 1. Ron Capps, 617; 2. J.R. Todd, 602; 3. Jordan Vandergriff, 588; 4. Matt Hagan, 546; 5. Chad Green, 545; 6. Jack Beckman, 511; 7. Alexis DeJoria, 487; 8. Spencer Hyde, 401; 9. Austin Prock, 358; 10. Daniel Wilkerson, 296.
Quotes
How are you dealing with, and preparing for, having to wait five days to run the final round of the New England Nationals during Friday qualifying for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals?
“From what I understand, it’s going to be Q2 Friday. I’m not a philosopher, but I have certainly come to embrace the philosophy that you can control the things you can and don’t worry about the things you can’t. So, if it’s Q2, that will be the night run, the hero shot. I’ve always raced smart, which means you qualify shallow. It gives you a worse looking reaction time because you have to move further until it stops your reaction time, but it gives you the best possible elapsed because you get to move further before it starts your elapsed time. Well, because Q2 is also going to count for qualifying and likely is going to be the best conditions we see in qualifying, I’m gonna treat that aspect of it like a qualifying run. I’m going to stage shallow but it’s a big deal because it’s also the final round of the Epping national event on the line. It was tough to lose the momentum to not finish it in New England, if for no other reason than all those New England fans deserve to see that final. But the fact is we’re gonna finish it at Bristol, they’re going to give a trophy to someone, and I sure hope it’s the PEAK SQUAD.”
What have you heard about what the track used to be like and what it’s looking to be with the new resurface?
“It had two big dips in it and was very hard to navigate. Our initial scouting after they repaved it is it’s fantastic so I’m happy to hear that it sounds like we’re gonna have a level playing field. Anytime they repave a racetrack, the upside is the new surface. The downside is there’s no rubber on it, so it will be a very green racetrack. Typically, when you have a situation like that, the track gets a little bit better every day with the multitude of cars going down it. We’re not gonna have that luxury in running the final round from Epping. Hopefully, we’re going to run a final round there for the Thunder Valley Nationals on Sunday night after three days of cars going down there. But we’re going to run a final round of the Effing race on Friday night where not many cars have gone down there. So, it really is just going to be whichever team does a better job overall. Jordan and I have to be on our games and the fastest horse is gonna win.”
Do you have any memories of Bristol, positive or negative, that stick out most?
“The negative is I don’t have any wins there and I’d sure like to change that this year. There are tons of history at Bristol. Bristol was on the NHRA schedule in 1965 when they doubled it from two races to 4 races before going off the schedule. Then it came back into the NHRA fold, and one of those names on the grandstands is John Force. Nothing compares to Bristol. The fact that it’s called Thunder Valley is not hyperbole. That place is amazing. It is nestled down in a valley. It has an echo and a sound like no other racetrack. It’s got a very special flavor to it and you don’t need any incentive to go out there and drive a race car well. But we’ve yet to win this year. We’re coming off a final round at Maryland right back in another final round at Epping. We also have the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and we’ve got the Bristol race on top of that. There are so many reasons to need to be 100% when you strap that helmet on. I’m going to do two days of fixing elevators and then hop on that airplane to Bristol and be 100%.”
How are you handling the travel and staying in race mode in the third week of this three-race swing?
“Jordan has the benefit of staying in his own time zone for these east coast races. I’m traveling long flights across three time zones, with connections along the way but it is what it is. I got home Monday, did a workout and unpacked. I’m up at 4:20 Tuesday morning to go to work, come home and try to get a workout. On Wednesday, I’m up again at 4:20 a.m., go to work, come home and try to get a workout, then pack everything that’s now cleaned up. We’re typically out of the house about 4:30 Thursday morning driving to the airport. That’s just part of the job, though. There are plenty other jobs that you don’t have travel. I love driving the PEAK race car. Travel is just part of the job, and I’ve known that since I made this commitment. Since I don’t have a choice in any of this, I’ll take the silver lining in that I’m not gonna spend three days fixated on how important the second run at Bristol’s going to be on a recently repaved racetrack. I’m gonna be fixing elevators and focused on that. When I get on the airplane, then it’s time to start thinking about the race car stuff.”
Weekend Appearances
Beckman will do an autograph session at the John Force Racing merchandise trailer on the NHRA midway on Fri., June 12, from 7:45-8:15 p.m. ET. He will also be signing autographs Sat., June 13, from 5-6 p.m. in the Bristol Dragway pavilion near the tunnel.
Track Schedule
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 5 and 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, June 12, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, June 13 at 12:30 and 3 p.m. Eliminations will begin at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 14.
TV Schedule
Television coverage includes qualifying action at 8 p.m. ET on Friday and 2 p.m. on Sunday on FS1, leading into eliminations at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Race Results
| Jack Beckman | Race Result | Round by Round Results | Qualified | Event Record |
| 2005 (TF) | Did Not Compete | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2006 (FC) | Did Not Compete | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2007 (FC) | 2nd round | Beat G. Densham; Lost to J. Head | 2nd | 1-1 |
| 2008 (FC) | DNQ | N/A | 18th | 1-1 |
| 2009 (FC) | 2nd round | Beat J. Force; Lost to T. Wilkerson | 10th | 2-2 |
| 2010 (FC) | 2nd round | Beat J. Head; Lost to D. Worsham | 5th | 3-3 |
| 2011 (FC) | Runner-up | Beat J. Head, M. Troxel, C. Pedregon; Lost to R. Hight | 4th | 6-4 |
| 2012 (FC) | Semi-finals | Beat T. Wilkerson, M. Hagan, Lost to A. DeJoria | 3rd | 8-5 |
| 2013 (FC) | 1st round | Lost to B. Alexander | 2nd | 8-6 |
| 2014 (FC) | 1st round | Lost to C. Force | 11th | 8-7 |
| 2015 (FC) | Semi-finals | Beat J. Hale, T. Wilkerson; Lost to M. Hagan | 3rd | 10-8 |
| 2016 (FC) | 2nd round | Beat J. Force; Lost to R. Capps | 9th | 11-9 |
| 2017 (FC) | Runner-up | Beat C. Pedregon, C. Force, T. Johnson Jr; Lost to R. Capps | 5th | 14-10 |
| 2018 (FC) | 2nd round | Beat S. Langdon; Lost to J. Todd | 7th | 15-11 |
| 2019 (FC) | Semi-finals | Beat T. Wilkerson, J.R. Todd; Lost to J. Force | 4th | 17-12 |
| 2020 (FC) | NHRA Did Not Compete | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2021 | Did Not Compete | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2022 | Did Not Compete | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2023 | Did Not Compete | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2024 (FC) | Did Not Compete | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2025 (FC) | 1st round | Lost to J. Nataas | 4th | 17-13 |
Wins: 0
No. 1 Qualifiers: 0
Event Record: 17-13
2026 Results
| Event | Qualify | Round by Round | Round Record | Points Position |
| Gainesville | 9 | Lost to Jordan Vandergriff | 0-1 | 11 |
| Phoenix | 2 | Lost to Daniel Wilkerson | 0-2 | 10 |
| Pomona1 | 8 | Beat Jim Campbell; lost to J.R. Todd | 1-3 | 10 |
| Charlotte | 6 | Advanced Rounds 1 & 2; runner-up to Ron Capps | 3-4 | 8 |
| Valdosta | 11 | Lost to Matt Hagan | 3-5 | 8 |
| Chicago | 1 | Beat Chris King; lost to Matt Hagan | 4-6 | 8 |
| Maryland | 1 | Beat Joe Morrison, J.R. Todd, Jordan Vandergriff; lost to Austin Prock | 7-7 | 7 |
| Epping | 1 | Beat Phil Burkart Jr., Matt Hagan, Ron Capps; FINAL against Vandergriff in Bristol | TBD | TBD |
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