BECKMAN BOUNDS INTO QUARTERS IN SEATTLE, HANGS ON TO 10TH IN POINTS
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/j_beckman_222014.jpg" alt="j_beckman_222014" align="right"borders="0"/>
KENT, Wash. (July 20, 2008) - Jack Beckman maintained his position in the top 10 of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car point standings today, following his quarterfinal finish in the NHRA Nationals at Pacific Raceways, the second round of the three-event Western Swing (Denver, Seattle and Sonoma, Calif.).
As the No. 14 qualifier, Beckman, driving the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger R/T, defeated No. 3 seed Tommy Johnson Jr. in the opening round with a solid 4.163-second pass at 297.94 mph, then fell to Gary Densham in the second round by 17 feet. It was a close race in the heat of the day, but it was Densham first at the finish line with a 4.243/287.41 pass to Beckman's losing 4.269/20.19.
"I give us a B on that run," said Beckman, who holds onto the No. 10 spot in the rankings. "I thought we made a good tuning call, we raced the race track and we got to the finish line, which we did in all six runs here.
"I give Gary Densham an A. I think they did an outstanding job recovering from smoking the tires in the first round and running that quick in the left lane. We would have won two of the races that round (based on his elapsed time).
"We were safe and it bit us, but I think it will pay dividends later in the year. And the reality is we actually put a cushion between us and the drivers in 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th in points. It could have stung a lot worse than it did. We're leaving here in better shape than we came here, but we don't want to be a second-round car these next few races. I'm telling you, we need to win six, seven more rounds over this next four-race stretch to be in the top 10 after Indy is done."
The Countdown to the Championship begins for the top 10 in points following the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on Labor Day weekend. Four events remain before the Countdown kicks in.
UNOFFICIAL FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS, after 14 of 24 events:
1. Tim Wilkerson, 1009
2. Tony Pedregon, 822
3. Robert Hight, 821
4. Ashley Force, 772
Cruz Pedregon, 772
6. Ron Capps, 723 (runner-up today)
7. John Force, 705
8. Gary Densham, 704
9. Mike Neff, 655
10. Jack Beckman, 581
11. Bob Tasca III, 559
12. Del Worsham, 554
13. Gary Scelzi, 523
14. Melanie Troxel, 477
15. Tony Bartone, 452 (winner today)
16. Jerry Toliver, 448
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/j_beckman_222014.jpg" alt="j_beckman_222014" align="right"borders="0"/>
KENT, Wash. (July 20, 2008) - Jack Beckman maintained his position in the top 10 of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car point standings today, following his quarterfinal finish in the NHRA Nationals at Pacific Raceways, the second round of the three-event Western Swing (Denver, Seattle and Sonoma, Calif.).
As the No. 14 qualifier, Beckman, driving the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger R/T, defeated No. 3 seed Tommy Johnson Jr. in the opening round with a solid 4.163-second pass at 297.94 mph, then fell to Gary Densham in the second round by 17 feet. It was a close race in the heat of the day, but it was Densham first at the finish line with a 4.243/287.41 pass to Beckman's losing 4.269/20.19.
"I give us a B on that run," said Beckman, who holds onto the No. 10 spot in the rankings. "I thought we made a good tuning call, we raced the race track and we got to the finish line, which we did in all six runs here.
"I give Gary Densham an A. I think they did an outstanding job recovering from smoking the tires in the first round and running that quick in the left lane. We would have won two of the races that round (based on his elapsed time).
"We were safe and it bit us, but I think it will pay dividends later in the year. And the reality is we actually put a cushion between us and the drivers in 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th in points. It could have stung a lot worse than it did. We're leaving here in better shape than we came here, but we don't want to be a second-round car these next few races. I'm telling you, we need to win six, seven more rounds over this next four-race stretch to be in the top 10 after Indy is done."
The Countdown to the Championship begins for the top 10 in points following the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on Labor Day weekend. Four events remain before the Countdown kicks in.
UNOFFICIAL FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS, after 14 of 24 events:
1. Tim Wilkerson, 1009
2. Tony Pedregon, 822
3. Robert Hight, 821
4. Ashley Force, 772
Cruz Pedregon, 772
6. Ron Capps, 723 (runner-up today)
7. John Force, 705
8. Gary Densham, 704
9. Mike Neff, 655
10. Jack Beckman, 581
11. Bob Tasca III, 559
12. Del Worsham, 554
13. Gary Scelzi, 523
14. Melanie Troxel, 477
15. Tony Bartone, 452 (winner today)
16. Jerry Toliver, 448
