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NORTH HILLS, Calif. (May 13, 2008) - Jack Beckman is braced to compete at both the famed Bristol Dragway and Bristol Motor Speedway during this weekend's NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
As a contender in the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car class, he will drive the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger R/T down the quarter-mile aiming for his second victory of the season. As a circle-track newbie, he will compete against his NHRA peers in the NHRA Circle Track Challenge on the half-mile paved oval across the way Saturday night.
The affable cancer survivor, former Air Force sergeant and instructor at Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School is stunned that he garnered 33 percent of the fan votes so far which will likely put him on the pole for the Circle Track Challenge once the voting is over.
"We put Bristol Dragway's release about voting for the polesitter on our nhra.com blog and it just went nuts. My dad sent it to two friends, and so on and so on and so on," explained Beckman. "Sitting on the pole may be the last time I lead that event. It's pretty cool. It will be fun. It will give me a great opportunity to get spun out early in the race, I think," he laughed.
As for the race on the quarter-mile, the eighth event of 24 for the season, "This is not do or die for us," said Beckman who is No. 8 in the rankings. "It's not, but by the same token we cannot keep struggling like we have been," he said of losing first round of eliminations in the last four events. "We haven't won a round since Gainesville and we've also got a DNQ. That's not going to keep you in the top 10. And the reality is we were in second place this year. We don't want to be in 10th place going into Indy (the last chance to get into the Countdown to 1 playoffs), we want to be way up top so we still are legitimately in the hunt for the championship.
"We just made a crew chief change," added Beckman. "We brought Johnny West on board. Johnny's only experience on this car so far is the two short squirts we made at Rockingham Dragway last week for the Valvoline commercial shoot. So, (co-crew chief) Tommy DeLago is going to be working on getting Johnny up to speed and then Phil Shuler (crew chief on the Rockstar Energy Drink Dodge) came up to the commercial shoot and he'll be working with Johnny as well.
"We really need to get back on track. I think that we need to work on making solid runs on Friday because when we would get behind on Friday it would force us to use Saturday's runs to try to qualify as opposed to trying to get tuned up for Sunday. So we were always getting one run behind, and I think that's what bit us as much as anything.
"Bristol is an awesome facility," added Beckman, who qualified No. 2 there in 2007. "They really treat us good. Bristol is the first place that I've been to that shares a facility with their NASCAR track and the scenery is beautiful. It's awesome the way the drag strip goes into all these big lush trees in the shutdown area. I also like the management there. They really know how to put on a race."
JACK BECKMAN QUICK FACTS:
* No. 8 in 2008 Funny Car points after seven events (one victory-Phoenix)
* Qualified No. 2 at 2007 Thunder Valley Nationals, lost second round to Jim Head
* Finished 2007 season fifth in point standings
* Was bumped out of the 2007 Countdown to Four playoffs standings at the Richmond, Va., event, after his teammates Gary Scelzi and Ron Capps reached the semifinal round.
* Had back-to-back 2007 season victories in Denver and Seattle, in three final rounds
* Also in 2007 had three semifinal finishes, seven quarterfinal finishes and two DNQs, and a round win-loss record of 24-19
* In his 47 national events in Top Fuel and Funny Car, he has won four times in six final rounds (all in Funny Car), and has a career round win-loss record of 42-41
* Set national elapsed-time record of 4.662 seconds and national speed record of 333.66 mph at final 2006 event in Pomona, Calif. The ET record has since been eclipsed. Beckman still holds the speed record
* As a Funny Car rookie in the last five races of 2006, he qualified No. 1 once (Pomona 2), reached two final rounds (Las Vegas 2 and Pomona 2), won once (Vegas 2), and set both ends of the national record (Pomona 2)
* Residence: North Hills, Calif.
* Hometown: Granada Hills, Calif.
* Date of birth: June 28, 1966
* Married, Jenna (wedding date 11/7/06), son Jason Russell (3/8/07)
* Height/weight: 6'0", 185 lbs.
* Serves as instructor at Frank Hawley's NHRA Championship Drag Racing School; former Sergeant in U.S. Air Force (1984-88); cancer survivor; licensed in nine different NHRA categories
* First Start in TF: Las Vegas 1 2005
* First Start in FC: , Dallas, Texas, 2006
* Competed in only 12 TF events in 2005, ended season 15th in points
* Career-best FC elapsed time: 4.662 seconds (Pomona 2 '06)
* Career-best FC speed: 333.66 mph (Pomona 2 '06)
* Career-best TF elapsed time: 4.563 seconds (TF, Brainerd 2005)
* Career-best TF speed: 324.28 mph (TF, Brainerd 2005)
* In 2003 won Super Comp world championship in Lucas Oil Series and Division 7 Super Comp championship
* Is tied in round wins against 14-time NHRA champion John Force: 4-4
BECKMAN BRACED FOR BRISTOL RUN, STRAIGHT AND IN CIRCLES
NORTH HILLS, Calif. (May 13, 2008) - Jack Beckman is braced to compete at both the famed Bristol Dragway and Bristol Motor Speedway during this weekend's NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
As a contender in the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car class, he will drive the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger R/T down the quarter-mile aiming for his second victory of the season. As a circle-track newbie, he will compete against his NHRA peers in the NHRA Circle Track Challenge on the half-mile paved oval across the way Saturday night.
The affable cancer survivor, former Air Force sergeant and instructor at Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School is stunned that he garnered 33 percent of the fan votes so far which will likely put him on the pole for the Circle Track Challenge once the voting is over.
"We put Bristol Dragway's release about voting for the polesitter on our nhra.com blog and it just went nuts. My dad sent it to two friends, and so on and so on and so on," explained Beckman. "Sitting on the pole may be the last time I lead that event. It's pretty cool. It will be fun. It will give me a great opportunity to get spun out early in the race, I think," he laughed.
As for the race on the quarter-mile, the eighth event of 24 for the season, "This is not do or die for us," said Beckman who is No. 8 in the rankings. "It's not, but by the same token we cannot keep struggling like we have been," he said of losing first round of eliminations in the last four events. "We haven't won a round since Gainesville and we've also got a DNQ. That's not going to keep you in the top 10. And the reality is we were in second place this year. We don't want to be in 10th place going into Indy (the last chance to get into the Countdown to 1 playoffs), we want to be way up top so we still are legitimately in the hunt for the championship.
"We just made a crew chief change," added Beckman. "We brought Johnny West on board. Johnny's only experience on this car so far is the two short squirts we made at Rockingham Dragway last week for the Valvoline commercial shoot. So, (co-crew chief) Tommy DeLago is going to be working on getting Johnny up to speed and then Phil Shuler (crew chief on the Rockstar Energy Drink Dodge) came up to the commercial shoot and he'll be working with Johnny as well.
"We really need to get back on track. I think that we need to work on making solid runs on Friday because when we would get behind on Friday it would force us to use Saturday's runs to try to qualify as opposed to trying to get tuned up for Sunday. So we were always getting one run behind, and I think that's what bit us as much as anything.
"Bristol is an awesome facility," added Beckman, who qualified No. 2 there in 2007. "They really treat us good. Bristol is the first place that I've been to that shares a facility with their NASCAR track and the scenery is beautiful. It's awesome the way the drag strip goes into all these big lush trees in the shutdown area. I also like the management there. They really know how to put on a race."
JACK BECKMAN QUICK FACTS:
* No. 8 in 2008 Funny Car points after seven events (one victory-Phoenix)
* Qualified No. 2 at 2007 Thunder Valley Nationals, lost second round to Jim Head
* Finished 2007 season fifth in point standings
* Was bumped out of the 2007 Countdown to Four playoffs standings at the Richmond, Va., event, after his teammates Gary Scelzi and Ron Capps reached the semifinal round.
* Had back-to-back 2007 season victories in Denver and Seattle, in three final rounds
* Also in 2007 had three semifinal finishes, seven quarterfinal finishes and two DNQs, and a round win-loss record of 24-19
* In his 47 national events in Top Fuel and Funny Car, he has won four times in six final rounds (all in Funny Car), and has a career round win-loss record of 42-41
* Set national elapsed-time record of 4.662 seconds and national speed record of 333.66 mph at final 2006 event in Pomona, Calif. The ET record has since been eclipsed. Beckman still holds the speed record
* As a Funny Car rookie in the last five races of 2006, he qualified No. 1 once (Pomona 2), reached two final rounds (Las Vegas 2 and Pomona 2), won once (Vegas 2), and set both ends of the national record (Pomona 2)
* Residence: North Hills, Calif.
* Hometown: Granada Hills, Calif.
* Date of birth: June 28, 1966
* Married, Jenna (wedding date 11/7/06), son Jason Russell (3/8/07)
* Height/weight: 6'0", 185 lbs.
* Serves as instructor at Frank Hawley's NHRA Championship Drag Racing School; former Sergeant in U.S. Air Force (1984-88); cancer survivor; licensed in nine different NHRA categories
* First Start in TF: Las Vegas 1 2005
* First Start in FC: , Dallas, Texas, 2006
* Competed in only 12 TF events in 2005, ended season 15th in points
* Career-best FC elapsed time: 4.662 seconds (Pomona 2 '06)
* Career-best FC speed: 333.66 mph (Pomona 2 '06)
* Career-best TF elapsed time: 4.563 seconds (TF, Brainerd 2005)
* Career-best TF speed: 324.28 mph (TF, Brainerd 2005)
* In 2003 won Super Comp world championship in Lucas Oil Series and Division 7 Super Comp championship
* Is tied in round wins against 14-time NHRA champion John Force: 4-4
