<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/J_Beckman.jpg" alt="J_Beckman" align="left"borders="0"/>
JOLIET, Ill. (June 6, 2007) - Buoyed by his second semifinal finish of the season in Topeka, Kan., last Sunday, Jack Beckman is eager to get on Route 66 Raceway's quarter-mile at this weekend's Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals, the ninth round of 23 events in the 2007 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
Eleventh in Funny Car points driving the Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger R/T, Beckman is just 58 points out of the top eight, the spot he's aiming for to qualify for the Countdown to the Championship after 17 events.
Following a weekend off after Chicago, NHRA teams will embark on a grueling six-in-a-row trek from the Midwest to the East and to the West.
"This is what we needed to do," he said of his strong result in Topeka. "We were five rounds out of the top eight coming into that race. We knocked two off of that. Don Schumacher Racing has excellent resources for all its cars with a crew that's trained to run back-to-back-to-back races with a tune-up that works in both hot and cold, on bad and good race tracks. So we have a chance to go to Chicago, which is a fast track with possibly warm conditions, and do well.
"I love Chicago. Great facility, kind of the birthplace of Funny Car, and it's Don Schumacher's home," added Beckman, who is in his first full season of Funny Car competition. "In the heyday of Funny Car, back in the late '60s when match racing was big, this was the hub for America. Everybody hung out in this area. A ton of legends come from here: Schumacher, Karamasines, you can name a dozen of them.
"Route 66 is a world-class facility, arguably one of the nicest facilities on the NHRA tour and always fast. The question mark this weekend will be what the temperature is. It'll definitely be a great race track, we just don't know if it's going to be hot."
MAIL TERMINAL SERVICES "MAIL FROM HOME" PROGRAM UPDATE:
Mail Terminal Services will be featuring Camp Adder Tallil and Delta Camp this weekend at the Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals in its "Mail from Home" program. Postcards will be available to send to these war-zone camps at the Don Schumacher Racing hospitality area as well as at a kiosk in the U.S. Army "Racing Zone," the U.S. Army Interactive area located in Nitro Alley.
JACK BECKMAN QUICK FACTS:
* Eleventh in 2007 NHRA Funny Car point standings after eight events
* 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), 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 and has taught over 6,000 students since 1998; 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: Reading, Pa., 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
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, June 8 – PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
SATURDAY, June 9 – PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 12:10 p.m. and 3:05 p.m.
KING DEMON CROWN ELIMINATION ROUNDS at noon, 3, and 4:25 p.m.
SUNDAY, June 10 – Pre-race ceremonies, 10:30 a.m. FINAL ELIMINATIONS begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, June 9, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise one hour and 30 minutes of qualifying highlights at 5 p.m. (ET).
Sunday June 10, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will air NHRA Race Day at 11 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, June 10, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of eliminations at 4 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE:
Friday, June 8, 10:30-11 p.m. (ET) – SBS 6, Transponder 16K (Downlink frequency, 12092.5 MHz, vertical) ANALOG
Saturday, June 9, 8-8:30 p.m. (ET) – SBS 6, Transponder 16K (Downlink frequency, 12092.5 MHz, vertical) ANALOG
Sunday, June 10, 7:30-8 p.m. (ET) – SBS 6, Transponder 16K (Downlink frequency, 12092.5 MHz, vertical) ANALOG
BECKMAN HAS SIGHTS SET ON TOP EIGHT IN CHICAGO
JOLIET, Ill. (June 6, 2007) - Buoyed by his second semifinal finish of the season in Topeka, Kan., last Sunday, Jack Beckman is eager to get on Route 66 Raceway's quarter-mile at this weekend's Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals, the ninth round of 23 events in the 2007 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
Eleventh in Funny Car points driving the Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger R/T, Beckman is just 58 points out of the top eight, the spot he's aiming for to qualify for the Countdown to the Championship after 17 events.
Following a weekend off after Chicago, NHRA teams will embark on a grueling six-in-a-row trek from the Midwest to the East and to the West.
"This is what we needed to do," he said of his strong result in Topeka. "We were five rounds out of the top eight coming into that race. We knocked two off of that. Don Schumacher Racing has excellent resources for all its cars with a crew that's trained to run back-to-back-to-back races with a tune-up that works in both hot and cold, on bad and good race tracks. So we have a chance to go to Chicago, which is a fast track with possibly warm conditions, and do well.
"I love Chicago. Great facility, kind of the birthplace of Funny Car, and it's Don Schumacher's home," added Beckman, who is in his first full season of Funny Car competition. "In the heyday of Funny Car, back in the late '60s when match racing was big, this was the hub for America. Everybody hung out in this area. A ton of legends come from here: Schumacher, Karamasines, you can name a dozen of them.
"Route 66 is a world-class facility, arguably one of the nicest facilities on the NHRA tour and always fast. The question mark this weekend will be what the temperature is. It'll definitely be a great race track, we just don't know if it's going to be hot."
MAIL TERMINAL SERVICES "MAIL FROM HOME" PROGRAM UPDATE:
Mail Terminal Services will be featuring Camp Adder Tallil and Delta Camp this weekend at the Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals in its "Mail from Home" program. Postcards will be available to send to these war-zone camps at the Don Schumacher Racing hospitality area as well as at a kiosk in the U.S. Army "Racing Zone," the U.S. Army Interactive area located in Nitro Alley.
JACK BECKMAN QUICK FACTS:
* Eleventh in 2007 NHRA Funny Car point standings after eight events
* 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), 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 and has taught over 6,000 students since 1998; 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: Reading, Pa., 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
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, June 8 – PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
SATURDAY, June 9 – PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 12:10 p.m. and 3:05 p.m.
KING DEMON CROWN ELIMINATION ROUNDS at noon, 3, and 4:25 p.m.
SUNDAY, June 10 – Pre-race ceremonies, 10:30 a.m. FINAL ELIMINATIONS begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, June 9, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise one hour and 30 minutes of qualifying highlights at 5 p.m. (ET).
Sunday June 10, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will air NHRA Race Day at 11 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, June 10, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of eliminations at 4 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE:
Friday, June 8, 10:30-11 p.m. (ET) – SBS 6, Transponder 16K (Downlink frequency, 12092.5 MHz, vertical) ANALOG
Saturday, June 9, 8-8:30 p.m. (ET) – SBS 6, Transponder 16K (Downlink frequency, 12092.5 MHz, vertical) ANALOG
Sunday, June 10, 7:30-8 p.m. (ET) – SBS 6, Transponder 16K (Downlink frequency, 12092.5 MHz, vertical) ANALOG
