[coverattach=1]JOLIET, Ill. (June 6, 2010) - Jack Beckman and the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charge team weathered severe rainstorms and delays during eliminations at the 13th annual Route 66 NHRA Nationals to collect their third semifinal finish of the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
En route to the semifinal round in the all-new DSR chassis, Beckman dismissed Paul Lee with a 4.158-second elapsed time at 299.06 mph, and Bob Tasca III with a 4.121/302.55. After a nearly five-hour rain delay, cooler conditions prevailed under a darkening sky, as he then met up with a resurgent Robert Hight, winner of the last three events. Beckman posted his weekend-best 4.060/314.61 (for top speed of the meet and his career-best racing to 1000 feet), but Hight outdid him by recording a 4.041/307.79 to earn the win.
"What a day," said Beckman, who moved into fourth place in the standings (Hight moved into the lead after his second-round win). Emotions were high. We roll up to the lanes after a rain delay, get ready to get in the car, and a severe weather warning comes in. We bring everything back, they start drying the track again, we think we're ready, and it rains again.
"Then we're thinking it's never going to happen. NHRA did their typical phenomenal job of drying the track and, if anybody was questioning how good the race track was, we watch our teammate Matt Hagan run a sub-national record time right in front of us (4.022). And that's when you say, hold on, both lanes are good, all four cars in the semis are awesome (Hight, Beckman, Ashley Force Hood, Matt Hagan). If I had just stayed shallow it would have been a mid-4.04.
"We literally had zero runs on that chassis coming in here and we left here with our best speed ever. I think that just goes to justify every change we made to the car and validate that (crew chiefs) Rahn Tobler and John Collins are the best at what they do.
"We were right there with Hight. I think we were almost even with them performance-wise. We were expecting another one of those hot-track, hot-weather weekends and look what we got. All these changes we made to this new DSR car we thought were really going to give us an advantage on hot tracks and we come out and run on a fairly cool track all weekend long and run some of our best numbers ever.
"Our goal is to make baby steps until we are the quickest and most consistent car, and let's see what this chassis is like when we get back to the real hot tracks.
"I cannot wait to get to Englishtown. These days can't go by fast enough."
Next up is the 41st annual NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, N.J., June 10-13.
UNOFFICIAL FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS, after 10 of 23 events:
1. Robert Hight, 780 (runner-up today)
2. John Force, 759
3. Matt Hagan, 671 (winner today and national elapsed-time record – 4.022 seconds)
3. Ashley Force Hood, 671
4. Jack Beckman, 652
5. Matt Hagan, 651
6. Ron Capps, 627
7. Bob Tasca III, 563
8. Tim Wilkerson, 531
9. Tony Pedregon, 522
10. Del Worsham, 499
En route to the semifinal round in the all-new DSR chassis, Beckman dismissed Paul Lee with a 4.158-second elapsed time at 299.06 mph, and Bob Tasca III with a 4.121/302.55. After a nearly five-hour rain delay, cooler conditions prevailed under a darkening sky, as he then met up with a resurgent Robert Hight, winner of the last three events. Beckman posted his weekend-best 4.060/314.61 (for top speed of the meet and his career-best racing to 1000 feet), but Hight outdid him by recording a 4.041/307.79 to earn the win.
"What a day," said Beckman, who moved into fourth place in the standings (Hight moved into the lead after his second-round win). Emotions were high. We roll up to the lanes after a rain delay, get ready to get in the car, and a severe weather warning comes in. We bring everything back, they start drying the track again, we think we're ready, and it rains again.
"Then we're thinking it's never going to happen. NHRA did their typical phenomenal job of drying the track and, if anybody was questioning how good the race track was, we watch our teammate Matt Hagan run a sub-national record time right in front of us (4.022). And that's when you say, hold on, both lanes are good, all four cars in the semis are awesome (Hight, Beckman, Ashley Force Hood, Matt Hagan). If I had just stayed shallow it would have been a mid-4.04.
"We literally had zero runs on that chassis coming in here and we left here with our best speed ever. I think that just goes to justify every change we made to the car and validate that (crew chiefs) Rahn Tobler and John Collins are the best at what they do.
"We were right there with Hight. I think we were almost even with them performance-wise. We were expecting another one of those hot-track, hot-weather weekends and look what we got. All these changes we made to this new DSR car we thought were really going to give us an advantage on hot tracks and we come out and run on a fairly cool track all weekend long and run some of our best numbers ever.
"Our goal is to make baby steps until we are the quickest and most consistent car, and let's see what this chassis is like when we get back to the real hot tracks.
"I cannot wait to get to Englishtown. These days can't go by fast enough."
Next up is the 41st annual NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, N.J., June 10-13.
UNOFFICIAL FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS, after 10 of 23 events:
1. Robert Hight, 780 (runner-up today)
2. John Force, 759
3. Matt Hagan, 671 (winner today and national elapsed-time record – 4.022 seconds)
3. Ashley Force Hood, 671
4. Jack Beckman, 652
5. Matt Hagan, 651
6. Ron Capps, 627
7. Bob Tasca III, 563
8. Tim Wilkerson, 531
9. Tony Pedregon, 522
10. Del Worsham, 499
