NORCO, Calif. (June 15, 2010) - Jack Beckman has always been an NHRA
historian, often reciting facts and statistics drawn from the "old" days of
the sport. As he heads to this weekend's 10th annual NHRA Thunder Valley
Nationals at Bristol Dragway this weekend, he can't help but talk about this
track's history and how neat it is to race there.
"For me, as a racing historian, Bristol is one of those places that's got it
all," said the driver of the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger
which will feature a tribute to the troops in Afghanistan in its paint
scheme. "It's got history. NHRA first went there in 1965 for what was then
the Spring Nationals. NHRA left in 1967 and after the 1997 season the
original track closed and work began on an $18 million facility under the
guidance of new owner Bruton Smith. The facility reopened in 1999 and hosted
the first Thunder Valley Nationals in 2001.
³And if you've never been to that track you're missing a unique experience.
Bristol completely stands out. It's the only track we race at that is
literally in a valley, therefore the name Thunder Valley.
"When you hear the nitro cars warming up in the pits, and when some of them
burp the throttle to seat the clutch, you can hear three or four echoes of
that blip if you're standing off in the distance.
"If you haven't been there it's almost impossible to describe that feeling.
Going down that track is amazing because you get to the shutoff area and
there's trees lining both sides of it. It's just a completely unique place.
"And I think in terms of richness of history, the atmosphere, the Southern
hospitality, the fact that this is the third of four in a row, the third of
seven in eight weeks, this is where you want to continue banging out those
round wins on Sunday.
"We phased in the brand-new chassis two races ago, and I guess it's about as
perfect as can be expected, with two semifinal finishes in a row. We would
like to get a win quickly with it. The tune-up numbers are looking good and
we're postured really well to get all four win lights on Sunday.
"This is one of probably no more than four events throughout the year that
we're going to actually run as late as we do on Friday night. (Pro sessions
begin at 5 p.m.) Because dragsters run second Friday nights at national
events, the Funny Cars more or less get a dusk session, where the Dragsters
get a night session. In Bristol, because the sessions are so late, the fans
will be able to see the Funny Cars and Dragsters run completely under the
lights on Friday night. That's always a treat from the fans' perspective,
but it's always a little bit of a nail-biter from the drivers' perspective.
"We should see the best conditions of the weekend Friday night. You have to
run well on Friday if you want to qualify in one of the top four spots, and
visibility in the nitro Funny Cars at 315 mph is highly under-rated, so it's
pretty exciting from our standpoint."
Mail Terminal Services will continue to send boxes of post cards of support
and encouragement, along with hand-out cards of DSR drivers, National
Dragster and Drag Racing Action magazines to soldiers overseas. This year
the program expands the opportunity to participate beyond just the NHRA fans
and are including schools and service organizations. If a school or
organization would like to write post cards of encouragement to the U.S.
troops, the request should be sent to [email protected]. MTS will be pleased
to send post cards for the project and signed handout cards from Funny Car
driver Jack Beckman and a Certificate of Service for the school or
organization.
To find out more about Mail Terminal Services go to MTS - Mail Terminals Services
<http://www.mailterminals.com/> .
JACK BECKMAN QUICK FACTS:
* No. 4 in 2010 Funny Car points after 11 events: including four semifinal
finishes, a victory in Phoenix and a runner-up in St. Louis
* Has never won in Bristol
* Qualified No. 10 in 2009 Bristol; lost second round to Tim Wilkerson
* Ended 2009 No. 5 in point standings, winning two events in five final
rounds (Atlanta; Norwalk, Ohio)
* Entered 2009 Countdown to 1 in fifth place
* His 2009 round win-loss record is 29-22
* No. 3 in 2008 Funny Car point standings, with three victories - Phoenix,
Reading, Concord - in seven final rounds
* 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. Ended the season No. 5 in points
* In his 99 national events in Top Fuel and Funny Car, he has won nine times
in 19 final rounds (all in Funny Car), and has a career round win-loss
record of 115-85
* Is the 2007 U.S. Smokeless Showdown winner ($100,000 bonus event held at
U.S. Nationals)
* Set national elapsed-time record of 4.662 seconds and national speed
record of 333.66 mph (on quarter-mile) 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: Norco, 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.
* Former instructor and current consultant 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 elapsed time racing to 1000 feet is 4.040 seconds (Concord 1
'09)
* Career-best speed racing to 1000 feet is 314.61 mph (Chicago '10)
* Career-best FC (quarter-mile) elapsed time: 4.662 seconds (Pomona 2 '06)
* Career-best FC (quarter-mile) speed: 333.66 mph (Pomona 2 '06)
* Career-best TF (quarter-mile) elapsed time: 4.563 seconds (TF, Brainerd
2005)
* Career-best (quarter-mile) 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
* Leads 14-time champion John Force in head-to-head round wins: 11-6 (2-1 in
final rounds) - DOES NOT INCLUDE CONCORD FOUR-WIDE EVENT
SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, June 18 - FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, June 19 * FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.
SUNDAY, June 20 - Pre-race ceremonies, 11 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES eliminations begin at noon.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, June 19, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying
highlights at 7 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, June 20, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute
news magazine show, at 3:30 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, June 20, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of coverage
starting at 4 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE:
Friday, June 18, 9:30 - 10 p.m. (ET), AMC 9 / Transponder 5K
(Digital SD feed)
Saturday, June 19, 6:30 - 7 p.m. (ET), AMC 9 / Transponder 5K
Sunday, June 20, 7:30 - 8 p.m. (ET), AMC 9 / Transponder 5K
(11800 MHz, horizontal; Data Rate: 18.295441161 Mbp; Symbol Rate: 13.235 Ms;
FEC: 3Ž4; Bandwidth: 18 Mhz)
historian, often reciting facts and statistics drawn from the "old" days of
the sport. As he heads to this weekend's 10th annual NHRA Thunder Valley
Nationals at Bristol Dragway this weekend, he can't help but talk about this
track's history and how neat it is to race there.
"For me, as a racing historian, Bristol is one of those places that's got it
all," said the driver of the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger
which will feature a tribute to the troops in Afghanistan in its paint
scheme. "It's got history. NHRA first went there in 1965 for what was then
the Spring Nationals. NHRA left in 1967 and after the 1997 season the
original track closed and work began on an $18 million facility under the
guidance of new owner Bruton Smith. The facility reopened in 1999 and hosted
the first Thunder Valley Nationals in 2001.
³And if you've never been to that track you're missing a unique experience.
Bristol completely stands out. It's the only track we race at that is
literally in a valley, therefore the name Thunder Valley.
"When you hear the nitro cars warming up in the pits, and when some of them
burp the throttle to seat the clutch, you can hear three or four echoes of
that blip if you're standing off in the distance.
"If you haven't been there it's almost impossible to describe that feeling.
Going down that track is amazing because you get to the shutoff area and
there's trees lining both sides of it. It's just a completely unique place.
"And I think in terms of richness of history, the atmosphere, the Southern
hospitality, the fact that this is the third of four in a row, the third of
seven in eight weeks, this is where you want to continue banging out those
round wins on Sunday.
"We phased in the brand-new chassis two races ago, and I guess it's about as
perfect as can be expected, with two semifinal finishes in a row. We would
like to get a win quickly with it. The tune-up numbers are looking good and
we're postured really well to get all four win lights on Sunday.
"This is one of probably no more than four events throughout the year that
we're going to actually run as late as we do on Friday night. (Pro sessions
begin at 5 p.m.) Because dragsters run second Friday nights at national
events, the Funny Cars more or less get a dusk session, where the Dragsters
get a night session. In Bristol, because the sessions are so late, the fans
will be able to see the Funny Cars and Dragsters run completely under the
lights on Friday night. That's always a treat from the fans' perspective,
but it's always a little bit of a nail-biter from the drivers' perspective.
"We should see the best conditions of the weekend Friday night. You have to
run well on Friday if you want to qualify in one of the top four spots, and
visibility in the nitro Funny Cars at 315 mph is highly under-rated, so it's
pretty exciting from our standpoint."
Mail Terminal Services will continue to send boxes of post cards of support
and encouragement, along with hand-out cards of DSR drivers, National
Dragster and Drag Racing Action magazines to soldiers overseas. This year
the program expands the opportunity to participate beyond just the NHRA fans
and are including schools and service organizations. If a school or
organization would like to write post cards of encouragement to the U.S.
troops, the request should be sent to [email protected]. MTS will be pleased
to send post cards for the project and signed handout cards from Funny Car
driver Jack Beckman and a Certificate of Service for the school or
organization.
To find out more about Mail Terminal Services go to MTS - Mail Terminals Services
<http://www.mailterminals.com/> .
JACK BECKMAN QUICK FACTS:
* No. 4 in 2010 Funny Car points after 11 events: including four semifinal
finishes, a victory in Phoenix and a runner-up in St. Louis
* Has never won in Bristol
* Qualified No. 10 in 2009 Bristol; lost second round to Tim Wilkerson
* Ended 2009 No. 5 in point standings, winning two events in five final
rounds (Atlanta; Norwalk, Ohio)
* Entered 2009 Countdown to 1 in fifth place
* His 2009 round win-loss record is 29-22
* No. 3 in 2008 Funny Car point standings, with three victories - Phoenix,
Reading, Concord - in seven final rounds
* 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. Ended the season No. 5 in points
* In his 99 national events in Top Fuel and Funny Car, he has won nine times
in 19 final rounds (all in Funny Car), and has a career round win-loss
record of 115-85
* Is the 2007 U.S. Smokeless Showdown winner ($100,000 bonus event held at
U.S. Nationals)
* Set national elapsed-time record of 4.662 seconds and national speed
record of 333.66 mph (on quarter-mile) 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: Norco, 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.
* Former instructor and current consultant 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 elapsed time racing to 1000 feet is 4.040 seconds (Concord 1
'09)
* Career-best speed racing to 1000 feet is 314.61 mph (Chicago '10)
* Career-best FC (quarter-mile) elapsed time: 4.662 seconds (Pomona 2 '06)
* Career-best FC (quarter-mile) speed: 333.66 mph (Pomona 2 '06)
* Career-best TF (quarter-mile) elapsed time: 4.563 seconds (TF, Brainerd
2005)
* Career-best (quarter-mile) 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
* Leads 14-time champion John Force in head-to-head round wins: 11-6 (2-1 in
final rounds) - DOES NOT INCLUDE CONCORD FOUR-WIDE EVENT
SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, June 18 - FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, June 19 * FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.
SUNDAY, June 20 - Pre-race ceremonies, 11 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES eliminations begin at noon.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, June 19, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying
highlights at 7 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, June 20, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute
news magazine show, at 3:30 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, June 20, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of coverage
starting at 4 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE:
Friday, June 18, 9:30 - 10 p.m. (ET), AMC 9 / Transponder 5K
(Digital SD feed)
Saturday, June 19, 6:30 - 7 p.m. (ET), AMC 9 / Transponder 5K
Sunday, June 20, 7:30 - 8 p.m. (ET), AMC 9 / Transponder 5K
(11800 MHz, horizontal; Data Rate: 18.295441161 Mbp; Symbol Rate: 13.235 Ms;
FEC: 3Ž4; Bandwidth: 18 Mhz)
