Jack Beckman, driver of the Mopar-powered Aaron’s Dream Machine/Valvoline Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car, reached the third round of the 24th annual O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway on Sunday, May 1.
The Mopar-powered veteran was disappointed about not achieving his second win (and second consecutive win) of the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season, but nevertheless saw positive results from his semifinal exit.
"Yes, it was a good weekend," said the Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) driver. "But, of course, our goal is winning races, especially at this point of the season. Overall, I would give us a B+ for the weekend."
Beckman bested Jim Head in the first round with a 4.237-second, 295.72 mph lap against Head’s 4.756/193.16. A quick reaction on the starting line produced a holeshot victory in round two against top-qualifier John Force. Beckman moved from the tree in .065-seconds, while Force left in .086, which meant the DSR pilot’s 4.183/303.64 mph-pass was good enough to beat the reigning Funny Car champ’s quicker, but losing, 4.177/303.03 effort.
Mike Neff ended Beckman’s run with a 4.133/308.43 pass to the Mopar-powered driver’s 4.214/304.94 semifinals effort. Neff also took out Mopar-powered DSR pilot Matt Hagan in the quarterfinals. Another DSR Dodge Charger racer, Ron Capps, also exited in the quarterfinals, falling to Bob Bode. Dodge Charger driver Brian Thiel was trailered by Force in the opening round. The fourth DSR driver, Johnny Gray, failed to qualify for event.
Beckman now sits third in the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Funny Car standings, with Hagan sixth, Capps ninth and Gray tenth. Next up for the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series is the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, May 13–15 at Atlanta Dragway. For more information on the NHRA, visit NHRA.com.
The Mopar-powered veteran was disappointed about not achieving his second win (and second consecutive win) of the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season, but nevertheless saw positive results from his semifinal exit.
"Yes, it was a good weekend," said the Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) driver. "But, of course, our goal is winning races, especially at this point of the season. Overall, I would give us a B+ for the weekend."
Beckman bested Jim Head in the first round with a 4.237-second, 295.72 mph lap against Head’s 4.756/193.16. A quick reaction on the starting line produced a holeshot victory in round two against top-qualifier John Force. Beckman moved from the tree in .065-seconds, while Force left in .086, which meant the DSR pilot’s 4.183/303.64 mph-pass was good enough to beat the reigning Funny Car champ’s quicker, but losing, 4.177/303.03 effort.
Mike Neff ended Beckman’s run with a 4.133/308.43 pass to the Mopar-powered driver’s 4.214/304.94 semifinals effort. Neff also took out Mopar-powered DSR pilot Matt Hagan in the quarterfinals. Another DSR Dodge Charger racer, Ron Capps, also exited in the quarterfinals, falling to Bob Bode. Dodge Charger driver Brian Thiel was trailered by Force in the opening round. The fourth DSR driver, Johnny Gray, failed to qualify for event.
Beckman now sits third in the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Funny Car standings, with Hagan sixth, Capps ninth and Gray tenth. Next up for the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series is the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, May 13–15 at Atlanta Dragway. For more information on the NHRA, visit NHRA.com.
