Beckman Celebrates B-Day with Mopar HEMI(R)-Powered Victory at Norwalk
Mopar-powered NHRA Full Throttle Funny Car driver Jack Beckman celebrated his 43rd birthday by seizing his second Funny Car victory of the season and the eighth of his career at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals on Sunday, June 28. The triumph at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio moved Beckman into the No. 4 spot in the point standings.
En route to the money round driving the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car on a hot and tricky track surface, the Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) driver eliminated Bob Bode, Jim Head and 14-time national champion John Force. In the finals Beckman's stunning .001 (of-a-second) reaction time (.000 is perfect) nearly cost him the win, but it stuck and he went on to defeat Bob Tasca III with a pass of 4.315/277.54.
"In the final I made a mistake and got away with it, pure and simple," said Beckman. "When it's your day, it's your day. I think that you have to have some racing luck, but I think having a good car can kind of create your own luck."
Beckman's fellow Mopar HEMI-powered DSR teammates, Ron Capps and Matt Hagan, exited in the quarterfinals and first round, respectively. Capps suffered a close loss in a pedalfest with Ashley Force Hood after the parachute on Capps's Funny Car deployed early. Capps is No. 3 in the point standings with rookie Hagan in a tie for the No. 10 spot.
Next up for the DSR Mopar-powered Funny Car trio is the 30th Annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo., outside of Denver, July 10–12. Beckman seized the win at Mopar's headline event in 2007 and scored a runner-up finish in 2008. For more info on the NHRA, visit http://www.nhra.com.