Beckman Goes to Seventh Final Round of '08 in Virginia
Mopar-powered driver Jack Beckman landed in his seventh final round of the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season at the third annual Virginia NHRA Nationals on Sunday, Oct. 12. By doing so, Beckman and his Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger R/T team moved closer to the No. 1 spot in the Countdown to 1 playoffs for the Funny Car championship.
Beckman dismissed Del Worsham in the opening stanza, Tony Pedregon in the quarterfinals and his fellow HEMI®-powered Don Schumacher Racing teammate Ron Capps in the semifinals. His finals faceoff against Cruz Pedregon, who had eliminated points leader Tim Wilkerson in the semifinal, didn't deliver as advertised, as Beckman, without lane choice for the first time in eliminations, struck the tires early and posted a losing 7.503/88.14 to Pedregon's 4.113/296.44.
With his strong result, Beckman moved to 51 markers behind No. 1 Tim Wilkerson in Countdown points with two events remaining in the season. "With one exception, a great day," said Beckman, who is competing in only his second full season in the Funny Car class. "We were 20 points away from it being a perfect weekend."
The husband-and-wife Mopar HEMI-powered duo of Tommy Johnson Jr. and Melanie Troxel advanced as far as the quarterfinals at Virginia. Troxel's first-round win came against Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T driver Gary Scelzi. Jerry Toliver also saw his day end in the opening match.
Next up is the Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, Oct. 30-Nov. 2. For more info on the NHRA, visit http://www.nhra.com.
