Results tagged “Jack Beckman” from Haddock in the Paddock

Jack Beckman continued his hot streak in the NHRA Funny Car division. Unfortunately so did Tim Wilkerson and Tony Pedregon, the only two drivers ahead of him in the Funny Car standings.
Beckman, a driver from North Hills, advanced to the semifinals at Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas on Sunday. He lost to Pedregon, who lost to Wilkerson in the Funny Car final.
After two races in the Countdown to One playoffs, Wilkerson leads the Funny Car standings by nine points over Pedregon and 29 over Beckman.
Beckman has advanced to the semifinals in five straight events, winning two of them. He talked about his recent stretch with Craig Wack at go2geiger.com.
The Countdown continues this weekend at Memphis Motorsports Park in Tennessee. Meanwhile, in the Top Fuel division, Larry Dixon advanced to the quarterfinals at Texas, losing to Tony Schumacher. Dixon, a graduate of Van Nuys High, is fourth in the Top Fuel standings, and trails Schumacher, the leader in the Top Fuel standings, by 129 points.

With a final round appearance at Bandimere Speedway in Colorado, Jack Beckman climbed back in the top 10 in the NHRA Funny Car standings.
The top 10 drivers in the highly competitive Funny Car division will qualify for the Countdown to One, the playoffs to determine the NHRA champion in the Funny Car division.
Beckman, a driver from North Hills, holds a slight two-point lead over Bob Tasca in 11th place. There are two drivers, Del Worsham and Melanie Troxel, outside the top 10 who have won races this year.
Here's a look at the Funny Car standings after 13 races. Race wins are in parentheses:

1. T. Wilkerson (4) 978
2. Robert Hight (1) 763
3. T. Pedregon (3) 750
4. Ashley Force (1) 739
5. Cruz Pedregon 720
6. John Force (1) 695
7t. Gary Densham 632
7t. Ron Capps 632
9. Mike Neff 600
10. Beckman (1) 530
11. Bob Tasca -2
12. D. Worsham (1) -13
13. Gary Scelzi -39
14. M. Troxel (1) -86
15. Jerry Toliver -116

NHRA Funny Car driver Jack Beckman had to be quick on his feet when he visited with a group of students from Etiwanda Elementary School on Monday.
"It was actually so big we split it into two groups," said Beckman of North Hills and a driver for Don Schumacher Racing. "The younger kids wanted to know about the race car, how fun is it and how fast does it run, and the older kids were a little bit more open to hearing about school and education. I tried to get the message across that the things you learn in school are all the things that our crew guys, the drivers and team managers are using on a day-to-day basis, so it really is important to pay attention."
Beckman met with a group of first through third graders and a group of fourth and fifth graders to talk about the importance of education. He does these type of programs frequently.
"The other thing we talked about is that it's OK if you're not great in every subject but, as for the subjects that you are good at, dive in with both feet," Beckman said, "because if you really enjoy them then you'll probably use them later in life and build a career around them."
Beckman will be in the Carquest Auto Parts Winternationals at Pomona this weekend. He said talking and meeting with kids is very rewarding.
"You realize how neat it is not when you're speaking and projecting to a room of kids who are out there in front of you, but when they come up for questions and answers. And being able to kneel down next to them and put a hand on their shoulder and take pictures afterward is very rewarding," Beckman said. "It's kind of tough, whether you're talking to kids or adults, to know if they're receptive to your message until afterward. When everything was over, they wanted to come up and touch me and get my autograph and they were very excited, so I knew I got through to them. That's when you know it meant something to them and that's why it meant something to me."

New rules, new sponsor and a new season weren't going to slow Jack Beckman down. Rain, on the other hand, did.
Beckman, along with a number of NHRA drivers, were at Firebird Raceway near Phoenix to test in preparation for the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series season opener at Pomona Feb. 7-10.
Beckman, a driver from North Hills, was 12th fastest in the rain-shortened test session over the weekend. He made only three passes Saturday and Sunday's sessions were cancelled.

"We've got an all-new crew, new paint scheme, and we're running the chassis we ran the midpart of last season, so basically everything is changed," said Beckman, an NHRA Funny Car driver for Don Schumacher Racing.
Ron Capps, another NHRA Funny Car driver for Don Schumacher Racing, was the fastest during the test at Firebird. Testing continues Monday and will end Wednesday, weather permitting.
"The reason we're staying in Phoenix for six days is just for the purpose of getting everything working well together," Beckman said. "NHRA has upped the nitromethane percentage, they upped the minimum weight, so, fortunately, we're not the only ones who have to adjust. Every team has to contend with the rules changes."
Capps was the only driver to post a lap in the 4.7-second range and have a lap over 320 mph. His best lap was 322.34 mph.
"Our DSR teammate Ron Capps definitely laid down the run of the day (Saturday) in Funny Car, so we know there's hope," Beckman said. "But right now we're dealing with a really finicky race track that hasn't given up many good E.T.s. In addition to that, the teams are chasing these new combos around."
Beckman's best lap was a lackluster 9.316 seconds and 76.26 mph.
"It's frustrating, though, not to unload the car, set low E.T. and then kind of just sit back with your arms crossed," Beckman said. "But everybody is having trouble getting down the race track. It's clearly not that we're off on the tune-up, it's just that all these new variables need to be attended to before we can get down the race track. And I think this track is going to be totally different when we come here next month for the national event.
"Once the rain clears, we've got Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to get after it. And not only will the car be getting faster, but all the guys on the team once they've worked together for a while will be getting faster. We're not where we need to be, but we've got the time to get there."
Here's a look at the times and speeds from Firebird:

1. 28 Ron Capps, Carlsbad CA, '07 Charger 4.785 322.34 322.34
2. 388 Jim Head, Columbus OH, '07 Solara 4.841 313.95 313.95
3. 347 Tim Wilkerson, Springfield IL, '07 Impala 4.969 249.67 249.67
4. 750 Del Worsham, Chino Hills CA, '07 Impala 5.216 216.62 216.62
5. 33 Tommy Johnson Jr., Avon IN, '08 Charger R/T 5.228 216.31 216.31
6. 1 Tony Pedregon, Brownsburg IN, '07 Impala 5.329 204.35 204.35
7. 319 Scott Kalitta, Ypsilanti MI, '07 Solara 5.432 195.11 195.11
8. ROCKS Jerry Toliver, Temecula CA, '08 Charger R/T 5.512 163.65 163.65
9. 3 Gary Scelzi, Fresno CA, '07 Charger 7.584 114.07 114.07
10. 999 Melanie Troxel, Indianapolis IN, '08 Charger 8.646 84.44 84.44
11. TASCA Bob Tasca III, Cranston RI, Mustang 8.976 93.01 93.01
12. 5 Jack Beckman, North Hills CA, '07 Charger 9.316 76.26 76.26
13. 782 Gary Densham, Bellflower CA, '07 Impala 9.521 97.12 97.12
14. 71 Cruz Pedregon, Brownsburg IN, '07 Impala 11.016 80.81 80.81
15. 999 Melanie Troxel, Indianapolis IN, '08 Charger 11.580 73.08 76.21

In a time when sponsorship dollars are hard to come by, Jack Beckman's NHRA Funny Car team landed a big one.
Valvoline will back Beckman's Dodge Charger R/T for Don Schumacher Racing in 2008. Mail Terminal Services, the primary sponsor on Beckman's car last year, will remain with the team as an associate sponsor.
"I tell you what I think is so cool," said Beckman, who finished fifth in the 2007 Funny Car class after winning two national events, "is that I'm able to race for companies I personally and overwhelmingly support. With MTS what we've been able to do for the troops with the Mail from Home program is outstanding and we still get thanks and emails from them."
The Mail Terminal Service program allows fans and competitors to send cards to U.S. troops stationed overseas. Last year, more than 90,000 postcards were distributed to war-zone troops through the Mail Terminal Service program.
In addition to being the primary sponsor on Beckman's car, Valvoline will be an associate sponsor on all the Schumacher teams in NHRA. Mail Terminal Services will have a similar deal with the Don Schumacher Racing teams.
"And I've been a Valvoline guy since my dad used Valvoline products when I was a kid," said Beckman, a driver from North Hills. "I have used Valvoline in my Sportsman car. In fact, when I go out and bracket race now, I'm still a Valvoline guy. So, to be able to promote something that I've been a longtime customer of and believe strongly in is awesome."
Beckman has been with Don Schumacher Racing for a little more than a year. This will be his second full season in the NHRA Funny Car division.
"I think I'm more excited now that I've got one full year under my belt," Beckman said. "I've been to every race track with the exception of the 24th race, which will be new for everybody. And I feel like out of the gate this year everybody will know that the Valvoline/MTS car is contending for the championship."
The NHRA released a 24-race schedule with an open date on Sept. 11-14, after the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. The season opens Feb. 7 with the Carquest Auto Part Winternationals in Pomona.
"We are proud to expand our relationship with Valvoline this season to include a primary sponsorship of the Dodge Charger that Jack will race," team owner Schumacher said. "All the DSR crew chiefs regard Valvoline products very highly and we use them in every one of our vehicles.
"Having Mail Terminal Services return as a major associate sponsor is also exciting for everyone at DSR. We expect an even more successful season for Jack than he had last year. We predict the Mail from Home program originated by Rodger and Karen Comstock will reach more fans and racers wishing to support our troops overseas as MTS and DSR continue to develop the program."

As part of the Racers Who Care program, NHRA Funny Car driver Jack Beckman will speaking at the YMCA in Santa Monica on Friday.
Beckman will talk about his pursuit of becoming a professional drag racer and telling the campers about the importance of following your dreams. The presentation is open to the public.
Beckman drives for Don Schumacher Racing and was fifth in the Funny Car standings in 2007. He won two races and was part of the NHRA's first Countdown, which included the top-eight drivers in the Funny Car division competing in a playoff format over the last six races of the year.
The YMCA in Santa Monica is at 1332 6th Street, between Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards.
The presentation begins at 4 p.m.