Beckman set for Funny Car Nitro Shootout in Dallas

Gaining ground in Countdown to the Championship

Jack Beckman

Photo by: NHRA

BROWNSBURG, Ind. (Sept. 19, 2012) - Jack Beckman hopes the saying "good things come to those who wait" will come true this weekend during the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event at Texas Motorplex.

Beckman, who is considered a drag racing historian, was at the first NHRA event in 1986 at the track in Ennis, Texas, near Dallas and has been racing there since 1998.

"I have never won a trophy in Texas," Beckman said. "I raced there for the first time there in 1998 in Super Comp and Super Gas. I'm not saying Texas owes me, but I was in the stands at Texas Motorplex for the very first national event.

"I've been loyal, I've been good and I'd like to take advantage of that this weekend."

It could be a big weekend for the driver from Norco, Calif., with the rescheduled $100,000 Traxxas Funny Car Shootout set to take place on Saturday.

"I think we have a great chance of not only leaving with the trophy on Sunday but a really good shot with the Traxxas Shootout on Saturday," he said of what he expects from his Schumacher Electric/Valvoline Dodge Charger R/T. "We have a great car and we run well pretty much in all conditions."

Crew chief Todd Smith has tuned Beckman to six top-two qualifying efforts in a row.

"This is going to be unique because we are going to get two qualifying rounds on Friday but when we go into the first qualifying round on Saturday, that's also the first round for the Shootout.

"The philosophy is different from qualifying because you're trying to beat someone in the other lane rather than just beat the clock. It's going to be interesting and I feel confident."

Beckman will compete not far from where his father, Bob Beckman, lives.

And the younger Beckman will have had plenty of "seat time" since Sunday's event near Dallas when qualifying rolls around at 3 p.m. on Friday.

After returning home to Southern California Monday from the last event near Charlotte, he and his wife, Jenna, and two young children, Jason and Layla, started the journey to Texas.

"I'm getting a good warm up. We are driving 1,372 miles to get to Dallas. So I'm getting a lot of driving practice, and I've got the family."

Source: Don Schumacher Racing