COMMERCE, Ga. – Jack Beckman’s on-track performance so far this season has stirred a lot of talk around the NHRA pit area.
ESPN’s television announcers are talking, the NHRA track announcers are talking, other drivers are talking and even the fans are talking about the consistent performances posted by Beckman’s Aaron’s/Valvoline Dodge Charger. After not knowing if he would even be racing this season due to sponsorship concerns in the off-season, Beckman has suddenly emerged as the darkhorse title favorite for many in Funny Car.
Beckman, a veteran driver of several NHRA categories including Super Comp where he won a 2003 world championship, has heard the talk. While he enjoys hearing his name associated with a positive buzz in the pits, there is one group whose talk makes him really giddy.
“For the driver, you always are confident, but when I hear my crew chiefs, Rahn Tobler and John Collins, talk about how confident they are in the performance of the car, that’s when I get really excited,” Beckman said.
Beckman, who won the four-wide race in Charlotte and posted two semifinal finishes in the season’s first five races and currently sits third in the point standings, will try to improve on his position at the 31st annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, May 13-15 at Atlanta Dragway. Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are the defending winners of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.
It is also an event that Beckman has won, back in 2009.
“It always feels good to get back to a track where you’ve had success,” Beckman said. “And Atlanta is Aaron’s home base so they are going to have more than 100 guests out there over the weekend and for many of them it will be their first time at a drag race, so I am very excited about Atlanta.”
He says it feels good going into an important race for his sponsors knowing that his car has been very steady throughout the season. Some recent testing for a hot track tuneup give the team even more confidence heading into the summer months of the 22-race schedule.
“It’s always nice to have a car that can set a national record in great conditions, but I think it is better to have a car that runs consistently fast on hot race tracks,” Beckman said. “I calculated that just about 85 percent of the runs during the season are going to be on hot tracks, so you have to have that part of your program down if your goal is to win a lot of races and the championship.”
And to win a championship in Funny Car, the successful driver must overcome a strong group of title contenders, starting with 15-time and defending world champion John Force, a seven-time winner at Atlanta Dragway. It doesn’t get any easier on down the lineup, as series points leader Mike Neff, who pulls double-duty as driver and crew chief on his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, leads the way with two-time world champ Cruz Pedregon, national record holder Matt Hagan, always quick Robert Hight and veteran Ron Capps, among others, providing a stern challenge.
“It is as tough as it has ever been to win a Funny Car race,” Beckman said. “That’s because there are 12 to 15 cars that can win a race at any time. Jeff Arend proved that at Houston. His car wasn’t the fastest of the weekend, but at the end of the day his team outlasted everyone and was standing in the winner’s circle holding the trophy. Last year at Brainerd we had the fastest car all weekend, but Bob Bode won the race. That just goes to show you that anyone who qualifies out here in Funny Car has the ability to win.”
And while Beckman gets into position for the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs at the end of the season, he says the more wins the merrier.
“At this point of the year, we don’t care about points,” Beckman said. “We want wins, Wallys; that’s what we are shooting for on Sunday. Right now, nobody remembers who was runner up; nobody takes pictures of the runner-up.”
In Top Fuel, Del Worsham holds the series lead with three victories so far in his Al-Anabi Racing dragster. Worsham’s teammate, defending race winner and world champ Dixon, hopes to make his first visit of the season to winner’s circle at this event. A strong field of contenders also will be racing for the trophy, including seven-time world champ Tony Schumacher, who has never won at Atlanta, along with a group of former winners at this track, including Antron Brown, Doug Kalitta, Brandon Bernstein and Morgan Lucas.
In a parity filled Pro Stock class, 2006 world champ Jason Line leads the way with two victories aboard his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP. Rookie phenom Vincent Nobile, defending world champ Greg Anderson and 2009 champ Mike Edwards have also claimed Wallys this season. Several drivers have emerged as title contenders as they chase their first career victories, including Pomona top qualifier Erica Enders, Houston runner-up Rodger Brogdon and Houston No. 1 qualifier Ronnie Humphrey.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, the Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson team of Eddie Krawiec and Hines are first and second in the point standings and both have earned victories in the category’s first two races of the season. A strong group of challengers in the two-wheel class are eager to break into the victory parade at Atlanta, including Karen Stoffer, Hector Arana Sr., defending world champ LE Tonglet, speedy Michael Phillips, veteran Steve Johnson and newcomer Jerry Savoie.
* SCHEDULE: Full Throttle Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 3:45 and 6:15 p.m. on Friday, May 13 and 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 14. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 15.
* TICKETS: Tickets are available for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals. Call NHRA at (800) 884-6472 or visit www.NHRATIX.com.
* ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours and 30 minutes of qualifying highlights at 7 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, May 14. ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage beginning at 7 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, May 15.
* LUCAS OIL SERIES: The Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals also will feature competition in five categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series, where the future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Series gain experience. In addition, the Top Sportsman category also will be featured. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 9 a.m. on May 13. Lucas Oil Series eliminations begin at 8 a.m. on May 14 and continue through May 15.
* GET SCREENED AMERICA PRO MOD SERIES: NHRA’s popular Pro Mod touring series will make its fourth start of the 10-race 2011 season at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals The series features some of the world’s fastest and most unique doorslammer cars, with an eclectic mix of vintage and late-model body styles, in quarter-mile competition. Two of three scheduled rounds of qualifying will be held on Friday, May 13 at 3:15 and 5:30 p.m. The final round of qualifying is set for 12:45 p.m. on Saturday, May 14. The first round of eliminations is scheduled for Saturday, May 14 at 3:15 p.m. Eliminations will continue on Sunday, May 15 at approximately 2:30 p.m.
* ON THE WEB: Get live timing, scoring, multimedia and the latest news updates from every NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event on the Internet at www.nhra.com. Visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
