Beckman drives to No. 8 in Reading, faces John Force first round

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2006 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 20 of 23
TOYO TIRES NHRA NATIONALS
Maple Grove Raceway
Mohnton, Pa.
Race Date: Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2006

MOHNTON, Pa. (Sept. 30, 2006) - Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Charger
R/T Funny Car driver Jack Beckman qualified No. 8 for this weekend's
rescheduled Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway Park, posting
the quickest and fastest quarter-mile lap of his two-race Funny Car career:
4.756 seconds at 325.45 mph - also faster than his career-best Top Fuel
speed.

The 2003 NHRA Super Comp champion and former Top Fuel racer eclipsed his
previous career-best Funny Car ET and mph of 4.895 and 313.58, respectively,
established last weekend in Dallas.

His first pass of only three this weekend because of intermittent rain drops
resulted in an 11.219/76.82 pass after the tires shook hard at the launch,
and he forfeited his third and final qualifying chance when the Matco Tools
Iron Eagle crew discovered a leak in the fuel pump at the starting line.

"It was cool," he said of his 4.756/325.45 run. "We picked up a 10th and a
half (of a second) and 10 mph from last week in Dallas," said Beckman. "The
car wasn't set on kill for that (final) run either. Todd (Okuhara, crew
chief) probably had a .70-flat in it for that last hit, but we had the fuel
problem at the line.

"It's unfortunate that we didn't get to make the last run, but it is also
fortunate, because it is better that it happened in qualifying than on race
day," he said.

Beckman faces NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car title contender
John Force (who is 39 points behind Beckman's teammate Ron Capps for the
points lead) in the first round. "You want to win no matter who is in the
other lane," said Beckman. "It's extra exciting that it is John Force, and
we could be a factor in the points chase, so I think that is a lot of fun."

Crew Chief Todd Okuhara is not concerned about losing two qualifying
runs: "It is what it is, and I know we race Force, but the bottom line
is we have to adapt to the conditions tomorrow, and run what we think
the track is going to hold," he said.

"It's not really who we run because we are racing the race track."