Beckman snares semifinal finish in Topeka

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2007 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 8 of 23
O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals
Heartland Park Topeka (Kansas)
June 1-3, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438;
jstropus@earthlink.net

BECKMAN SNARES SEMIFINAL FINISH IN TOPEKA

TOPEKA, Kan. (June 3, 2007) - Jack Beckman powered the Mail Terminal
Services Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car straight into the semifinal round of
eliminations at the O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka
today, dismissing a duo of top contenders on his journey.

Without lane choice, No. 11 qualifier Beckman used a 4.846-second pass at
314.68 mph to defeat No. 6 qualifier Tommy Johnson Jr.'s 5.206/308.78 in the
opening round. Earning lane choice for the second round, Beckman then
disposed of his teammate Gary Scelzi, with a 4.943/307.86 to Scelzi's
tire-smoking 7.772/106.04.

With lane choice once again, Beckman faced No. 1 qualifier Mike Ashley in
the semifinals. The pair launched with nearly identical reaction times (.057
for Ashley, .069 for Beckman), but it was Ashley first across the finish
line with a winning 4.882/310.41 to Beckman's 4.949/304.12. Margin of
victory: .0798 of a second.

With this result, his second semifinal finish of the 2007 NHRA POWERade Drag
Racing Series season, Beckman is 11th in the point standings, just 58 points
out of the top eight, where he needs to be nine races from now to qualify
for the new Countdown to the Championship.

"I tell you what was the neat thing," he said. "We had the second lowest ET
of the first round, and low ET of the second round. Scelzi, at the end of
the year, is going to hang up his driving suit. And we don't know if that's
forever. I hope not. To get the opportunity to team with somebody like
Scelzi, to get the opportunity to stage next to somebody like Scelzi, and
actually beat him, is kind of a cool deal.

"We beat Tommy Johnson Jr. We beat two great cars, which of course is
rhetoric, because they are all great cars when they qualify. Anybody can win
one of these deals. I think we're close now.

"You're never happy when your win light doesn't come on, but we definitely
had a car to win today. So that was disappointing, but the bright side of it
is we made it to the semis, we're starting to go rounds and it gives the MTS
Dodge team an opportunity to work on seat time for me in the car, and a
tune-up for hot race tracks. I feel good about Chicago. I can't wait. I'm
glad it's only four days away."

Next up is the Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway, in
Joliet, Ill., June 7-10.

FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. Ron Capps, 655
2. Robert Hight, 602
3. Mike Ashley, 502 (winner today)
4. Gary Scelzi, 436
5. Jim Head, 434
6. Tony Pedregon, 414
7. Ashley Force, 375
8. Del Worsham, 350
9. Jeff Arend, 323
10. Cruz Pedregon, 305
11. Jack Beckman, 292

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