Beckman snags No. 4 in Denver qualifying

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2009 NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 13 of 24
Mopar Mile-High Nationals
Bandimere Speedway
Morrison, Colo.
July 10-12, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

BECKMAN SNAGS NO. 4 IN DENVER QUALIFYING

MORRISON, Colo. (July 11, 2009) - Jack Beckman was a happy man after
qualifying No. 4 for the Mopar Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway.
The driver of the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Funny Car, whose
two years racing on the drag strip carved out of the Colorado mountain
delivered him one victory in two final rounds, was hoping for a better
result, but he's not complaining.

Beckman posted his quickest elapsed time of 4.156 seconds at 303.37 mph in
the final qualifying session in the dark, placing him at the time in third
behind teammates Ron Capps and Matt Hagan. Tony Pedregon, however, broke up
the DSR triumvirate by recording a 4.135/294.50 to bump himself into No. 2.

His other laps included a 5.350/139.49 (No. 10), a 4.412/294.37 (No. 9) and
a 4.328/285.47 (No. 13).

"That's mission accomplished," said Beckman. "It couldn't have gone much
better. We would have liked to have been first or second, but I have no
complaints.

"We made a lot of little changes to the Valvoline/MTS car, so we weren't
quite sure the track was going to handle the extra power, and I knew the
moment I pulled the 'chute that it was a good pass. I got on the radio and
said, Oh yeah. The crew didnšt even tell me what it had run yet, but I knew
that was a stout pass.

"This is what we have to do. You get more points for qualifying high, you
get a better first round match-up, and you get lane choice. And this is
exactly what we have to keep doing. It doesn't guarantee we're going to get
out of first round, but it gives us a better chance going into first round."

Beckman faces Jerry Toliver in the first round of Sunday's Funny Car
eliminations.

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