Beckman sets high goals for Vegas
DON SCHUMACHER RACING 2009 NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SERIES Round 5 of 6 in Countdown to 1 Playoffs Round 23 of 24 for season Ninth annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438; jstropus@earthlink.net BECKMAN SETS HIGH GOALS FOR VEGAS LAS VEGAS (Oct. 27, 2009) - Jack Beckman has set high goals for himself and the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Funny Car team, as the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series comes down to two events to finish the season, beginning with this weekend's NHRA Las Vegas Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Beckman stands sixth in the Countdown to 1 playoffs point rankings, 86 markers out of first place, and admits that a strong finish to the season is what he and the team need to have any chance at claiming the Funny Car championship. In this yearıs Countdown to 1 playoffs, points are awarded to the top three in each of the four qualifying sessions in a weekend (three, two, one points, respectively), in addition to the regular qualifying points earned. Twenty points are available for each eliminations round win. Also added in this yearıs playoffs is the opportunity to garner an additional 20 points for setting a national elapsed-time record racing to 1000 feet (with a one-percent backup). Beckman's Don Schumacher Racing teammate Ron Capps holds the existing record of 4.023 seconds. "I'm done with our mini-vacation," said Beckman of his cross-country trip to the last few races with wife Jenna and son Jason in their motor coach. "After Richmond we went to Delaware and visited Jenna's family, then went to Maryland and visited my family. We're heading back West and we stopped at the shop at Brownsburg, Ind. I just wanted the Valvoline/MTS guys to know that even though I'm not there every day working on the car, I'm as eager to get to the next race as they are. "It's interesting. Weıre actually excited about Vegas this weekend. We have an enormous uphill battle. We really need to win seven of the next eight rounds to have a legitimate shot at the championship. Everybody on the team knows that and we're plugging away with that as the goal. "We don't want to finish fifth or fourth or third; we want to finish first. We still have a shot, and we need to hope that the two John Force cars (Robert Hight and Ashley Force Hood in first and second place) stumble at both races. "At this point in the game we can only control our car and our team. And I think everybody realizes that these are two pretty good tracks for us (the Strip and the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Calif.), and if it were going to end on a positive note I think that we would want to be at these two facilities. "We showed a different side of ourselves, something we haven't shown for quite some time, the last few races. We've been top-three qualifier the last two events, and grabbed our first pole of the year in Richmond. And that's not something that we've been known for. We typically don't qualify well but run well on Sunday. ³So, now we've got that qualifying component working in our favor, but we have to find that Sunday consistency component that really had been our hallmark for the last year and a half that's been missing lately. If we can put those two together we can win these last two races." Beckman is the 2006 Las Vegas 2 champion. Mail Terminal Services continues its popular "Mail From Home" campaign in 2009, supporting the U.S. troops serving in the war zones. In the past two NHRA seasons the campaign has sent over 195,000 post cards overseas signed by fans and supporters at each NHRA national event with messages of support for the troops, along with numerous NHRA National Dragster issues and other automotive magazines. Photos of cars and drivers were also included. In 2009 the "Mail From Home" program has been challenged to exceed the previous records of cards distributed to hit a 125,000-card record for one season. JACK BECKMAN QUICK FACTS: * No. 6 in Countdown to 1 playoffs standings, after four of six events * 86 points out of first place, with two races remaining * No. 5 in 2009 Funny Car "regular season," after two victories (Atlanta; Norwalk, Ohio), one runner-up, three semifinal, five quarterfinal and seven first-rounds in "regular season" * His 2009 round win-loss record is 26-20 * Qualified No. 11 at 2008 Las Vegas 2, lost first round to Cruz Pedregon * No. 3 in 2008 Funny Car point standings, with three victories - Phoenix, Reading, Concord - in seven final rounds * Was bumped out of the 2007 Countdown to Four playoffs standings at the Richmond, Va., event, after his teammates Gary Scelzi and Ron Capps reached the semifinal round. Ended the season No. 5 in points * In his 86 national events in Top Fuel and Funny Car, he has won eight times in 15 final rounds (all in Funny Car), and has a career round win-loss record of 95-73 * Is the 2007 U.S. Smokeless Showdown winner ($100,000 bonus event held at U.S. Nationals) * Set national elapsed-time record of 4.662 seconds and national speed record of 333.66 mph (on quarter-mile) at final 2006 event in Pomona, Calif. The ET record has since been eclipsed. Beckman still holds the speed record * As a Funny Car rookie in the last five races of 2006, he qualified No. 1 once (Pomona 2), reached two final rounds (Las Vegas 2 and Pomona 2), won once (Vegas 2), and set both ends of the national record (Pomona 2) * Residence: Norco, Calif. * Hometown: Granada Hills, Calif. * Date of birth: June 28, 1966 * Married, Jenna (wedding date 11/7/06), son Jason Russell (3/8/07) * Height/weight: 6'0", 185 lbs. * Former instructor and current consultant at Frank Hawley's NHRA Championship Drag Racing School; former Sergeant in U.S. Air Force (1984-88); cancer survivor; licensed in nine different NHRA categories * First Start in TF: Las Vegas 1 2005 * First Start in FC: , Dallas, Texas, 2006 * Competed in only 12 TF events in 2005, ended season 15th in points * Career-best FC (quarter-mile) elapsed time: 4.662 seconds (Pomona 2 '06) * Career-best FC (quarter-mile) speed: 333.66 mph (Pomona 2 '06) * Career-best TF (quarter-mile) elapsed time: 4.563 seconds (TF, Brainerd 2005) * Career-best (quarter-mile) TF speed: 324.28 mph (TF, Brainerd 2005) * In 2003 won Super Comp world championship in Lucas Oil Series and Division 7 Super Comp championship * Leads 14-time champion John Force in head-to-head round wins: 9-5 SCHEDULE: FRIDAY, Oct. 30 - PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. SATURDAY, Oct. 31 - PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. SUNDAY, Nov. 1 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m. FINAL ELIMINATIONS begin at 11 a.m. TELEVISION: Saturday, Oct. 31, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 11:30 p.m. (ET). Sunday, Nov 1, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will air NHRA Race Day, at 2:30 p.m. (ET). Sunday, Nov. 1, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of final eliminations at 7:30 p.m. (ET). SATELLITE (Analog feed): Friday, Oct. 30, 9:30 - 10 p.m. (ET) - AMC 16 / Transponder 14K (11980 MHz, horizontal) Saturday, Oct. 31, 9:30 - 10 p.m. (ET) - AMC 16 / Transponder 14K (11980 MHz, horizontal) Sunday, Nov. 1, 11 - 11:30 p.m. (ET) - AMC 16 / Transponder 14K (11980 MHz, horizontal) Video news release contains race action highlights each day and winnersı interviews on Sunday. ***