Beckman relishes "team to beat" status heading into Gainesville
DON SCHUMACHER RACING 2010 NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SERIES Round 3 of 23 41st annual NHRA GATORNATIONALS Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway March 12-14, 2010 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438; jstropus@earthlink.net BECKMAN RELISHES 'TEAM TO BEAT' STATUS HEADING INTO GAINESVILLE NORCO, Calif. (March 9, 2010) - After Jack Beckman defeated 14-time Funny Car champion John Force in the final round in Phoenix two weeks ago to extend his round-win record over Force to 11-6 (2-1 in final rounds), he and the Valvoline/MTS team are relishing their status as the team to beat in the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Beckman and crew chief Rahn Tobler are hoping the streak will continue in this weekend's 41st annual NHRA Gatornationals. The driver of the Valvoline/MTS Dodge Charger for Don Schumacher Racing is only in his fourth full season in NHRA pro competition, and has already made his mark in the class as a driver, and the results have demonstrated that the driver/team/crew chief combo is worthy of respect. In his short pro career, having competed in 90 national events, Beckman has won nine of those in 18 final rounds, and holds the national top-speed record of 333.66 mph (racing to 1320 feet) that he set in 2006 in only his fourth race in the Funny Car class. The cancer survivor and former Air Force sergeant does not have a Gatornationals win on his record, but if the Valvoline/MTS team's performance in the first two races of the season (a semifinal finish and a victory) is any indication, he has an outstanding chance of changing that stat. "What feels great is not that you necessarily have to have validation to keep going," said Beckman, second in the point standings to Force. "I am well aware that I am unbelievably fortunate to drive for DSR, with Valvoline and Mail Terminal Services supporting us, and have a car that is well enough financed to contend for the championship. I get it. "But, it was so cool in the off-season to hear from NHRA people and members of the media who said there's quite a few people who think that we're going to be the team to beat this year. And, after going out and punching that thing into the winner's circle the second race of the year, it just kind of reaffirmed it. "It's a different story between having all the parts and pieces and having the philosophy of a champion. If you're going to be ultimately the person at the top of the mountain at the end of the year, you ought to be able to look around your pits and see that look in the guys' eyes. And I see that look. "Nitro racing is so unpredictable, competing in cars that produce 8000 horsepower. You can never be overly confident, but you have to feel every time you pull into a race that you've got a legitimate shot of putting that thing in the winner's circle. "The Gatornationals is definitely an A-list national event. It's one of those must-win deals. It's the East Coast version of the Winternationals. We've already raced a couple of races, but the folks out East haven't seen the new paint jobs, fire suits and crew uniforms. So, there's every bit of excitement for the Easterners as the (season-opening) Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., generated for the West Coast. "It is perhaps the most consistently sold-out race on our circuit, and I just love that feeling of looking up and seeing no empty seats in the grandstands on that first day of qualifying." So, how good are his chances to make it two in a row for the Valvoline/MTS team at the Gatornationals? "Even the best teams are going to take several first-round losses throughout the year," he responded. "It's just the nature of driving an 8000-hp car and trying to get traction out there. "I think it's an awesome feeling towing into the next race after you won the last race. I just think everybody stands a little bit taller and feels a little bit more confident because they want to keep that roll going. We'll see. It's obviously our desire to win again. We got our first win of the year for the MTS 'To Afghanistan With Love' body in Phoenix. Now we want to get our first Valvoline body into the winner's circle." Mail Terminal Services will continue to send boxes of post cards of support and encouragement, along with hand-out cards of DSR drivers, National Dragster and Drag Racing Action magazines to soldiers overseas. This year the program expands the opportunity to participate beyond just the NHRA fans and are including schools and service organizations. If a school or organization would like to write post cards of encouragement to the U.S. troops, the request should be sent to mts.mfh@gmail.com. MTS will be pleased to send post cards for the project and signed handout cards from Funny Car driver Jack Beckman and a Certificate of Service for the school or organization. To find out more about Mail Terminal Services go to www.mailterminals.com <http://www.mailterminals.com/> . JACK BECKMAN QUICK FACTS: * No. 2 in 2010 Funny Car points after two events: semifinal finish in season-opening Pomona, Calif., event, and a victory in Phoenix * Ended 2009 No. 5 in point standings, winning two events in five final rounds (Atlanta, Norwalk, Ohio) * Entered 2009 Countdown to 1 in fifth place * Has no wins at the Gatornationals * Qualified No. 9 at Gators in 2009; lost first round to Tim Wilkerson * His 2009 round win-loss record is 29-22 * 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 90 national events in Top Fuel and Funny Car, he has won nine times in 18 final rounds (all in Funny Car), and has a career round win-loss record of 104-76 * 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 elapsed time racing to 1000 feet is 4.044 seconds (Richmond '09) * Career-best speed racing to 1000 feet is 310.91 mph (Pomona '10) * 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: 11-6 (2-1 in final rounds) WEEKEND SCHEDULE: FRIDAY, March 12 FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at noon and 2:45 p.m. SATURDAY, March 13 FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at noon and 2:45 p.m. SUNDAY, March 14 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m. FULL THROTTLE SERIES eliminations begin at 11 a.m. TELEVISION: Sunday, March 14, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at midnight (ET). Sunday, March 14, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will re-air the two-hour qualifying highlights show at 10 a.m. (ET). Sunday, March 14, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute news magazine show, at noon (ET). Sunday, March 14, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of coverage starting at 6 p.m. (ET). SATELLITE: Friday, March 12, 7:30 - 8 p.m. (ET), AMC 6 / Transponder 21K (11920 MHz, vertical) (Analog feed) Saturday, March 13, 7 - 7:30 p.m. (ET), AMC 6 / Transponder 21K (11920 MHz, vertical) Sunday, March 14, 7 - 7:30 p.m. (ET), AMC 6 / Transponder 21K (11920 MHz, vertical) Video news release contains race action highlights each day and winnersı interviews on Sunday. ***