It will be 20 years ago this Thursday, on Oct. 29, 2006, that Jack Beckman defeated Tommy Johnson Jr. at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to earn his first NHRA Funny Car final round win in his first final round appearance.
The win total has grown to 39 over the past 20 years and it has created the opportunity for Beckman and his John Force Racing PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car team to reach the 40-win milestone at the Oct. 30-Nov. 1 NHRA Las Vegas Nationals.
“Las Vegas used to give us two shots a year and I won a lot of Sportsman races there over the years,” recalled Beckman. “But when I won my pro race there, I thought, ‘Okay, I’ve got something going with this track.’ It has been mighty greedy over the last 19 years.
“What I remember most about that 2006 win is that I raced with the same philosophy that I do now. In the semifinal, I rolled as shallow as I could, got the win, and then I watched Tommy Johnson beat Eric Medlen in the other semifinal. We had lane choice in the final round and it made a difference in the outcome. It’s validating to know that 20 years later, I’m still using the same philosophy. It was nighttime when we ran the final round and we had an all-carbon fiber body with sponsor decals but no paint on it. I just looked menacing and it ran that way. I was so fortunate when I came into the Funny Car class. I’ve always driven for top-flight crews, crew chiefs, and car owners and man, did that feel good.”
The PEAK SQUAD is currently fifth in the point standings on the strength of two wins (Epping, Indianapolis) and three runner-up finishes (Charlotte, Maryland, Norwalk), 160 points out of the top spot currently occupied by Matt Hagan, but only 62 out of second place.
“Barring a miracle, we’re not going to win the championship,” Beckman admitted. “But the wonderful thing about drag racing is our season’s not over. We still have 10% of it left. We have two races and just as much incentive to win those races as if we were contending for the championship. We can certainly still finish second in the championship. Our goal is the same. We’re still going to treat qualifying like all the bonus points matter because even if it doesn’t get us first place, maybe it’s a bonus point that gets to second place. We’ll treat everything the exact same way. People may say the pressure off but it’s not because it’s the same level of pressure to win every single race.”
Beckman will be signing autographs Sat., Oct. 31, from 9:30-10 a.m. at the Cornwell Tools midway display.
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 1 and 3:30 p.m. PT on Friday, Oct. 30, followed by the final two rounds on Saturday, Oct. 31 at noon and 2:30 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. PT on Sunday, Nov. 1.
Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 1, followed by eliminations at 5 p.m. ET.
