After a three-race absence, the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS returns to the NHRA Mission Foods tour this week with someone other than 16-time Funny Car World Champion John Force behind the wheel at the 42nd Lucas Oil Nationals.
While Force continues to deal with the effects of a TBI suffered in a June 23 crash in Richmond, Va., veteran Jack Beckman will be in the harnesses of the aqua blue John Force Racing Chevy when qualifying begins Friday at Brainerd International Raceway.
The 2012 NHRA Funny Car Champion and one of a handful of drivers with a winning record against Force in the national series, Beckman inherits a race car that won twice in the season’s first eight races and equaled the second quickest elapsed time over the last seven seasons at 3.820 seconds, a time matched by teammate Austin Prock’s Cornwell Tools Camaro in Gainesville.
“I am thrilled to be a part of the return of the PEAK Camaro SS,” said the 58-year-old Beckman. “It has been nearly four years since I made a run that earned championship points and more than sixteen years since I was last driving a Funny Car while also working a full-time job (as an elevator repair technician).
“Along with thousands of fans in Minnesota, I will have John in my heart this weekend,” he said. “His team and I will do everything we can to make PEAK, our other corporate partners, the fans and John proud.”
One of a small number of racers to have won NHRA series championships in both the pro and sportsman divisions (he was the 2003 NHRA Champion in Super Comp), Beckman last raced competitively at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in November, 2020.
He prepared for his return to the pro tour by driving the PEAK Camaro to a runner-up finish two weeks ago in the Cornwell Tools Night Under Fire at Norwalk, Ohio, an event not part of the NHRA series.
“We got to step on the throttle a bunch of times,” he said. “I got the runs I needed to get my license (renewed) and we probably learned a couple things about the car. John and I don’t weigh the same (and) our driving styles are a little bit different. It’s important to get everything to where it is predictable again for the crew like it was when John was driving.”
Although his Brainerd resume doesn’t boast 15 final round appearances, 11 wins and eight No. 1 starts like Force’s, Beckman has had his moments in the Lucas Oil Nationals including a win from the No. 14 starting position in 2018, a pair of earlier runner-up finishes (2008 and 2010) and No. 1 starts in 2012, 2013 and 2015.
A U.S. Air Force veteran and cancer survivor, Beckman distinguished himself as an instructor at Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School long before he first sat in a 11,000 horsepower Funny Car. In fact, he taught drag racing basics to Force’s daughters Brittany and Courtney as well as to his wife, Laurie.
“I’m not replacing John,” Beckman emphasized. “Nobody could ever do that. John is one of a kind and his impact on this sport and my life cannot be overemphasized. I know how fortunate I am to be in this position.”
This story was originally published on August 16, 2024. 
