CONCORD, N.C. (April 23, 2016) - Jack Beckman knows the importance of timing in racing.
Although a minor mechanical glitch affected his performance in Friday's opening qualifying session of the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals near Charlotte Motor Speedway, it was better to happen in qualifying than during Sunday's championship eliminations that begin at noon (ET).
"The first session (Friday), we went out there and had a fuel leak and drove right into the fluid and smoked the tires instantly," he said of what was the day's only session after rain washed out the second one.
"It's tough when you get behind like that because the time from that run sets up the qualifying order for the next session (that was on Saturday). The farther back you can run, by doing better on the first run, the more shots you have to look at how other cars are running.
"Well, it is what it is, we didn't have a choice. Conditions looked great last night, but it rained out so we lost that session. But then you're in a position where you don't want to let that fuel leak, dictate a poor weekend."
The Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T team funded by Terry Chandler and led by crew chief Jimmy Prock, rallied Saturday with a times of a 3.964 seconds (319.45 mph) and 3.971 (320.51) to earn the No. 6 qualifying position.
"We did a great job this morning with that 3.964, which put us in the top half and this last run we went 3.971 at 320. On paper, it looks like a fantastic run, and we actually had some kind of ignition anomaly, right at the launch, which is too bad.
"It scrubbed a couple hundredths of a second off the early numbers of the run. And if we could fix that, the run becomes a 3.93 so, the million-dollar question is: Can we find that smoking gun and tune for that tomorrow? And if we can, I think we'll be in great shape."
It marked only the second time in five events this year that the Infinite Hero Dodge did not win the pole.
zMAX Dragway officials announced a sellout crowd on Saturday afternoon near Charlotte. The Four-Wide Nationals is the only of its kind that features 10,000-horsepower foursomes with the top two-cars of each quad advancing to the next round.
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