NORWALK, Ohio (June 25, 2016) - Jack Beckman has won more NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series at Norwalk, Ohio, than any other Funny Car driver.
As important as those two NHRA Wally trophies are from the Summit Racing Nationals are to him, getting one on Sunday likely would be the most cherished.
Beckman and Don Schumacher Racing’s Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T funded by Terry Chandler will start Sunday as the No. 5 seed with a best qualifying run of 3.891 seconds at 326.63 mph.
While the 2012 Funny Car world champion has competed in three final rounds through 11 events this year, he has yet to celebrate in the winner’s circle after doing so seven times last year with his Infinite Hero team led by crew chief Jimmy Prock.
“When we haven’t won on this four-race swing you just kick the can to the next weekend because you know you’ll get another shot at winning in seven days,” Beckman said of having four Mello Yello events in four weeks with the last being the one at Norwalk.
“This is the last of four in a row then we take a week off and this concludes the first half of the season and we haven’t won a race yet.
"We’re two-thirds of the way through the (18-race) regular part of the season and we need to win a race. We need a trophy.”
Despite going 11 races without getting a title, Beckman ranks second in championship points behind DSR teammate Ron Capps.
“We’re sitting second in points so we’ve been the second best Funny Car all year but no one on our Infinite Hero team is satisfied because we haven’t won a race yet.
“It’s interesting because at the start of the year we were awesome on the cool tracks and struggled in the heat. We’ve changed a lot of stuff in the bellhousing with our clutch package and have made our Infinite Hero Dodge awesome in the heat. But at the last few races we struggled in the night sessions when it’s cooler so we haven’t qualified very well.
“On Sundays, we race very well because we don’t race (eliminations rounds) at night, but you don’t want to qualify in the bottom half of the field.
“There are probably four cars out here that if I were handicapping the field for tomorrow I’d say have an even chance of winning the trophy. The interesting thing right now about Funny Car is those four cars also might not get past the semifinals.
“I put our chances pretty high.”
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