EPPING, N.H. (June 4, 2016) – Jack Beckman rarely misses a qualifying
session, but his Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T team felt it best to
sit out the last one on Saturday in the NHRA New England Nationals about
60 miles north of Boston.
As he approached the finish line in the third of four qualifying
sessions, a malfunction led to a horrific engine explosion that
destroyed his carbon fiber body and considerable damage was done to
electrical wiring from the ensuing fire.
Beckman was not injured, and crew chief Jimmy Prock decided the best
way to prepare for Sunday’s scheduled eliminations would be to take time
to get either that car or the back-up Dodge ready to race on Sunday.
“I’m sure there was some kind of parts failure,” Prock said after the
run. “It started spinning (the rear tires) and it moved to the inside
and out of the grove. It was on fire under the (computer) box, so we
just have to see how much is burned up.”
The Infinite Hero team, which is sponsored by Terry Chandler, started
Saturday ranked sixth in qualifying after a 3.895-second run at 329.99
mph in Friday’s opening session. Beckman, who started Saturday second in
points and only 11 behind leader Courtney Force, will start Sunday in
the No. 6 spot and face Cruz Pedregon in the opening round.
Beckman felt as though he might have been able to back off the
throttle sooner, but Prock said TV video indicated that was not the
cause of explosion.
“On the TV video it looked like he was closing the throttle when it started to spin,” Prock said.
Beckman, the 2012 Funny Car world champion seeking his first win of
the season, began drifting out of the traction grove past mid-track. As
it approached the finish line, the explosion lifted the manifold and
detonated the supercharger off the engine. The ensuing fire singed
Beckman’s protective boots and fire suit.
“We were concerned about our driver and over the (two-way) radio he
said as calmly as he could, ‘I’m fine,’” said assistant crew chief John
Medlen. “We work hard to keep these drivers safe. You can fix a
racecar.”
Beckman explained the few seconds of unexpected excitement.
“It was moving around some. This racetrack can be exciting for a
driver because the grove can get tight. I pulled it back some, and it
just started to spin the tires. That’s one of those times where you wish
you had a tenth of a second earlier to get off the throttle.
“It was a big explosion, one of the biggest ever.
“The worst was I had oil all over my visor and couldn’t see.
Fortunately, I had time to reach up with my glove and wipe it off. Until
then I couldn’t see, and it’s just nice to know you’re not going into
the wall.
“It’s a helpless feeling.
“When you can’t see you don’t know
where anything is out there including (the other car). That’s the
terrifying aspect. It’s bouncing and there’s oil all over the tires and
you need to slow it down. Once I wiped off the oil, I knew I was slowing
down and wasn’t going to hit anything. That’s a nice feeling.”
FULL ARTICLE
NHRA YouTube Video
NHRA Funny Car driver Jack Beckman Walks away from HUGE engine explosion
Jack Beckman's Infinite Hero Dodge Charger exploded and shreded the
composite shell at the eighth-mile mark during the third qualifying
session at the 2016 NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway.
Beckman kept the car straight in his lane. Only the nose of the body
remains attached to the car. The manifold and the case of the
supercharger are split apart.
