Last weekend in the NHRA Sonoma Nationals, Beckman was eliminated in the second round of competition and two weeks ago, he lost in the first round at Denver to start the annual Western Swing.
Last year on the Swing, Beckman went 10-1 in three races with the Infinite Hero Dodge funded by Terry Chandler. Their winning streak ended in Seattle when Beckman's Don Schumacher Racing teammate, Tommy Johnson Jr., beat him in the semifinals.
"I think the Infinite Hero guys are looking for a little redemption on the West Coast," said Beckman of his Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger R/T team led by crew chief Jimmy Prock with assistants John Medlen and Chris Cunningham.
"At this point last year of the Western Swing, we were 8-0. Right now, we're 1-2."
Last season, the Infinite Hero team won a seven event titles. This year has been more of a struggle.
"It's tough," Beckman said. "I don't think I ever drove better than last year. At times when the car wasn't perfect, I think I was able to pedal or leave quick enough to get the win light.
"I think sometimes it's easy to perform well when you feel like you're sitting on the best horse out there. Sometimes that can work back to the driving as well. I have to be very self-analytical on this and make sure I'm doing everything I can on this because still lots of these races that come down to a few thousandths at the finish line.
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| PHOTO CREDIT: AutoImagery |
Needless to say, he and his team are ready to get back on the track to redeem themselves.
"We had to switch cars again after Denver. We wheel stood twice in qualifying in Denver. We ran that car in eliminations and it bent a couple tubes.
"So we unloaded 'Old Reliable,' for Sonoma and we're just trying to figure out what it wants right now. It would be nice to stick to the same chassis for the rest of the year just so you could accumulate data."
Aside from getting back to the track to bring home a title, Beckman is looking forward to racing in Seattle for another very important reason.
This week at Pacific Raceways, there will be a memorial service for Mark Lyle, the NHRA official starter who tragically lost his life earlier this year in March.
"Thursday night at the track, we're going to do a tribute for Mark Lyle. It's his home track, where he got his start with the NHRA.
"I think that's a fitting place to gather with his family and friends, to officially say goodbye to a great guy."
For additional information, please visit Don Schumacher Racing.
