DSR: Beckman, Chandler's Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge look to repeat "Dream Weekend" this weekend in U.S. Nationals

BROWNSBURG, Ind. (Aug. 30, 2016) - Last year at the U.S. Nationals, near Indianapolis, Jack Beckman and the Infinite Hero Foundation team, sponsored by Terry Chandler, had the best possible weekend for a drag racing team.

To start, they won the unique "race within a race" $100,000 Traxxas Nitro Shootout event. They then were the No. 1 qualifying team heading into race day on Labor Day and closed out the weekend by winning the prestigious U.S. Nationals event, snapping a 14-year winless streak for Don Schumacher Racing Funny Cars at Indy.

This year is the 62nd annual event and the tale has a much different beginning than last year.

Beckman has not locked in his spot for the Traxxas Nitro Shootout as one of the first seven event winners of the season.

Although he and the Infinite Hero Dodge won the Mello Yello title on July 10 near Chicago, their only route to getting into Saturday's Shootout will be determined on Wednesday during NHRA Fanfest at Monument Circle in Downtown Indianapolis.

The eighth and final spot will be determined by a lottery weighted by the results of a social media fan vote.

"Last year was a dream weekend winning the Traxxas Shootout and then taking the Wally home the next day," said the 2012 Funny Car world champion. "It was hot, it was nasty and a marathon.

"There really wasn't any time to celebrate after winning the Shootout because we had to get up Monday and do it all over again but on a bigger stage racing for a U.S. Nationals trophy."

And his Infinite Hero Foundation team did just that.

"It was as close to a perfect racing weekend a drag racer could have," he said.

"The coolest part about going to a race that you won the previous year is that you might make it onto the cover of the event program," Beckman said of his win last year. "That's a reminder of being the last person standing at the end of last year's tough week."

Beckman and crew chief Jimmy Prock with assistants John Medlen and Chris Cunningham are currently No. 4 in the NHRA Funny Car points standings. Following the U.S. Nationals, the points will be reset as the series heads into the Countdown to the Championship, the six-race playoff format that will determine which of the 10 Funny Car drivers will take home the 2016 championship.

Photo Credit: Auto Imagery

"Right now it's about points and starting the Countdown as high as you possibly can. That 150 percent points payout at Indy puts a bigger carrot at the end of the stick at Indy," Beckman said.

Leading up to the U.S. Nationals, several of the NHRA teams, including seven of the eight Don Schumacher Racing teams, tested at the Indianapolis track in preparation for this weekend.

Beckman's Dodge Charger R/T made several runs down the race track testing different aspects of the car.

"We actually treated this like a test session," Beckman said. "A lot of teams come out here to practice one thing or another; to get the driver up to speed, get a new crew member up to speed, sort out the tune up.

"We actually tried some different clutch levers and a different clutch disc because we know at some point, it may not be this year, we're going to have to make some changes to be back at the top.

"A lot of times a scoreboard won't tell you how good a test session is. Sometimes, it's three or four months later when you recognize when you can implement something you learned during that test session."

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DSR: Beckman ready to return to Indianapolis for U.S. Nationals after early round exit for Infinite Hero Dodge team Sunday at Brainerd

BRAINERD, Minn. (Aug. 21, 2016) - Jack Beckman and the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger R/T team, sponsored by Terry Chandler, didn't look like a team that was lost in the second round Sunday afternoon at the 35th annual NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway.

Beckman qualified No. 4 with his 3.859-second pass at 308.85 mph in his third qualifying session.  In the opening round of competition, the Infinite Hero team led by crew chief Jimmy Prock with assistants John Medlen and Chris Cunningham ran a 3.859 at 330.15 to beat Cruz Pedregon.

The team moved into round two where they were matched against Don Schumacher Racing teammate Ron Capps. Beckman's car didn't make a full pass and he coasted to a 4.087 at 238.85 mph and the win went to Capps' 3.909 at 305.56 mph.

"It's interesting because we just lost second round. We're very frustrated and we're in here doing the interview and everyone is very upbeat because we have a team and a car that can win a lot of races," Beckman said of his team.

Beckman says his team has an optimistic attitude heading into the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing series Countdown to the Championship because they know when the points standings are reset after the U.S. Nationals near Indianapolis, that the big hitters come to play.

"Look what (Del Worsham's) team did last year. They had a similar season to ours this year but gave notice they'd be tough then they came alive in the Countdown," Beckman said of Worsham who won the Funny Car world title last year.

"We're not doing this intentionally. We're not saving all our wins for later in the year but we're certainly capable of running off a streak of wins. It was an amazing weekend, performance wise. We just got bit in the second round. We don't know if we pushed too hard or just had an issue in the bellhousing," Beckman said.

Next week the Mello Yello series off but DSR and other top teams will at  Lucas Oil Raceway near Indianapolis before the prestigious U.S. Nationals.

"I'll be home for two days. I'll mow the lawn; I'll spend time with the kids. I'll head back out to Indy. We'll test for a day or two. Then fly back home for a few days then back out to Indy for the race."

Beckman and the Infinite Hero Foundation team not only took home the win at Indy but also the Traxxas Nitro Shootout race last year.
This year, they are looking to repeat both titles.

"We still have the Traxxas deal. We're still looking for the fan vote in that. There's a lot of things on the table for us from here to the end of the year. I think it's right that we're upbeat. Yeah, we're frustrated but we know what we're capable of."

Photo Credit: Auto Imagery

FUNNY CAR
Winner: Del Worsham (Kalitta Motorsports)
No. 1 qualifier: Matt Hagan (Don Schumacher Racing), 3.822 sec.-world record, 333.02-track record

JACK BECKMAN, Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T
Qualified: No. 4
SUNDAY CHAMPIONSHIP ELIMINATIONS
First round: BECKMAN (3.859 sec., 330.15) def. Cruz Pedregon (4.838, 163.45)
Second round: Ron Capps (3.909, 305.56) def. BECKMAN (4.087, 238.85)
QUALIFYING
FRIDAY: 3.917 sec., 326.24 mph, (Session 1); 3.901, 295.14, (Session 2)
SATURDAY: 3.859, 308.85, (Session 3); 9.001, 63.29, (Session 4)


About Infinite Hero Foundation
A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Infinite Hero Foundation combats the most difficult front line issues - mental and physical - facing returning military heroes and their families.  The Foundation funds programs that drive innovation and the accessibility of effective treatments for military heroes and their families dealing with service-related mental and physical injuries.  For more information, visit: www.infinitehero.org.

About Don Schumacher Racing
Don Schumacher Racing, headquartered in Brownsburg, Ind., fields seven professional NHRA teams. In Top Fuel, the U.S. Army dragster driven by eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher, the Matco Tools dragster driven by two-time world champion Antron Brown and the Sandvik Coromant/Red Fuel Powered by Schumacher dragster driven by Shawn Langdon and in Funny Car, 2011 and 2014 world champion Matt Hagan in the Mopar Express Lane/Rocky Boots 2015 Dodge Charger R/T, 2012 NHRA world champion Jack Beckman in the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge, the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge of Ron Capps and the Make-A-Wish Dodge driven by Tommy Johnson Jr.

DSR has won 283 NHRA national event titles and 14 world championships.
Follow Don Schumacher Racing at ShoeRacing.com, on Twitter at @shoeracing and Facebook.com/shoeracing.




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DSR: Beckman comes close to career best, possibly record run, with Infinite Hero Dodge on cool, quick Saturday at Brainerd

BRAINERD, Minn. (Aug. 20, 2016) - The Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger R/T, sponsored by Terry Chandler and piloted by Jack Beckman, was on its way to a career best elapsed time.

Unfortunately, they came up just five-thousandths of a second short during the third round of qualifying at Brainerd International Raceway at the 35th annual NHRA Nationals in northern Minnesota.

Possibly the most impressive part of Beckman's 3.859-second lap at 308.85 mph was that the car didn't make a full pass down the racetrack.

"We don't want to push it too hard so what happens when you're that quick early, we hit our REV limiter sooner and it takes a bunch of timing out. The motor is not happy and it drops a cylinder and eats up the blower belt. But otherwise, oh my gosh, what that could have been."

After scattered showers throughout the afternoon, the third and fourth sessions were delayed on Saturday.

"The one thing that is predictable about Brainerd is that nothing is predictable about Brainerd. It's that one track that we go to in August and it's either going to be 100 degrees or it's going to be crisp cool air.

"Then you get these rain showers that are in and out all day long. It's very odd, the way we get into our zone and go up there, and you have to turn the car right around and go back to the pits because there's a rain delay.

"But it's the same for everybody. Sometimes, it's in the middle of the session sometimes it's at the end of the session.

"We were on an absolutely monster pass third qualifying run and it dropped a cylinder and the blower belt came off and we coasted 170 feet and almost ran our career best ET (elapsed time). The thing really wanted to lay down something close to the national record.

"Then our teammate goes out and gets the national record on Q4 and we missed the tune up a little bit," Beckman said of his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Matt Hagan who reset the national record at 3.822.

"We're No. 4 so we've got lane choice," Beckman said. He will race Cruz Pedregon on Sunday in opening round of eliminations.

"It's probably going to be different conditions tomorrow. It's not going to be warm but it'll be sunnier than it was today. The racetrack will have some more heat in it and I think we have pretty good data to ran in it. I'm really looking forward to racing this."

BRAINERD FUNNY CAR
No. 1 qualifier: Matt Hagan (Don Schumacher Racing) 3.822 sec.-world record, 333.02 mph-track record

JACK BECKMAN, Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger R/T
Qualified: No. 4
SUNDAY CHAMPIONSHIP ELIMINATIONS
First round: Cruz Pedregon
QUALIFYING
FRIDAY: 3.917 sec., 326.24 mph, (Session 1); 3.901, 295.14 (Session 2)
SATURDAY: 3.859, 308.85 mph, (Session 3); 9.001, 63.29 (Session 4)

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DSR: Beckman, Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge enter this weekend's Mello Yello event in Brainerd going for second victory of the year

BROWNSBURG, Ind. (Aug. 17, 2016) - In 2015, Jack Beckman and the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charge R/T team, funded by Terry Chandler, changed the performance of the NHRA Funny Car.

The performance over the last year has skyrocketed and is due in part to Beckman's crew chief Jimmy Prock and assistants John Medlen and Chris Cunningham.

This weekend, the team travels to Minnesota for the 35th annual NHRA Nationals at Brainerd. At the event last year, Beckman was the No. 1 qualifier with a stellar pass of 3.901 seconds at 325.69 mph.

A large part of the record breaking performances was due to the laid back style of headers that Beckman started running in Denver last year and many teams have followed its lead.

"Last year Brainerd was the first track on tour to see a Funny Car run in the 3.80s," Beckman said.

"Then last weekend in Seattle, you could have run in the 3.80s and not had lane choice first round. Now that we're cycling back to all the tracks where they've already seen laid back headers with the Funny Car, I thought we'd only see three or four hundredths of a second shaved off the track ET (elapsed time) record but Del (Worsham, Kalitta Motorsports) knocked eight hundredths off Seattle's record that at the time was the quickest round in history."

Last weekend in Seattle, Beckman and the Infinite Hero posted career bests a run in 3.854 seconds - fourth quickest in history - and at an astounding 334.15 mph, the second fastest ever.

Beckman says he is excited about the performance of the Funny Car field and where the sport is headed.

"It's a wonderful show for the fans. Everybody is getting their money's worth. As a driver, I love it because you have to hold on - these things are light in the frontend and hard to drive. As I fan, I just love seeing those big numbers pop up," Beckman said.

"I can't even make any performance predictions. The crew chiefs and Mopar engineering have just blown me away with what they've been able to achieve in the performance game."

After Seattle, NHRA teams had a weekend off. But Beckman and his family did what racers do - they went to a drag race.

"I got to drive a friend's NHRA Top Dragster in the bracket race in Boise (Idaho). I think we made about 17 to 18 runs over the course of the weekend and also did some announcing. It was just a fun getaway.

"It might sound odd that a getaway isn't getting away from a dragstrip, but Sportsman racing is completely different than driving a nitro Funny Car. It's been a good time to unwind.

"I'll hop on an airplane and go home, get everything taken care of there: mow the grass, pack my bags, hop back on the airplane and go to Brainerd. I just can't think of a better way to get my head back in the game than racing. I think now we have the car that we've been wanting.

"The downside is that we've tweaked both of our cars and the DSR chassis shop (fabrication shop) has had to work overtime to get us fresh pipe on this. I don't think that's going to do anything but make us better when we go to Brainerd."

Photo Credit: Auto Imagery

JACK BECKMAN: Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T
Last event: Seattle (Aug. 5, 2016): Qualified No. 4, lost in second round to Matt Hagan
A year ago at Brainerd: Qualified No. 1, lost in semifinals to Tommy Johnson Jr.
Career at Brainerd: Wins 0; Runner-ups 2 (2008, 2010); Poles 3 (2012-13, 2015)
Pts Events Wins Rup Semi Qtr 1st rd Poles DNQ W/L
2016 3rd 16 1 3 2 10 3 4 0 24-15
CAREER 244 23 25 43 69 76 19 7 321-214
Best Time, Speed: 3.854 sec. (2016, Seattle); 334.15 mph (Seattle, 2016)

NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES FUNNY CAR STANDINGS
Through 16 of 24 events; Seattle Funny Car finals to be held at Brainerd; DSR DRIVERS IN CAPS
1. RON CAPPS (4 or 5) 1313 or 1333
2. Courtney Force (1) 1124
3. JACK BECKMAN (1) 1088
4. Del Worsham (0 or 1) 1070 or 1090
5. MATT HAGAN (2) 1011
7. Robert Hight (1) 988
6. John Force (2) 970
8. TOMMY JOHNSON JR. (1) 940
9. Tim Wilkerson (2) 862
10. Alexis DeJoria (1) 765

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DSR: Quarterfinal finish in NHRA Northwest Nationals near Seattle disappoints Infinite Hero Dodge Funny Car driver Beckman

SEATTLE (Aug. 7, 2016) - Any loss is hard on a driver but a second-round loss on Sunday at the 29th annual Protect the Harvest NHRA Nationals was especially hard for Jack Beckman.

The reason of the loss was a redlight start by Beckman against his Don Schumacher Racing teammate, Matt Hagan.

"It's bitterly disappointing. You look at reasons why you lose: clutch application, horsepower, track conditions. This was 100 percent driver error," Beckman said.

The loss was also hard because of how well the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger R/T team, funded by Terry Chandler, and tuned by Jimmy Prock with assistants John Medlen and Chris Cunningham, ran this weekend. During qualifying, Beckman clocked four solid passes: 3.925 seconds, 3.918, 3.861 and 3.879.

He was seeded in the No. 4 spot and faced Gary Densham on Sunday for eliminations. Beckman ran a stellar 3.854 at a speed of 334.15 mph.

He then was matched against Hagan where he was knocked out of competition because of his early departure.

"There's no excuse, there's no way to spin it. I absolutely made a mistake up there.

"There's a variance on the Christmas tree from the time we stage till the time that it activates the ambers and we got a long one up there.

"But it doesn't matter. Our job is to react when the tree comes on," Beckman said.

"I started squeezing the throttle and the car started rolling. Then when I floored the throttle, it was already rolling through the starting line and we got a red light.

"The real frustrating part is we had a car good enough to win the race and you just don't want to let the guys down. I love how supportive they are. This is a tough one for me. I just need to get my act together when we roll into Brainerd. If we leave there with a trophy, everyone is going to have their spirits a little bit higher."

After the annual three-week race Western Swing, the Infinite Hero Foundation team will return to the DSR shop near Indianapolis before returning to the race in two weeks at Brainerd, Minn. for the 35th annual NHRA Nationals and the 17th stop of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing series circuit.

"This is a tough weekend as a driver but the Infinite Hero team ain't done winning this year."

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DSR: Beckman, Infinite Hero team will start Sunday’s Northwest Nationals from fourth starting spot at Pacific Raceways near Seattle

SEATTLE (Aug. 6, 2016) – Jack Beckman and the Infinite Hero Foundation team, sponsored by Terry Chandler, are looking for some redemption this year at the 29th annual Protect the Harvest NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways near Seattle. (Photo Credit: Auto Imagery)

Last year at this race Beckman and his team, led by crew chief Jimmy Prock with assistants John Medlen and Chris Cunningham, were the No. 1 qualifier and were on the verge of sweeping the Western Swing with their previous wins in Denver and Sonoma.

Their sweep was ended in the semifinals when they lost to Don Schumacher Racing teammate, Tommy Johnson Jr.

This year is a different story.“I think the Infinite Hero guys are looking for a little redemption on the West Coast,” Beckman said.

Beckman is the No. 4 qualifier with his best qualifying pass coming in the third session on a cool, overcast Saturday afternoon near Seattle when he clocked a 3.861-second run at 332.26 mph.

“It’s interesting. We went quicker than we’ve ever run before, quicker than the national record, and we’re second quickest in the pair we were in, and then another car surpassed it,” Beckman said.

The other car was Del Worsham of Kalitta Motorsports who set a national record at 3.832.

The performance of the Funny Car category took off last year when Beckman and his Infinite Hero Foundation team went on their hot streak that started at Denver. They qualified No. 1 at four straight events: Sonoma, Seattle, Brainerd and Indianapolis.

A lot of their success is due in part to the laid-back style of exhaust headers that create downforce.

“Now we’re getting back to the tracks that we have already ran with swept back headers so you don’t expect to see the big jumps in performance like we saw last year.

Beckman is excited about the performance of the Funny Car field and where the sport is headed.

“It’s amazing. It’s a wonderful show for the fans. Everybody is getting their money’s worth. As a driver, I love it because these things are light in the frontend and hard to drive. As fan, I just love seeing those big numbers pop up.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Auto Imagery

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DSR: Beckman, Infinite Hero team look for redemption at Pacific Raceways near Seattle after two early round loses on NHRA Western Swing

KENT, Wash. (Aug. 3, 2016) - After two early round exits, Jack Beckman and his Infinite Hero Foundation team are ready for a little revenge this weekend near Seattle at the 29th annual NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways.

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.

PHOTO CREDIT: AutoImagery

"You don't want to feel like as a driver you left anything on the table," Beckman said.

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.