DSR: Beckman, Infinite Hero Dodge team shift focus toward finishing Mello Yello season strong at Pomona finale in two weeks

LAS VEGAS (Oct. 30, 2016) – The Infinite Hero Foundation Funny Car team, sponsored by Terry Chandler and piloted by Jack Beckman, may be out of the hunt for the 2016 Championship title but they’re already aiming their focus to 2017.

The Infinite Hero Foundation team was officially eliminated from the Championship chase on Sunday during the16th annual NHRA Nationals the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

They entered race day as the No. 1 qualifying team at the Strip with their pass of 3.871 at 327.43 mph.

In round one, Beckman lined up against Jeff Arend and made a 3.890-second pass at 326.95 mph. He then advanced to the second to face Courtney Force.

Beckman went into immediate tire smoke and coasted to 7.852-second pass at 78.74 mph to give Force the win.

Entering race day, Beckman trailed the points leader and Don Schumacher Racing teammate, Ron Capps, by 131 points. But due to their second round lose, Beckman fell back to 151 points behind Capps, who advanced to the semifinals.

Photo Credit: Auto Imagery

“We knew realistically we weren't going to be able to win the championship coming into this race. But now it's official,” Beckman said.

“I really thought we’d put down some numbers good enough to have a car that could go out and win the race, and to go out and smoke the tires second round, nobody was expecting that out of the Infinite Hero car.

“We're staying and we're testing tomorrow, and we're not testing so much to get an advantage for Pomona, we're testing to get a head start for next year. We'll go back to our regular combination for Pomona and go out there and try to be smart about it and turn on four win lights Sunday there.”

In two weeks, the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing series returns to Auto Club Raceway at Pomona for the final race of the 2016 season.

“I gotta tell ya, a trophy makes the off-season go by really, really well. Right now, everybody is staying positive, we'll focus on Pomona, we'll unload there and on Friday we'll go to work.”

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DSR: Beckman takes fifth Funny Car pole of Mello Yello season; Brown can clinch Top Fuel title Sunday while Capps extends lead

LAS VEGAS (Oct. 29, 2016) – Jack Beckman and the Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car barely ran fast enough Friday to get a speeding ticket on the Interstate 15 and were ranked 22nd in qualifying for the NHRA Toyota Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

But the pace quickened Saturday night when the Beckman’s Dodge tuned by crew chief Jimmy Prock with assistants John Medlen and Chris Cunningham produced a track-record time of 3.871 seconds at a speed of 327.43 mph to edge Don Schumacher Racing teammate Matt Hagan (Mopar Express Lane/Rocky Boots) for the pole by one-thousandth of a second.

“We got our act together and went the 3.871. That was a sigh of relief, and I thought that would keep us in the top-four but no way I thought it would keep us on the pole,” said Beckman, who earned his fifth No. 1 qualifying spot and set his fourth elapsed time track record.

“The conditions were phenomenal and about as good as you're going to see, but we're still fighting altitude here. It's tough, even with a nitro car, to make that sort of horsepower. I didn't think it was going to stay.

Ron Capps and the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge with crew chief Rahn Tobler and assistant Eric Lane qualified fourth and were the most consistent team with four runs between 3.881 and 3.910 seconds.

More importantly for the NAPA team heading into Sunday, Capps was able to extend his lead over DSR teammate Tommy Johnson Jr. (Make-A-Wish) by nine points to 73. But Hagan, ranked third, was able to pull within 83 of Capps and 10 of Johnson.

It’s been a challenge for Capps not to think about his pursuit his first world championship after being the runner-up a record four times, but nothing could have been further from his mind when his brother, Jon Capps, slammed his Funny Car into the guardwall moments before he was to make his last run.

“I feel so safe in my own car when I have control of it. Watching him from the outside was very hard,” he said.

Photo Credit: Auto Imagery

“I did the burnout I could see the marks from where he came down from his wheelstand and it kind of played in my head a little bit. I can’t thank Tobler enough for giving me such a confidence boost all weekend. It’s so much fun right now. We just need a big day tomorrow. We’re treating it like it’s the last race of the season. We’ll keep doing what we’ve been doing and if Tobler gives me a great race car and makes me look good like he has all year we’ll be alright.”

In Top Fuel, Leah Pritchett and the Pennzoil team led by crew chief Todd Okuhara and assistant Joe Barlam started the last session as the No. 1 qualifier and despite running its quickest time of the weekend at 3.700, Clay Millican of Stringer Performance posted a 3.689 to take the pole and prevent the Pennzoil team from earning its second pole in three events.

"This girl cannot complain at all," said Pritchett, who earned her third top-two qualifying spot in three races.

"We were planning to throw down out there, thinking we were either going to be up and smoke or .68 or better – but I can't complain at all. We're just going to keep rolling and do what we do."

DSR’s Antron Brown, the reigning and two-time Top Fuel champ, will start Sunday with a 148-point lead over Doug Kalitta, who outscored Brown in qualifying points 3-2 and qualified one spot higher in third to narrow the gap from 150.

“We made some great, quality laps today and that sets us up really good for tomorrow,” said Brown, who can clinch his third world championship in five years if he leaves Las Vegas with a 130-point lead over Kalitta.

“We would’ve love to have gained some more points. We were shooting to go up there and be No. 1 qualifier, of course. The track’s just really, really tight. But, with that being said, we had some great laps this weekend. We literally ran four, great, quality laps. We’re just going to keep working like normal.”

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DSR: No. 4-ranked Beckman, Infinite Hero team look for third event win of season, second in four Countdown playoff races at Las Vegas

BROWNSBURG, Ind. (Oct. 26, 2016) ­­- The Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car team, piloted by Jack Beckman and funded by Terry Chandler, travel to Las Vegas for the 16th annual NHRA Nationals the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this week.

As the NHRA points stand, the Infinite Hero Foundation team is currently fourth, 131 points behind the leader and Don Schumacher Racing teammate Ron Capps.

"The championship is all but out of reach for us but the trophy certainly isn't," Beckman said. "We are not going to treat Vegas like a test session. We feel we have a realistic shot at winning that race.

"Mathematically, the championship is still possible but realistically I think second place might be doable for us. Really, our short-term goal is just a trophy on Sunday in Vegas."

Last year at the Las Vegas event, Beckman and the team, led by crew chief Jimmy Prock with assistants John Medlen and Chris Cunningham, began race day as the No. 4 qualifying team and finished in the quarterfinals round to Capps.

The Infinite Hero Foundation team is looking for its third event win of the season and second win of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoff.

"We need to execute well on Friday in qualifying. We just need to be smart about trying to make four quick runs before we even get to Sunday.

"We may make a radical change in the clutch department. We will either do it in qualifying to see if it gives us what we want or we will test it more extensively on Monday in preparation for the last race (in two weeks at Pomona, Calif.) and start getting ready for 2017.

Photo Credit: Auto Imagery

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DSR: Beckman falls in second round to DSR teammate, points leader Capps as Infinite Hero team leaves Texas fourth in points standings

ENNIS, TX, (Oct. 16, 2016) - Despite second round exit at the 31st annual AAA Fallnationals, Jack Beckman and the Infinite Hero Foundation team, funded by Terry Chandler, remain positive as they finish the 2016 NHRA season.

Beckman and the team led by crew chief Jimmy Prock with assistants John Medlen and Chris Cunningham, entered race day as the No. 2 qualifier. Their best qualifying effort came on Friday night during the second session when Beckman clocked a 3.843-second lap at 333.66 mph for the track speed record at Texas Motorplex.

"I don't have a crystal ball and I can't look to the last run at Pomona but I think if there was a must win race for the Infinite Hero car this season, I think it all boiled down to second round at Dallas," Beckman said.

During the opening round of competition on Sunday, the Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T lined up against Dave Richards. Beckman got the win with his 3.908, 325.92 effort.

Beckman moved onto round two when he matched up against Don Schumacher Racing teammate and NHRA Countdown to the Championship points leader, Ron Capps.

Beckman made a great run at 3.938- (320.51) but Capps left the starting line first and got the win light.

"That was a must win against that NAPA car," Beckman said. "That represents a 40-point swing and they already had a pretty significate lead in the points and they just stretched it even further. That's a real gut check for everybody.

"That's a huge let down - especially to be that close of a race. But, we're paid professionals and we do some great things for the injured veterans through the Infinite Hero Foundation and that's definitely something for us to hang our hats on."

Aside from their performance on the racetrack, the team was part of helping the Infinite Hero Foundation issue grants to the ReBOOT program (BootCampaign.org) and Airpower Foundation (AirPowerFoundation.com).

"The foundation was able to donate $200,000 in grants because of the challenge coin program."

Beckman carries challenge coins inside his Funny Car during every pass down the racetrack and all proceeds go back to help veterans return to their everyday lives.

Beckman and the Infinite Hero team will have a weekend off before heading back to Las Vegas for the 16th annual NHRA Nationals the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

"We're going to do our best to win that race then we're going to stay and test and start plans for the off-season and the 2017 season. But again, I don't see why we can't finish this year with two trophies."

Photo Credit: Auto Imagery

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DSR: Beckman, Infinite Hero team look for first Countdown win at Texas Motorplex this weekend to move up from third

BROWNSBURG, Ind. (Oct. 12, 2016) – Jack Beckman and the Infinite Hero Foundation team head to Texas Motorplex near Dallas for the fourth race of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship.

Beckman says he and Texas Motorplex have a long relationship.

“Me and Dallas, have a ton of history,” he said. “I went the very first NHRA national event there in 1986. My buddy from the Air Force and I drove 500 miles one way to see that race.

“My dad, who was a contractor and traveled the country, had settled in Dallas just prior to that. I raced my first national event there in Super Comp in 1998 then I raced my first Nitro Funny Car race in Dallas in 2006.
“And with all of that, I’ve had zero success there. I have never left there with a trophy.

“Now, maybe more so than ever, it is the race that I want on my resume. My dad is 79 years old and he lives 45 minutes from the track and I want to have him in the winner’s circle and present him with that cowboy hat, which is the token of winning the national event there. That is high on my priority list.”

At the Texas Motorplex in 2015, Beckman qualified No. 2 for the team funded by Terry Chandler and advanced to the final round where he lost to eventual season champion Del Worsham.

This year, the Infinite Hero Foundation team, led by crew chief Jimmy Prock with assistants John Medlen and Chris Cunningham, is currently No. 3 in the NHRA points standings and 93 points behind the points leader and Don Schumacher Racing teammate Ron Capps.

A win at the 31st annual AAA Texas NHRA Fallnationals will help the team close the gap in points and increase their shot at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing series Championship title.

“Points-wise, it’s a must win for us. Not only is it a must win for the Infinite Hero team but we have hope that NAPA (Capps) and Make-A-Wish (Tommy Johnson Jr., currently No. 2) go out early and the way those teams have been running, that’s probably not likely.

“I know a lot of people will say, ‘Well how can you wish that on your teammates?’ Well, if the tables were turned, like they were last year, they were all wishing it on us. We’re teammates in certain areas.

“When it comes down to the points chase, when it comes down to the Countdown, when it comes down to the last three races, I think everybody would tell you from burnout to turn out, you don’t have any teammates out there.”

Beckman’s weekend starts Friday afternoon when he joins with Chandler with presenting two $100,000 Infinite Hero Foundation grants in the track’s Champion’s Club.

Accepting the grants will be Houston native and retired Navy Lt. Morgan Luttrell, who sustained a major brain injury on a training mission in 2009 as a member of the Navy SEALS.

He was deployed multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan during a 14-year military career, and since being granted a medical discharge in 2014, the brawny 6-foot-5, 230-pound Luttrell returned to Texas and discovered the Center for Brain Health, part of the University of Texas at Dallas School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences where he was treated for his traumatic brain injury.

What he observed while there set him on another course that led him to earn his Master’s degree, and he is currently working on his doctorate to become a cognitive scientist at the University of Texas at Dallas.

The grants will go to the ReBOOT program (BootCampaign.org) where Luttrell is director of development and working to develop a comprehensive, individualized, multi-disciplined approach to increasing mental and physical well-being for our nation’s veterans.

Infinite Hero will also present a grant to the Airpower Foundation (AirPowerFoundation.com) that works in conjunction with Infinite Hero and ReBOOT to provide continued treatment for veterans at no charge at Brain Treatment Centers in Orange County, Calif., and Seattle, Wash., with plans to expand to the East Coast next year.

Making the presentations will be Infinite Hero Foundation executive director Laurie Baker and Chandler, who has funded the Infinite Hero Funny Car racing program at Don Schumacher Racing for the past three years.

Chandler, a native of New Mexico, funds the Infinite Hero team along with DSR’s Make-A-Wish Funny Car. Neither organization contributes any funding to the teams. Chandler’s program has raised nearly $500,000 for Infinite Hero and has brought tremendous awareness to some of the most difficult issues facing our returning military heroes and families.

This season, Beckman has raised more than $120,000 through the sale of special military “challenge coins.” He carries at least 10 on each run down the track and then personalizes each for fans making a $100 donation to Infinite Hero.

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DSR: Beckman goes to semifinals at Maple Grove as Infinite Hero Dodge team continues hunt in NHRA Countdown to the Championship

READING, Pa. (Oct. 2, 2016) - Jack Beckman and the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger R/T team, sponsored by Terry Chandler, advanced to the semifinals of the 32nd annual Dodge NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.

Due to wet weather conditions in Reading, Pa., NHRA teams only had one lap of qualifying to set the ladder for Sunday's eliminations.

With only one qualifying pass, Beckman was seeded as the No. 11 qualifier when he pedaled his way to a 9.998-second pass at 63.76 mph.

He matched up against Chad Head on Sunday for the first round of competition and improved on his qualifying efforts to post a 3.872 at 330.80 to give him the win light.

Beckman, along with his crew chief Jimmy Prock, clocked their career best elapsed time with a 3.850 (332.26) against reigning world champion Del Worsham to give them the win and to send the team to the semifinals against Don Schumacher Racing teammate Tommy Johnson Jr.

Beckman ran a 3.899, 327.51  mph pass in the semifinals but Johnson got the win with his 3.892, 328.94 and later won the event.

"I'm actually frustrated," Beckman said. "We had a phenomenal race car and lost a close race. But that is one of those must-win situations.

"You had four DSR Funny Cars in the semifinals. The No. 1, 2, 3, 4 cars in the points. We needed to win this race. They're not going to give us a re-run. We're going to have to tighten our belts a little bit.

"We have three chances left, so here's the deal. We need to make it to all three of these final rounds and there probably can't be one of the top two cars in the other lane for us to have a legitimate chance at the championship.

"To some extent, we control our fate. But we're going to have to rely on Make-A-Wish and NAPA stumbling, somewhat, and they're not showing signs of that. There is no reason for us to be beating ourselves up about our performance this weekend. We set the track record, we went one of the fastest speeds of all time here, and we beat some tough cars. But we're not out of opportunities to beat cars in front of us in the points."

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