But he left the NHRA Mello Yello Series event at the track north of Kansas City with the event title and went on to win the professional NHRA Funny Car championship that year.
"Topeka has been very pivotal for me," Beckman said. "In 2012, it was the first race I won (that year) and it put us on the path to eventually win the championship," said Beckman, who had won the Super Comp world title in 2003 as an amateur.
History may be able to repeat itself this weekend at the 29th annual NHRA Heartland Nationals as Beckman and Terry Chandler's Infinite Hero Foundation 2017 Dodge Funny Car team has yet to win an event this season.
"This year our results haven't quite met our expectations," he said. "I do think we've been doing all the things I think we need to do. In other words, we've been making changes to the car, we've been listening to the car and we've been making it a more consistent car. We're still dealing with new parts in the bellhousing.
"We got good data on it in Atlanta two weeks ago and made it to the second round. We're still not where we need to be but we're getting a lot closer.
The Infinite Hero Foundation team, led by crew chiefs Neal Strausbaugh, Dean Antonelli and John Medlen, travel this weekend to Topeka with the NHRA circuit for the eighth event of the 2017 Mello Yello season. Beckman, who advanced to the final round a year ago at Topeka, ranks sixth in championship points.
"Weather is a factor in Topeka and that's what makes winning there so special," said Beckman who was runner-up last year to his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Matt Hagan.
"It's a very tough track to tame because the weather changes continually there. We don't know what it has in store for us this weekend."
JACK BECKMAN, Infinite Hero Foundation 2017 Dodge Charger R/T - former world champ seeks first in '17
Best Time, Speed: 3.825 sec.-second quickest ever, (2016 Pomona 2); 334.15 mph (Seattle 2016)
Last event (May 5-7, Atlanta): Qualified No. 14, lost in quarterfinals to Tim Wilkerson
A year ago at Topeka: Qualified No. 2, lost in championship round to DSR teammate Matt Hagan
Career at Topeka: Wins 1 (2012); Runner-ups 1 (2016); Poles (2011)
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 eight 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 three-time world champion Antron Brown; the Papa John's Top Fuel dragster driven by Leah Pritchett and in Funny Car, 2011 and 2014 world champion Matt Hagan in the Mopar Express Lane 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 304 NHRA national event titles and 16 world championships.
Follow Don Schumacher Racing at ShoeRacing.com, on Twitter at @shoeracing and Facebook.com/shoeracing.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Jeff Wolf (wolfj@shoeracing.com), 702.524.1368
Leah Vaughn (vaughnl@shoeracing.com), 618.516.1988
