COMMERCE, Ga. (May 6, 2017) - Terry Chandler's Infinite Hero Foundation Funny Car team and driver Jack Beckman have an uphill battle ahead of them Sunday during eliminations in the 37th annual NHRA Southern Nationals.
The team qualified 14th, its lowest of the NHRA Mello Yello Series season and worst in more than a year.
It didn't help the new team that Friday's two sessions were wiped out by rain.
"We are qualified," Beckman said. "This is one of those crazy deals where with one day washed out, you lose half your qualifying runs.
"We are acquiring data more so than probably every other Funny Car team out here because of our changes in our clutch program and it stinks to lose half our runs for accumulating data.
"We made some big changes between Q1 and Q2 and yet the car smoked the tires at virtually the identical place in two different lanes. Right now, we're scratching our heads and this makes for a long night for the crew chiefs and for me as a driver."
Chandler's teams will face off in the Sunday's opening round when Beckman meets teammate Tommy Johnson Jr., who qualified third.
"If you think about it, from a team concept, from a competition standpoint and a team standpoint, that exactly why we're here - to dig ourselves out of a hole. We're trying to find a way to get it done. Right now, we're in dire straits with our with our tune-up but we're one run away from looking brilliant. We did it in Charlotte when we were runner-up, and I confident we can do it again tomorrow."
JACK BECKMAN, Terry Chandler's Infinite Hero 2017 Dodge Charger R/T
Crew chiefs: John Medlen, Dean Antonelli, Neal Strausbaugh
Qualified: No. 14
SUNDAY ELIMINATIONS
First round: Tommy Johnson Jr.
QUALIFYING
FRIDAY: rained out
SATURDAY: 5.584 sec., 124.27 mph, (Session 3);v 5.738, 120.08, (Session 4)
Best Time, Speed: 3.825 sec.-second quickest ever, (2016 Pomona 2); 334.15 mph (Seattle 2016)
Last event (April 28-30, Charlotte Four-Wide): Qualified No. 10, runner-up to event winner and DSR teammate Ron Capps
A year ago at Atlanta: Qualified No. 1, lost to event winner and DSR teammate Matt Hagan
Career at Atlanta: Wins 2 (2011, 2009); Runner-ups 1 (2016); Poles 1 (2016)
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 303 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
