The race week starts Thursday for Beckman when he is the emcee for the 11th annual Eric Medlen Nitro Night Charity Dinner to benefit Speedway Children's Charities. The special event at StoneTree Golf Club in Novato, Calif., is dedicated to the memory of Eric Medlen, the former Funny Car driver who grew up in the San Joaquin Valley not far from his home track.
Beckman has only missed attending one of the dinners and has been the emcee the past few years. This will be the second one that has more meaning to him because one of his crew chiefs is John Medlen whose son Eric succumbed to injuries sustained from a testing accident in 2007.
"Eric Medlen Nitro Night always has been special for me, but it has meant even more since I started to work with John," said Beckman, who won the Funny Car title and pole two years ago at Sonoma Raceway.
"Everybody loved Eric and this night is how we show that, and thanks to Eric we get to help a lot of kids programs through Speedway Charities."
Beckman, who lives in Southern California, is eager to help charities including the Infinite Hero Foundation. On Sunday night near Denver after Don Schumacher Racing's Dodge Charger R/T lost in the second round of competition, he filled in as the emcee of a fund-raiser for Infinite Hero.
His DSR teammates on the Top Fuel winning Matco Tools team with driver Antron Brown signed their Denver NHRA Wally Trophy they had just received and donated it for auction at the Infinite Hero event. Beckman put on his auctioneer hat and it raised $8,000 for Infinite Hero and the benevolent winning bidder gave it back for a future auction to raise even more money.
"We were disappointed that we didn't win the trophy at Denver, but when something like that happens it really puts racing into a proper perspective," Beckman said.
"That tent was full of supporters of Infinite Hero who understand the mission. There were several heroes there who have benefitted from how Infinite Hero changes the lives or our injured veterans.
"We wouldn't be able have a night like that were it not for Terry Chandler," he said of the late Terry Chandler, who has funded the Don Schumacher Racing Funny Cars driven by Beckman and the Make-A-Wish team with Tommy Johnson Jr. the past few years. She died on July 4 after a short but valiant fight against brain cancer and her family will continue to fund the teams at least through the end of this season.
"Terry keeps on giving."
Beckman and Johnson will battle beginning Friday at Sonoma to win another trophy for Terry. Johnson has advanced to the final round the past two races but came up a little short each time.
"I've got great memories at Sonoma," said Beckman, who raced there many times as an amateur NHRA Sportsman racer before turning pro full time in 2007.
He recalls his success at the picturesque track in 2015 as a major mark in his career.
Sonoma is the second event in the grueling three-week Western Swing that began last week near Denver and concludes near Seattle.
JACK BECKMAN, Terry Chandler's Infinite Hero Foundation 2017 Dodge Charger R/T
Pts Events Wins Rup Semi Qtr 1st rd Poles DNQ W/L
2017 3rd 14 2 2 2 6 2 0 0 23-12
CAREER 266 26 27 47 79 80 21 7 355-233
Career best time, speed: 3.825 sec., (2016 Pomona 2); 334.15 mph (Seattle 2016)
SONOMA BY THE NUMBERS
Last event (July 23), Denver: Qualified: No. 6, lost in second round to eventual event winner Robert Hight
A year ago at Sonoma: Qualified No.9, lost in second to Del Worsham
Career at Sonoma: 1 (2015); runner-up 1 (2010); poles 2 (2010, 2015)
2017 NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES FUNNY CAR STANDINGS
(Official after Denver; 14th of 24 events; wins in parenthesis; DSR drivers in CAPS)
1. RON CAPPS (6) 1,244 -----
2. MATT HAGAN (3) 1,058 -186
3. Robert Hight (1) 973 -271
4. JACK BECKMAN (2) 970 -274
5. TOMMY JOHNSON JR. (1) 925 -319
6. Courtney Force 793 -451
7. John Force (1) 757 -487
8. Tim Wilkerson 634 -610
9. J.R. Todd 612 -632
10. Cruz Pedregon 538 -706
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 three-time world champion Antron Brown and the Papa John's Pizza/Mopar Top Fuel dragster driven by Leah Pritchett; and in Funny Car, 2016 world champion Ron Capps in the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T; 2011 and 2014 world champion Matt Hagan in the 80th anniversary Mopar/ Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T, and 2012 NHRA world champion Jack Beckman in the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge and the Make-A-Wish Dodge driven by Tommy Johnson Jr., both of which are funded by the late Terry Chandler.
DSR has won 312 NHRA national event titles and 16 world championships.
Follow Don Schumacher Racing at ShoeRacing.com, on Twitter at @shoeracing and Facebook.com/shoeracing.
