Jack Beckman will compete at the Cornwell Quality Tools U.S. Nationals in a PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet SS Funny Car carrying John Force’s iconic Brute Force paint scheme from the mid-1970s.
The two-time U.S. Nationals Funny Car winner enters the season finale second in points behind teammate Austin Prock. Beckman said he unknowingly foreshadowed the tribute when he had his helmet painted earlier this year.
“This blue paint scheme is where you got the Brute Force lettering and the iron gauntlet insignia and it really ties in well with the PEAK SQUAD colors,” Beckman said. “This is the one that really made the big statement that ‘I’m John Force and I’m going to be racing nitro funny cars.’”
“Ironically, the paint scheme design on the helmet I’ve been wearing all year is a tribute to John,” Beckman said. “The helmet looks like it was painted to match the Brute Force car but, when I had it painted, I didn’t know we would be doing the tribute car. It was then great for the Peak SQUAD to have a hand in the planning. It’s just very iconic and cool that the car I chose to emulate on my helmet is the one that was later chosen to be the car paint scheme tribute to John.”
Beckman has won twice this season, at Pomona and Chicago, with one runner-up finish in Virginia and four No. 1 qualifying positions. His car has carried the PEAK SQUAD look all season.
“Running a tribute car like this is something that John and I have discussed for years, and the timing is now right as we head into NHRA’s 75th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of John’s ‘Brute Force’ Funny Cars,” said Brian Bohlander of Old World Industries. “The fans have been asking for this particular car for years, and the perfect place to run it is at the biggest race of the year, the U.S. Nationals. Jack and our PEAK SQUAD have been involved with us in planning this for several months so we can’t wait for Friday night for the fans to finally see the car in action.”
Force, a 16-time Funny Car champion and five-time U.S. Nationals winner, welcomed the return of the design.
“I’m very honored and proud to have the Brute Force paint scheme back out on the track and I have to thank Brian Bohlander with PEAK who came up with the idea,” Force said. “It’s one of the original Brute Force designs that I raced with in Australia and then in the NHRA for years. It’s got the big fist on the side with the lightning bolts … I think it’s pretty awesome.”
The top eight NHRA Funny Car drivers will also compete in the PlayNHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout. Beckman and Prock, both with John Force Racing, are the top two seeds. Selections for the opening round will take place Saturday, with eliminations Sunday beginning at 12:45 p.m. ET. The semifinals are scheduled for 2:15 p.m. and the final for 4 p.m., with FS1 airing a special broadcast at 5 p.m.
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