Jack Beckman is ready to see the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge
Charger R/T rebound at this weekend's NHRA Summer Nationals at
Heartland Park Topeka, where a semifinal finish in 2007 kicked off a
string of successes which led to back-to-back victories and a steady
move up the rankings. He landed a berth in the battle for the Countdown
to Four, finishing his first full Funny Car season in the NHRA POWERade
Drag Racing Series in fifth place.
This season he enters the Topeka event following two straight DNQs
after one victory in the first eight events. Beckman is not
discouraged. With 21-car tight Funny Car fields this season, several
other top contenders have also failed to qualify. Last year, Beckman
suffered two DNQs before the Topeka event, yet moved into second in the
standings by the 19th event of 23 that year.
"Usually I say how exciting it is to go to the next track," said
Beckman, who is No. 11 in points, just seven markers out of the top 10.
"And Kansas is cool because it's the birthplace of NHRA's
national-event schedule, but the excitement I've got, along with a
little bit of anxiety, is we are starting to get our Valvoline/MTS
Dodge back on the track that it needs to be on. We're just a step off
right now.