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Columbus: Jack Beckman preview
VERSITILE BECKMAN RETURNS TO TOP FUEL IN COLUMBUS COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Jack Beckman hasn't raced in the Menards/MTS Top Fuel car since making his professional debut in Las Vegas five weeks ago but the former NHRA Super Comp champ has hardly been ...
Published: May 18, 2005, 11:55 PM
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VERSITILE BECKMAN RETURNS TO TOP FUEL IN COLUMBUS
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Jack Beckman hasn't raced in the Menards/MTS Top Fuel car since making his professional debut in Las Vegas five weeks ago but the former NHRA Super Comp champ has hardly been idle. Since his successful first outing in Las Vegas, where he ran a career best 4.61 and reached the quarterfinal round, the versatile Beckman has enjoyed two other eventful weekends, one behind the wheel of his Blackbird Super Comp dragster and another in the Dennis Murphy-owned Funny Car he races in the California Independent Funny Car Association (CIFCA) series.
"The week after Las Vegas, I went bracket racing with my dragster at California Dragway in Fontana and was runner-up on Saturday and then reached the semifinals on Sunday," said Beckman. "Last week, I drove Dennis Murphy's Charger Funny Car and won the CIFCA event in Tucson, Arizona. Those events were a lot of fun, but now I'm ready to get back in the seat of the Menards/MTS Top Fuel dragster and go really fast."
Beckman, who works as a driving instructor at Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School in Pomona, Calif., teaches his students that practice makes perfect. He also practices what he preaches.
"In case you hadn't guessed, I love driving," Beckman noted. "I'd be out there racing in a rental car if I had to. Obviously, driving a four- second Top Fuel car requires a lot of mental energy which is why I think it's important to make as many runs as possible, not matter what type of vehicle you're in. The ability to visualize tasks is important. I'm a firm believer that if you can stay focused performing one task it will translate to success in the other. That's one of the reasons why I drive as much as possible."
Beckman will long remember his first outing in Dexter Tuttle's Menards/MTS Top Fuel car, especially his opening round win over fellow Top Fuel rookie Ben Marshall, but he's currently looking forward to his next scheduled appearance at this weekend's Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals at historic National Trail Raceway in Columbus.
"I'm looking forward to racing in Columbus because it is a track that I've never been to," said Beckman. "Over the years, there have been a lot of memorable moments there and I'm sure this will be a new adventure for me. My debut in Las Vegas was phenomenal. It was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream but my goal isn't just to drive a Top Fuel car at one race. It's to become a great Top Fuel driver. I want to have a long career and I'm anxious to keep proving that I can be competitive out here."
Qualifying for the Pontiac Performance NHRA nationals will take place on Friday and Saturday, May 20-21. Final eliminations for professional competitors will take place at 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 22.
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