St. Louis: Jack Beckman preview

GATEWAY ANOTHER NEW VENUE FOR BECKMAN

MADISON, Ill. (May 2, 2007) - "Fast" Jack Beckman continues to check off the new venues at which he's racing in his first full season of Funny Car competition in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Gateway International Raceway for this weekend's O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals is another one, as the driver of the Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger R/T looks for his first win of the 2007 season.

"A lot of times we'll get a scouting report from my Don Schumacher Racing teammates who have raced at all these tracks, from Ron (Capps) and Gary (Scelzi) and from (DSR track analyst) Lanny Miglizzi, because they know the tracks, they know their tendencies," said Beckman, who joined DSR after the U.S. Nationals last year and in five races qualified No. 1 once, went to two final rounds, won once and set both national speed and E.T. records. "I don't know anything about St. Louis yet, so I guess Thursday when we get there we'll find out from the guys.

"We're starting to get to the hotter time of the year, which means it's going to be trickier and it's going to be even tougher for me being newer, because on the hotter tracks the cars really try to move you out of the groove and you've got to be on top of the steering even more.

"So, it's going to be a good test this weekend. And I'm excited again because I've never been to that track, so that's another venue that we'll get a chance for me to visit the first time. And, man, do we want to leave with the Wally."

MAIL TERMINAL SERVICES "MAIL FROM HOME" PROGRAM UPDATE:
Mail Terminal Services will be featuring Camp AL ASAD this weekend at the O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals in its "Mail from Home" program. Postcards will be available to send to this war-zone camp at the Don Schumacher Racing hospitality area as well as at a kiosk in the U.S. Army "Racing Zone," the U.S. Army Interactive area located in Nitro Alley.

-credit: dsr