Racing fans from Setauket, Smithtown, Stony Brook, Coram, Wading River and Riverhead, and all over Long Island watched as Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) driver Jack Beckman earned a hard fought title win aboard his Infinite Hero 2015 Dodge Charger R/T at the Ninth annual Summit Racing Equipment Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Nationals. It was his third victory of the season after posting national wins at Charlotte and Topeka, and it also marked the ninth title for the 2015 Mopar Dodge Charger R/T since it was introduced to competition this season following a year of development.
Beckman, who had qualified 11th, put his first round opponent, 16-time NHRA world champion John Force, on the trailer and then did the same to Force's teammate Robert Hight to advance to the semifinals. Beckman then defeated Tim Wilkerson to advance to the final round, his fourth of the season, against Courtney Force. Beckman initially trailed until half-track then took advantage of his opponent's loss of traction to speed by and turn on the win light for his 18th career victory.
"We tore up those Camaro's didn't we," said Beckman who defeated all three vehicles belonging to his team's arch rival, John Force Racing, to boost DSR's 20-11 win-loss record versus JFR at the halfway point of the season. "I think the folks at Mopar are going to be really happy with me. There's a rivalry. You've got competing auto manufacturers and you've got the two biggest Funny Car teams out here battling. The fact that we were able to get it done with that Mopar and beat two other brands makes it a fantastic day for this team."
"On behalf of everyone at Mopar, congratulations to Jack Beckman for the well-earned title win at Norwalk," said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO — Mopar Brand Service, Parts and Customer Care, FCA. "It is very rewarding to have Jack and his team defeat all three vehicles belonging to their biggest rival on the way to a ninth win this season with the new 2015 Mopar Dodge Charger. The competitiveness and dominance of the new Mopar Funny Car package reinforces yet again the investment and effort put in by Mopar, Dodge and Don Schumacher Racing into producing a competitive and high quality product.
The trip to the winner's circle was also amplified by the amount of adversity Beckman and his crew encountered heading into the weekend, in addition to the limited time given to crews between elimination rounds because of live ESPN television coverage, made even more stressful by mechanical issues that occurred prior to the final run.
"We came (to Norwalk) with a brand new front half on the Charger (chassis) and an entirely new bell-housing combination because that's what (crew chief) Jimmy Prock does," Beckman said. "We ran the first three qualifying runs this weekend then switched back to our old combination and it smoked the tires again. It only made it down the track one time in (four qualifying sessions) and we end up 11th and have John Force in the first round. But we ended up in the winner's circle. This race was awesome because of what we had to overcome."