Beckman, Battery eXtender team take Funny Car points lead with record-setting extended weekend at Maple Grove Raceway

October 08

READING, Pa. (Oct. 8, 2012) - Perfection is every race team's goal but few achieve it.

But Jack Beckman's Battery eXtender powered by Schumacher team came pretty close over the extended weekend at Maple Grove Raceway during the NHRA Nationals in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series

The Don Schumacher Racing team arrived at the track near Reading, Pa., trailing teammate Ron Capps by 30 points in the Countdown to the Championship playoff.

But after dominating qualifying, setting a national elapsed time record that earned 20 bonus points and advancing to the semifinals, Beckman with crew chief Todd Smith and assistant Terry Snyder, took over the points lead after four of six-events in the Countdown.

They also set a national speed record of 320.58 mph, but that does not pay bonus points in NHRA.

Beckman holds a 23-point lead over Capps, who lost in the second round, and is 54 points ahead of John Force Racing's Mike Neff, who won the Maple Grove title.

"We had a great weekend. The disappointment was that it could've been almost literally a perfect weekend," Beckman said.

"We came to Maple Grove in second place and we are leaving with the points lead. The problem is our car was so, so great this weekend that nothing but the trophy would've satisfied us.

Beckman and the Battery eXtender team controlled their destiny when they beat Capps in the second round delayed by rain to Monday. Their quest for perfection was ended by Johnny Gray, another DSR teammate, when Gray's quicker reaction at the starting line overcame Beckman's quicker elapsed time of 4.025. Gray ran 4.026.

Beckman's pit area was a flurry of activity before the semifinal match.

"Our air compressor (that powers some tools) died over here so that slowed us down. We hurt a motor in the second round because we had a regulator problem. We had to change engines for the semis, and then on the warm-up we had a timer that didn't work so we had to change that. We had our own issues here in the pits.

"Fortunately, now we have a couple weekends off and the guys can get everything freshened up for Vegas. It will be interesting. It's going to be a three-car showdown for the championship. All three cars seem to be running right at the right time. It will sure make the last two races interesting.
The following are Beckman's results from Maple Grove Raceway :

FUNNY CAR
Event winner: Mike Neff (John Force Racing)
No. 1 qualifier: Jack Beckman (DSR) 3.989 sec., 320.58 mph

Jack Beckman, Battery eXtender by Schumacher Electric/Valvoline NextGen Dodge Charger R/T
Qualified: No. 1

SUNDAY ELIMINATIONS
1st round: BECKMAN (3.986 sec.*, 318.54 mph) def. Mike Smith (4.896, 174.64)
* elapsed time national record

MONDAY ELIMINATIONS
2nd round: BECKMAN (4.042, 316.09) def. Ron Capps (4.576, 196.96)
Semifinals: Johnny Gray (4.026, 319.45) def. BECKMAN (4.025, 318.02)

FRIDAY QUALIFYING
Session 1: 4.121 sec., 308.28 mph
Session 2: 3.989, 320.58
SATURDAY QUALIFYING
Session 3: 4.001, 316.60
Session 4: 4.011, 317.79

NHRA FULL THROTTLE STANDINGS
(Unofficial through Oct. 8, 2012; DSR drivers in CAPS)

FUNNY CAR
1. JACK BECKMAN 2,437
2. RON CAPPS 2,414
3. Mike Neff 2,383
4. JOHNNY GRAY 2,246
5. Cruz Pedregon 2,244
6. John Force 2,217
7. Courtney Force 2,216
8. Robert Hight 2,211
9. Tim Wilkerson 2,207
10. Jeff Arend 2,180
11. MATT HAGAN 1,129

NEXT FULL THROTTLE EVENTS
Oct. 25-28, Big O Tires NHRA Nationals, Las Vegas
Nov. 8-11; Auto Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, Pomona, Calif.

About Schumacher Electric Corporation
Schumacher Electric Corporation employs about 2,000 worldwide and is the world's foremost manufacturer of battery chargers. It also engages in designing and producing custom transformers for the electronics industry and its product lines include electronic assemblies, custom-built transformers, welders, specialty assemblies, toroidal products, linear power transformers, high frequency magnetics, and welding accessories.
The company, which is headquartered in Mt. Prospect, Ill., has facilities in Matamoros, Mexico, and Wujiang, China.
In 1974, Don Schumacher, who owns Don Schumacher Racing, began running the company that was founded in 1947 by his father, Al Schumacher, and Otto Woodward in Chicago.

About Don Schumacher Racing
Don Schumacher Racing, headquartered in Brownsburg, Ind., consists of seven professional NHRA teams: in Top Fuel, the U.S. Army dragster driven by seven-time world champion Tony Schumacher, the FRAM/Prestone dragster of Spencer Massey and the Matco Tools dragster of Antron Brown; and in Funny Car, 2011 NHRA Funny Car champion Matt Hagan in the Aaron's Dream Machine/Mopar Dodge Charger R/T, Valvoline NextGen Dodge piloted by Jack Beckman, the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge of Ron Capps and the Service Central Dodge of Johnny Gray. DSR has won 195 NHRA national event titles and nine world championships.

Follow Don Schumacher Racing at ShoeRacing.com, on Twitter at @shoeracing and Facebook.com/shoeracing.

- DSR -