Jack Beckman qualifies ninth on Thunder Mountain

July 23

Jack Beckman drove the Aaron’s Dream Machine/Valvoline Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car into the ninth qualifying position for Sunday’s 32nd-annual MOPAR Mile-High NHRA Nationals here at Bandimere Speedway.

The 45-year-old Californian took advantage of the cooler Friday-night conditions to bank a 4.255-second lap at 294.43 miles per hour and ninth place, which allowed for some experimenting during today’s two sessions.

“This was a subpar qualifying performance for us and we know why,” explained the Don Schumacher Racing Driver who goes into Sunday’s final eliminations – which begin at 11 a.m. MT – second in the Funny Car standings. “We think we can get back to the setup we used Friday in the second round which will be a good one to use in these challenging conditions.

“Sometimes you have to try a variety of things up here on the mountain. We tried three different setups and now we think we know what the Aaron’s/Valvoline car wants to get down the track consistently. It’s like target practice: sometimes you have to miss a few to adjust your sites.”

Eighth-qualifier Jeff Arend will be Beckman’s first-round opponent, but it is not the opponent but the always-challenging conditions at Bandimere which is paramount.

“It’s ‘big-boy’ time and you’ve got to tough it out (here) to get that trophy,” he said. “We won here in 2007 and we were runner up the following year, so this team knows what it takes.”