Jack Beckman and the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Funny Car team struggled through the
three qualifying sessions held for the NHRA SuperNationals to qualify No. 16. The fourth and final
round was cancelled because of rain.
Beckman will face No. 1 qualifier Ashley Force Hood for the fifth time in eliminations this season
and the third time in the opening round. They are 2-2 heading into Sunday.
His quickest pass was an 8.043-second lap at 73.56 mph. His other difficult passes included a
quicker 5.665/157.06 and 5.725/120.24, but neither was good enough to place him in the top 12 on
Friday. He had to re-qualify today, posting the 8.043/73.56.
"I would have to say that this is the most that we have ever struggled and qualified," said
Beckman. "We have struggled in the past and not made the show. We've qualified low before but had
good numbers to go into Sunday with.
"In Chicago (last event), the Valvoline/MTS Dodge showed us something, with the change we made to
the tune-up, that we thought we could use. And it was like that was a one-in-a-hundred run. It just
won't tolerate it here.
"And then we found something with the setting on our clutch controller that hadn't been zeroed out
the last couple of races. So, we thought, OK, we've got a good baseline to tune off of, and so far
all it's done is keep throwing us curves.
"It's not a matter of if we'll straighten this out, it's a matter of when, and typically that takes
runs to do so. So, to lose run four is fairly crucial to us because this would have been the run
that we could see if the things we put the car back to put it back on the right track.
"It's going to be nail-biting for us first round tomorrow. Don't count us out. We still have a good
car, capable of going in and stepping up. But qualifying 16th and racing a car that's that
consistently quick is not how you want to start Sunday. But, if we're in the winner's circle at the
end of the day, it will be extra sweet."
