Wed, 28 Oct 2015, 10:29 AM Funny Car Standout Jack Beckman Aims to Finish Storybook Season In Style

Courtesy of NHRA Communications Photo copyright 2015 Auto Imagery, Inc. With Big Performance at the NHRA Toyota Nationals

LAS VEGAS --

Jack Beckman

Jack Beckman has put together a storybook season in what has turned into one of the most thrilling years in NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car history.

But for the Funny Car standout to have an ending he can celebrate, Beckman knows he will need to turn in two more memorable performances. In a season that has been filled with broken records, incredible runs and a class-best seven victories, Beckman trails the red-hot Del Worsham by 38 points heading into the final two events of the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.

Worsham's third Countdown win came against Beckman in Dallas, adding another layer to what is shaping up to be an incredible finish. Beckman and his 10,000-horsepower Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger R/T can slice into the lead at this weekend's 15th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Beckman knows he will need to perform at a high level to claim a second career world championship.

"It's very possible it may take a national record to win a title," said Beckman, who has set the world E.T. record three times in 2015. "Setting a national record is possible at Las Vegas or Pomona, or both tracks, and that might be pivotal to who could win a championship. For us, it's not just about the big numbers, but it's that we've run the big numbers so consistently that's given us so much confidence.

Jack Beckman lost to Del Worsham in Dallas final.

"It's one of those situations where there are several different scenarios and all of them are unbelievably exciting. I think Funny Car has put drag racing on a whole new echelon and stage. Everyone has stepped up so much that the world has taken notice."

Spencer Massey (Top Fuel), Worsham (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year's winners of the event that will once again be televised on ESPN2. The 15th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals also marks the fifth of six playoff races in the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship and is the penultimate race of the 2015 season.

Beckman's own remarkable performances have been noteworthy and the rest of the class has responded over the last several races, creating spectacular drama and unbelievable side-by-side racing. Beckman and his team, led by famed crew chief Jimmy Prock, went to another level during the second half of the season, making the motorsports world take notice with a dominant stretch of runs that included a victory at the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals.

Worsham has matched Beckman and then some during the Countdown, winning the first two events and setting the E.T. world record in St. Louis. Beckman grabbed the world record back in Maple Grove with a run of 3.897 en route to winning the event, but Worsham extended his lead in Dallas by winning a thrilling final round duel.

Jack Beckman and crew celebrate Reading win.

"Our goal is to win Las Vegas and then win Pomona," Beckman said. "Dallas was a big one. We were on opposite sides of the ladder and that was a big matchup where we came out on the short end. But the points lead was 119 points when we left St. Louis and now we're still well within striking distance. We've made some big strides since we fell so far behind in St. Louis and if we continue that trend I think we can win the championship."

Beckman, who has 22 career wins, has performed well in pressure situations with the championship on the line in the past, winning the 2012 title over teammate Ron Capps by just two points. The situation is different in 2015, but Beckman is just thankful for the opportunity, especially after a frustrating 2014 season where he missed the Countdown entirely.

"I'm excited about the chance to win a championship," Beckman said. "When you step back and realize we have a realistic shot to win and with the season we've had, that's the stuff you dream about. It's gut check time every single time you fire up the car but we can handle this sort of pressure. Even though this is an all new team, all of these guys have been in this situation before and that's comforting."

But there will be nothing easy about trying to overcome a host of standout talents in Funny Car, including Worsham, Tommy Johnson Jr., who sits in third and 147 points out of first, reigning world champion Matt Hagan, five-time Vegas winner Capps, 16-time world champion John Force, teammate Alexis DeJoria, Cruz Pedregon, Robert Hight and Tim Wilkerson.

Jack Beckman set the National E.T. record in Reading.

The star-studded Countdown lineup has helped make the 2015 season so magical in Funny Car, but Beckman is not dwelling on what he has already accomplished this season. With eight rounds of racing left, he still has plans for plenty of more big moments, starting this weekend in Las Vegas.

"There's a lot of things about this race that make it more than just another race," said Beckman, whose first Funny Car win came in Vegas in 2006. "It's a chance to possibly take the points lead into Pomona. We're not going to be any less aggressive and Del is not going to be any less aggressive just because he has the points lead. What he has done winning three of four races in the Countdown has been pretty impressive. We've won eight rounds in the Countdown and we've got a chance to win eight more. If we do that I think everything will work out."

In Top Fuel, Antron Brown has won three of the four races in the Countdown and currently holds a 132-point lead over reigning world champion Tony Schumacher. Other stars in the class include Richie Crampton, who won in Dallas for his fifth victory in 2015, Brittany Force, three-time world champion Larry Dixon, Doug Kalitta, J.R. Todd, Steve Torrence, Shawn Langdon and Dave Connolly.

Enders will look to get a step closer to a second straight world title in Las Vegas in Pro Stock, thanks in part to winning her second race of the Countdown in Dallas, but will have to deal with the likes of four-time world champion and seven-time Vegas winner Greg Anderson, who sits 154 points back in second. Enders will look to clinch a world title in Vegas, but also must contend with Chris McGaha, Allen Johnson, rookie Drew Skillman, who picked up his first career Pro Stock win in St. Louis, Larry Morgan, Vincent Nobile, Jason Line, Shane Gray and Jonathan Gray.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, reigning world champion and points leader Hines, who has a class-best four wins in Vegas, lost in the first round in Dallas and watched his points lead fall to just 21 points over teammate Eddie Krawiec. Jerry Savoie, who won in Dallas, pulled to within 31 points, while Hector Arana Jr., who won in St. Louis, is 81 points behind Hines. Others to watch include Matt Smith, Hector Arana, two-time season winner Karen Stoffer, Jim Underdahl, Chip Ellis and Scotty Pollacheck.

Drivers in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and the NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Series also will race hard in their quest to become winners of the thrilling event during the weekend.

As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they're granted an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. This unique opportunity in motorsports gives fans direct access to the teams, allowing them to see firsthand the highly-skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds, and get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers.

Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying begins Friday, Oct. 30, with sessions at 12:15 and 3:45 p.m. The final two qualifying sessions will take place Saturday, Oct. 31, at 12:15 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1.

To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call (800) 644-4444 or visit www.LVMS.com.