Jack Beckman piloted the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car to his first No. 1 qualifier of the season and 25th of his career during the 65th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals.
Since qualifying for the Indianapolis event began Friday night, the most consistent machine in the Funny Car class has been Beckman’s Hellcat. After posting a session-best Friday night run of 3.875 seconds, the 2012 Funny Car world champion improved upon his stout Q1 showing by powering to a 3.861 E.T. in Q2, never relinquishing the No. 1 position. In Q3 and Q4, the Dean Antonelli/John Medlen-led team continued to flex their muscle, laying down E.T.s that were in the top four of each session before closing out qualifying by rocketing to another ‘best of class’ run of 3.875 seconds at a speed of 335.23 miles per hour, the fastest Funny Car lap of the weekend.
“I don’t want to say that we’ve been perfect all weekend, but I think we have our Dodge Hellcat Funny Car as close to perfect as it’s been in a while,” said Beckman, who has raced to three runner-up finishes in 2019 but is chasing that elusive first win of the season.
The team’s impressive qualifying performance allowed them to pick up bonus points during each round, giving Beckman a 16-point edge heading into race day.
The 2012 Funny Car world champion currently ranks fifth in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship standings. He is looking to move up two positions before the playoff starting positions are locked at the conclusion of race day and is hoping history repeats itself. Beckman’s No. 1 qualifier is his second at Indy, his first coming in 2015 when he raced from the pole to his first and most recent U.S. Nationals crown.
“Tomorrow’s conditions should be different. I don’t know if we have a huge advantage if the sun is out and the track is hot. I think, psychologically, everyone on our Infinite Hero team is revved up. And, I think that is so important; to set the tone that you know that you can be the best.
“Tomorrow is race day, and I feel like you have to be flawless because you never know if you are going to go out there and smoke the tires against the No. 16 qualifier. If you do, you have to be ready to catch it. Tomorrow it’s not about E.T. slips; it’s about win lights. You don’t have to be good; you just have to be better than the car in the other lane.”
Qualified: No. 1 (lane choice)
The Competition: No. 16 Justin Schriefer
The Results:
Q1: 3.875 E.T. at 328.46 MPH (Four bonus points for quickest run of the session)
Q2: 3.861 E.T. at 330.07 MPH (Four bonus points for quickest run of the session)
Q3: 3.878 E.T. at 331.94 MPH (Three bonus points for second quickest run of the session)
Q4: 3.911 E.T. at 326.40 MPH (One bonus point for fourth quickest run of the session)
Q5: 3.875 E.T. at 335.23 MPH (Four bonus points for quickest run of the session)
Bonus Points: 16
DSR PR
