NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Jack Beckman walked into his pit area to start testing last week and had a lot to learn, mainly the names of his Don Schumacher Racing crew.
 
He knew he was in the right place when he saw that Terry Chandler's purple Infinite Hero Foundation 2017 Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car was still the center of attention but the only returning crewmen working on it from last year's team in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season were John Medlen and Matt Archer.
 
Once he began wheeling the sleek Charger funded by Chandler down the track he also realized his new group led by crew chiefs Medlen, Dean Antonelli and Neal Strausbaugh had provided the 2012 Funny Car world champion with something he has become very familiar with at DSR: high performance.
 
"We had a fantastic test session last weekend," Beckman said of three runs in the 3.8-second range along with four in the 3.90s and a 4.03 that he shut off at halftrack at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park near Phoenix.
 
"It exceeded all of our expectations. I'm pleased as punch. Honest to goodness I can't wait for the season to get started."
 
The resident of Norco, Calif., knows when he makes the short drive from his home to Pomona Friday to open the 2017 Mello Yello season with the NHRA Winternationals that his team is still growing together.
 
"What impressed me at testing was how well our three crew chiefs bounce things off each other, how the crew continually got more efficient after each run and how, overall, we had one of the best test sessions of any team there."
 
Change isn't new to Beckman. He lost his entire team after the fourth race of the 2012 season and that worked out well as he went on to win the championship that year.
 
Beckman is coming off a season that featured two event titles in five final rounds along with six poles and holding NHRA track records for elapsed time (four tracks) and speed (six). The best run of his career was three months ago at Pomona in the season-finale when he recorded a time of 3.825 seconds, which is the second quickest Funny Car run ever. His best speed of 334.15 mph was set last summer near Seattle.
 
He's seeking his first win at Pomona but has been the No. 1 qualifier at the last two races at the legendary track near Los Angeles.
 
"The best development in the off-season is that Terry Chandler and the Infinite Hero Foundation has stayed with us," said Beckman, a former U.S. Air Force sergeant. "They recognize the importance of our campaign with Infinite Hero on the side of our car. We're making a difference for injured vets."