BROWNSBURG, Ind. — With an NHRA championship still very much in play, John Force Racing president Robert Hight announced Tuesday that 2012 Funny Car champion Jack Beckman will drive Force’s PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS for the remainder of the season.
The team’s slogan will be titled, “Joint Task Force – Mission Championship.”
While Force continues to recover from a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) suffered in a June 23 crash in Richmond, Va., “Fast Jack” will slide into the seat occupied by the 157-time tour winner during the season’s first nine races.
Beckman will make his debut in the PEAK Camaro in this week’s non-championship event, the 47th Annual Cornwell Tools “Night Under Fire” at Summit Motorsports Park in Ohio, where he and JFR teammate Brittany Force will both compete.
When Force was injured, he was second in points behind JFR teammate Austin Prock. By NHRA rules, when a driver is unable to compete, the race team may employ a substitute who can earn points for the original driver in a maximum of eight tour events.
This means when Beckman rolls to the starting line for qualifying at the 42nd Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd, Minn., on Aug. 16, he’ll be pursuing a 17th championship title for Force. He currently sits sixth in the driver standings with two races remaining before points reset for the Countdown to the Championship.
“When you think about someone who can handle the driving, can deal with the media, take care of the sponsors and take care of the fans, there was only one obvious choice and that was Jack Beckman,” Hight said. “Plus, he has history with Chris Cunningham (co-crew chief on the PEAK Chevy with Dan Hood and Tim Fabrisi) and has the respect of John’s family.”
A 33-time event winner in Funny Car, Beckman last raced competitively in 2020 when he returned to being a full-time elevator technician, a career that he left 22 years earlier to follow his drag racing dream.
The 58-year-old Californian is keenly aware of the unique situation.
“It’s been nearly four years since I stood on the throttle, and I thought that feeling was something I’d never experience again. Though the circumstances that brought me back are regrettable, the opportunity presented to me is beyond my ability to find words,” Beckman said. “I’m not replacing John…nobody could ever do that.
“John is one of a kind, and his impact on this sport, and my life, cannot be overemphasized. I know how fortunate I am to have been picked to fill in for John, and I should be easy to spot in the pits. I’ll be the guy who can’t stop smiling.”
Brian Bohlander, Director of Marketing at Old World Industries added, “We’re happy to have the PEAK team back on track and Jack is the right person for this job until John can return. It’s great for the fans and our customers as Jack is an automotive enthusiast and DIYer who will fit right in with our program on and off the track.”
Although he won the Funny Car championship in 2012, Beckman’s best season was 2015 when he advanced to nine final rounds and won seven races coming up just 56-points shy of being a two-time Funny Car champion.
Beckman has taught more than 7,000 students the basics of drag racing as an instructor at Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School. Among them were Force’s daughters, Ashley, Brittany and Courtney, and his wife, Laurie, who also earned her Super Comp license under Beckman’s tutelage.
Before distinguishing himself in the Funny Car division, Beckman won the 2003 NHRA Super Comp World Championship. He is licensed in 12 different NHRA competition categories including Top Fuel, the class in which he made his professional racing debut in 2005.
The following year, he made his Funny Car debut late in the season, and in just his fourth race in the category, he won the NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Two weeks later, in the season-ending World Finals, he qualified No. 1, set NHRA national records for time and speed, and finished runner-up to Force.
Eventually, Beckman would become one of only a few drivers in the sport to enjoy a winning record against the Hall of Fame driver and car owner. Force won the most recent of his 16 championships in 2013 after starting the Countdown from the No. 4 position. Beckman won his Funny Car championship from the No. 3 starting position. Team President Robert Hight made history in 2009 for himself and JFR when he won his first championship from the No. 10 starting position.