LAS VEGAS – The plan for Jack Beckman is to have a chance to race for an NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series world championship at the final race of the season.
But for that to happen, the former Funny Car world champion knows he must perform at the penultimate race of the season, the Dodge NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil, Oct. 31-Nov. 3 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Beckman heads to the race second in points, 70 behind leader Robert Hight going into the final two events of the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.
The veteran standout has had his share of big moments in this year’s playoffs, advancing to a pair of finals in his 11,000-horsepower Infinite Hero Founder Dodge SRT Hellcat, but rising to the occasion in Vegas will be imperative if Beckman has any hopes of chasing down Hight to end the year.
“Our goal is to win a championship,” Beckman said. “I think it will be a big mistake for any team to look past Vegas and look toward Pomona just because Pomona is going to offer points-and-a-half. If you stumble first round in Vegas, you’re not going to get those rounds. We can’t look past the next run right now. You can’t afford to give away any points.”
The NHRA’s return to Las Vegas marks the fifth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship and comes around at the perfect time for the 2012 Funny Car champion.
Two of his six final rounds have come in the playoffs, including a victory at the opening race of the Countdown to the Championship, allowing him to move into the title conversation. But Beckman suffered a red light in the final round at Charlotte and has just one round win at the other two playoff races, meaning the goal is consistency in Las Vegas.
It can be a tense time with a world title on the line, but Beckman will look to remain focused down the stretch.
“In a perfect world, you treat Q1 the same as the final round at Pomona,” said Beckman, who has 29 career wins. “In reality, driving the car is no easier or more difficult whether it’s qualifying or a final round, it’s just the pressure we put on ourselves. I stumbled in the final round at Charlotte and you can’t do that. If we’re going to win this championship, the car has to be to right and the driver has to be right. I just have to go up there and do my job.
“I can thrive under pressure, I just didn’t have my head where it needed to be in the final round, and it’s time to get it back.”
It’s far from a two-car race for the title as well, raising the stakes in Vegas even more. Beckman leads John Force by just four points, while Dallas winner Matt Hagan and Bob Tasca are also lurking.
But Beckman is confident at this point in the season, praising a team, led by crew chiefs John Medlen and Dean Antonelli, that has made the most of its opportunities.
The team didn’t test during the preseason and has limited those sessions, but they’re currently performing as well as they have all year heading to Las Vegas.
“It forced us to be more efficient with our testing and incorporate more of it during the regular season,” Beckman said. “But that’s over. Now every single run counts. You want to do everything you can to come out on top. The faster the horse you ride, the better a jockey you become. From a driver’s standpoint, your confidence is always going to be best when you’re driving a fast car.
“Being confident helps me perform better and having a fast car never hurts your confidence.”