FUNNY CAR

Jack Beckman, driving the Aaron’s Dream Machine/Valvoline NextGen Dodge R/T Funny Car, defeated Johnny Gray, aboard the Service Central Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car, in today’s final round to win the 27th-annual NHRA Arizona Nationals here at Firebird International Raceway.

With the win, Beckman went around Don Schumacher Racing teammate and DieHard Advanced Gold Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car pilot Matt Hagan for the lead in the 2011 NHRA Countdown to the Championship.

The 45-year-old Californian defeated Don Schumacher Racing teammate Johnny Gray in the final round to gain his first-ever lead in the standings, as well as recording his third win of the season (in five final rounds) and consecutive wins in this event. Beckman ran a 4.354-second lap at 278.29 miles per hour to top Gray’s tire-smoking 5.870 at 120.67.

“This was a great weekend because we won the race,” said Beckman. “This was a marathon today (discussing conditions which included air temperatures nearing triple digits and track temperatures well above that), which takes its toll. I wasn’t feeling so great and would get the chills; I’d feel like I hadn’t eaten anything for hours – but then we’d get a win light and I’d feel okay for the next hour or so.”

Beckman began the weekend in fifth place, 55 points behind Countdown leader and DSR teammate Matt Hagan. The victory, coupled with Hagan’s second-round loss (to Gray), accounted for Beckman’s five-point lead.

“I said before the race we were three rounds back with 12 rounds left – and we really needed to win this one to put us in a good position in the Countdown,” he explained.  “Obviously, we did our part and our main competitors had their issues, so we did even better than just improving our position.