FUNNY CAR

(Mike Burghardt photo)

Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) pilot Jack Beckman carried the momentum of last week’s title win in Denver right into preparations for the Sonoma Nationals by powering his Infinite Hero 2015 Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car to the No.1 qualifier position with a record shattering 3.921-second elapsed time run with a top speed of 323.43 mile per hour at Sonoma Raceway.

n Friday qualifying, Beckman clocked an initial 3.982 sec./320.05 mph pass to take the provisional pole position then unleashed a monumental 3.921-second run at 323.43 mph to eclipse the previous record by 0.038 of a second. Beckman not only officially secured his second No.1 qualifier position of the season with his fourth and final qualifying pass, but more impressively, backed up the run (within 1%) with a 3.958 second lap (318.84 mph) to set the national Funny Car record and earn 20 bonus points for his efforts.

It was Beckman’s 15th career sub 4-second pass, his 11ththis year alone in the new 2015 Dodge Charger R/T and also the most by any driver in a season. The new Mopar body now has 19 three-second runs to date with the addition of three from Beckman and two more from DSR teammates Matt Hagan and Ron Capps this weekend as well.

Qualified in the No. 10 spot, Johnson first disposed of Tim Wilkerson with a better reaction time and a quicker elapsed time. Johnson launched in .078-second to Wilkerson's .104 and closed the deal at the top end with a 4.070-second pass at 309.63 mph to 4.508, 190.06.

The second round brought Johnson up against DSR teammate Matt Hagan, and again the driver of the Make-A-Wish Dodge did his job at the starting line. His .054 was efficient for the nitro crowd, even beating Hagan's .065. At the top end, Johnson clocked out with a 4.126, 305.98 to his opponent's 4.139, 306.53. With a ticket to the semifinals, Johnson arrived for a match with Cruz Pedregon and kept his nose to the grindstone in his John Collins-tuned Dodge.

Johnson was .041 on the tree to Pedregon's .080, and he kept ahead for a 4.109, 307.93 win over his challenger's troubled 11.67 pass. Johnson didn't have lane choice, but he was going to the final. As is becoming the norm, Johnson was first to leave with a .061 to .068 but Beckman was on a tear and surged ahead for a 4.037, 310.63 win over the 4.073, 308.99 put up by the Make-A-Wish team.

"Anytime you race your teammate, its always tough – especially when he's leading the points," said Johnson. "There really were not any easy rounds today. Wilkerson is always tough. Then Hagan, then Cruz. This runner-up was not an easy road. We did not fall into it; we ran really well today and earned that runner-up.