Prock, Infinite Hero team transform Beckman into major force; runner-up finish pushes Brown ahead of Schumacher for lead

NORWALK, OH – Crew chief Jimmy Prock and the Infinite Hero team have transformed driver Jack Beckman and their 2015 Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car into a forceful wrecking machine Sunday when it won for the third time this year and moved up two spots to No. 3 in points by winning the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event in Norwalk, Ohio.

Beckman’s third title of the season equals the most he has won in one season. But this victory was special because of Prock’s dismissal from John Force Racing late last year that enabled him to join DSR.

Beckman, the 2012 Funny Car world champion, along with Prock’s assistants John Medlen and Chris Cunningham, ended the day for all three John Force Racing Funny Car teams when they eliminated John Force in the first round, Robert Hight in the quarterfinals and Courtney Force in the championship round. Beckman defeated Tim Wilkerson in the semifinals.

It was reminiscent of the Mello Yello event near Atlanta in 2009 when Beckman sequentially beat John Force, Hight, Wilkerson and Courtney’s older sister, Ashley Force Hood for the title.

“We went and won Charlotte (in March) which is an odd format with Four-Wide racing and it was bitchin’ because it ended a 55-race winless streak. That was huge,” Jack said. “Then four races later we went out and won Topeka and ran five 3-second runs, which was awesome.

“We came (to Norwalk) with a brand new front half on the (chassis) and an entirely new bellhousing combination because that’s what Jimmy Prock does. We ran the first three qualifying runs this weekend then switched back to our old combination and it smoked the tires again. It only made it down the track one time in (four qualifying sessions) and we end up 11th and have John Force in the first round. But we ended up in the winner’s circle. This race was awesome because of what we had to overcome.”

Don Schumacher Racing came within less than one-tenth of a second of sweeping nitro titles at a Mello Yello event for the 49th time when Doug Kalitta’s 3.823-second run slipped passed the 3.918 by Antron Brown and DSR’s Matco Tools/U.S. Army team in the final round of Top Fuel.

Despite the runner-up finish, Brown was able to take a 20-point lead in the championship standings over teammate Tony Schumacher, who erased a two-point deficit to Brown in Norwalk qualifying and the former world champions started Sunday tied for the points lead. Brown defeated his teammate in the semifinals.

“All of our Matco guys did such a great job this weekend and especially today with the fast turnarounds for live TV (on ESPN),” Brown said after his 92nd career final round. “Lord knows that’s how it goes sometimes. We went out there and were running good and it just dropped a (cylinder). The car had a great 60-foot time and it didn’t make it to 330 feet before it dropped that cylinder.”

Also in Funny Car, Matt Hagan (Rocky Boots/Mopar) was upset in the second round by Courtney Force after he set Norwalk records for elapsed time on Friday night and then improved on that to earn his third pole of the year with run of 3.973 that his career best and ninth quickest ever. He also set the track speed record at 322.96 mph Friday.

Hagan increased his points lead to 120 over teammate Ron Capps (NAPA AUTO PARTS Intrepid Fallen Heroes) and with Beckman moving up to third it gives DSR the 1-2-3 spots in Funny Car and in Top Fuel DSR is 1-2 with Brown and Schumacher, respectively.

The series moves to outside Chicago next weekend to race at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill. to start the second half of the 24-race Mello Yello Series.