Beckman Takes Provisional No.1 Spot with Three-Second Run at NHRA SpringNationals

Baytown, TX – Don Schumacher Racing pilot Jack Beckman drove his Infinite Hero 2015 Mopar Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car to the first three-second pass ever posted at Royal Purple Raceway to take the provisional No.1 qualifying position at the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) SpringNationals event near Houston, Texas, during the Friday night session.

A number of short rain delays throughout the day for a slight drizzle pushed the Friday evening session later into the schedule and into cooler conditions that made it ripe for setting records.

Beckman, who has two runner-up finishes at this event in 2009 and 2014, posted an elapsed time track record with a 3.988 second pass at 318.17 mile per hour (mph) to take the provisional pole position. This is Beckman’s second three-second run of the year after posting one during eliminations at the Charlotte NHRA Four-Wide Nationals on his way to a national title win.

“What I like most than being No.1 is that three bonus point deal,” said Beckman who sits tenth in the points standings. “We are looking at every point. If we were in first or second, I think you could kind of take a little breather and recognize that the countdown is where it becomes important. But right now we’re in tenth and we desperately need to move deep into the top ten and right now those bonus points are going to make a huge difference.”

Leading the Funny Car points standings is DSR teammate Matt Hagan, the defending 2014 NHRA World Champion, who earned his very first career win at Houston in 2010. Hagan drove his Rocky Boots/ Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T to a best Friday qualifying run of 4.051 sec. at 314.61 mph put him sixth on the provisional ladder.

Ron Capps, who earned wins at Houston in both 2006 and 2007 and most recently had a runner-up finish in 2012, was third in provisional qualifying after racing his 2015 Dodge Charger R/T to an E.T. of 4.038 seconds and set the track speed record at 319.67 mph with his second run of the day.

Teammate Tommy Johnson Jr., posted a quick 4.064 / 310.05 mph run to put the Make-A-Wish 2015 Mopar Dodge Charger R/T eighth overall but ended the run with some fireworks that will necessitate a return to last year’s Funny Car.

In Pro Stock action this weekend, Allen Johnson and Johnson & Johnson Racing got some much anticipated company as the Mopar team adds a second entry with the addition of Richie Stevens Jr. to the field for the first of at least ten events this season. The New Orleans native took the wheel of a new Dodge Dart chassis, prepared by Jerry Haas and a HEMI® engine tuned by Roy Johnson, to mark his return to Pro Stock competition since Reading, Pennsylvania, where he posted his career best elapsed time run of 6.506 seconds and best speed of 212.25 mph.

On Friday, Stevens was the first car out in the first qualifying session and posted an elapsed time run of 6.676 seconds at 208.91 mph then improved on his second run with a 6.629 /209.39 to sit in 14th spot heading into Saturday’s two qualifying session.

Last year’s No.1 qualifier, Allen Johnson, finished runner-up in 2014 for a third time in his career at Houston. His Magneti Marelli Dodge Dart ran a 6.609/210.34 in the first session then moved up from tenth to the provisional seventh spot with a clean 6.574 /210.34.

The HEMI-powered Dodge Dart driven by V. Gaines was provisionally 11th after posting a 6.598/210.37.