300th Round Win and 18th Tour Victory in Dominating Performance

EPPING, NH – Disappointed by an opening round loss two weeks ago at Chicago, a stumble that temporarily denied her a milestone 300th NHRA round win, Brittany Force responded Sunday in a manner one would expect of a two-time Top Fuel World Champion, beating No. 1 qualifier Doug Kalitta and point leader Tony Stewart in the final two rounds to win the 12th NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway.

The second youngest of John Force’s drag racing daughters wrestled her Monster Energy dragster across the finish line in 3.694 seconds at a booming 340.39 miles per hour in the final round to outpace Stewart by .007 of a second.

“This is just a big one,” she said. “The last time I stood in the winner’s circle with (my dad) was here and I wanted to win for him. This one is dedicated to him and everything he’s done over the last year (since he was injured in a 300 mph crash at Richmond, Va.). It’s been really tough and we’re so proud of him and I’m just happy to have him out here. I need him out here.” Continue reading →

Beckman Wins 2Fast/2Tasty Challenge; Brittany Starts Fifth in Top Fuel

EPPING, NH – Jack Beckman raced to his second win of the season in the Mission Foods 2Fast/2Tasty Challenge Saturday, sharing center stage at New England Dragway with teammate Austin Prock who will start his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS from the No. 1 starting position in Sunday’s 12th NHRA New England Nationals.

Two-time Top Fuel World Champion Brittany Force will start her Monster Energy Chevrolet from the No. 5 starting position in pursuit of her 300th round win and 18th victory in the Mission Foods Series and will oppose Clay Millican in round one.

Overall, it was a qualifying performance that got the seal of approval from team founder and owner John Force who won here just one year ago, earning the 157th victory of his career.

“Congratulations to Beckman and Prock,” said the 16-time World Champion. “And Brittany’s right there in the hunt as well qualified fifth. That’s a pretty good weekend so far. We’ll see how it plays out on race day.” Continue reading →

Brittany Third, Beckman Fourth on First Day at New England Nationals

EPPING, NH – Jack Beckman was the picture of consistency in the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet SS in which John Force won last year’s New England Nationals, but it was teammate and Funny Car point leader Austin Prock who left New England Dragway Friday as the provisional No. 1 qualifier.

Beckman, a winner two weeks ago at the Route 66 Nationals at Chicago, hustled down the left lane in 3.908 seconds at 326.87 miles per hour in Friday’s first session before duplicating that time to the thousandth Friday evening with a speed of 313.44 mph. He was a solid fourth in the first day order.

“Second quickest car of the first session and third quickest car in the second session,” he beamed, “and that was putting two cylinders out. It is so rewarding to know that even when we miss it, our tuning window is so wide (that) we’re still one of the quickest cars on the racetrack.

“I don’t know if tomorrow is going to give us more shots at the racetrack. There’s a lot we can do to pick our car up and I think we’ve got a great shot of being able to take over No. 1, I just don’t know if Mother Nature is going to permit that,” said the U.S. Air Force veteran who is making his 14th appearance since taking over from Force in August of last year. Continue reading →

EPPING, NH – Encouraged by last year’s track record-setting 335.57 mile per hour speed and motivated by the early-season success of her John Force Racing teammates, two-time Top Fuel World Champion Brittany Force hopes to unleash a Monster this weekend in the 12th renewal of the NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway.

Denied two weeks ago when she was upended in the first round of the Route 66 Nationals at Chicago, Ill., Force again will try to secure the 300th round win of her pro career and join an elite group of only 11 other Top Fuel drivers able to achieve that feat in the 75-year history of the NHRA series.

“We’re ready to get back to a track where we’ve had success in the past,” said the 17-time tour winner. “We won in 2017, the year we won our first championship, and last season, with David Grubnic at the helm, our Monster Energy dragster set the track speed record at over 335 mph. Continue reading →

EPPING, NH – On a track on which his grandfather raced Funny Cars in the 1970s, Mission Foods point leader Austin Prock tries to enhance his own already impressive resume this week when he sends his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS after the winner’s trophy in the 12th NHRA New England Nationals.

“We’ve had a great Cornwell Tools Chevy the last three races and we’re looking to match that performance again this weekend,” said the 29-year-old who prepped for a drag racing career driving quarter-midgets, midgets and sprint cars. “I love the history at New England Dragway. My grandfather (Tom Prock) raced there in the ‘70s and fans have great stories about it (so) a win this week would be huge.”

In fact, a win would enable the reigning World Champion to scratch New England Dragway off the short list of tracks on which he has not yet celebrated a Mission Foods Series victory.

“I’m ready for this east coast swing,” Prock said, referencing not only this week’s race but two subsequent events at Bristol, Tenn., and Richmond, Va., in which he is the defending champion.   Continue reading →

EPPING, NH – Keeping his emotions in check will be one of the keys this week for “Fast Jack” Beckman when he drives the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet SS in pursuit of the Funny Car championship in the 12th NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway.

The 58-year-old Californian, currently second in Mission Foods points behind teammate Austin Prock, will begin the qualifying process Friday on the all-concrete track on which John Force earned his 157th tour victory just one year ago.

“My sights are firmly set on Epping for several different reasons,” Beckman said, “the least of which is not the fact that the last time the PEAK Chevrolet ran here, it was my boss John Force behind the wheel – and he left with the trophy.

“I’m also looking forward to capitalizing on the momentum from our victory last race in Chicago, which might’ve been the most satisfying of my entire career,” said the man who has won NHRA World Championships in both Funny Car (2012) and Super Comp (2003). Continue reading →

JFR Funny Car Teammates 1-2 in Mission Foods Points Once Again

JOLIET, IL – Racing on his sponsor’s home track with the support of the 623 employees of Old World Industries, whose names were inscribed on the hood of his PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet SS, Jack Beckman outdueled teammate Austin Prock in a classic all-John Force Racing final round Sunday to win the 25th NHRA Route 66 Nationals at Route 66 Raceway.

The 58-year-old driving instructor and drag racing historian used a .049 of a second reaction time to make his 3.935 a winner over Prock’s 3.933, securing JFR’s 324th pro tour victory. At the finish line, the margin was a scant .012 of a second.

“Every win is great, and I have a lot of trophies from places like Indy and my home track in Pomona (Calif.),” Beckman said. “But winning here in Chicago, a track that was off the tour for awhile, is as good as it gets.

“When I left the tour, I never thought I’d race here again,” he said, referencing his exit from competition at the end of the 2020 season due to a lack of sponsorship. “Austin Prock is great. Honestly, he’s one or two hundredths better than the rest of us. You just have to do your best. Continue reading →

Prock Moves Up in Final Session; Brittany Aiming for 300th Round Win

JOLIET, IL – With a host of PEAK executives and employees providing an emotional boost, “Fast Jack” Beckman powered the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet SS through the 1,000-foot course in 3.859 seconds at 332.75 miles per hour Saturday and will start Sunday’s NHRA Route 66 Nationals from the No. 1 qualifying position.

While it will be the 30th No. 1 start of Beckman’s Funny Car career, it will be just his second since he was summoned out of retirement last August to fill the seat previously occupied by Hall of Fame owner and driver John Force.

The 58-year-old’s bid to win a second Route 66 title to bookend the one he won in 2016 will begin with a first-round match against No. 16 qualifier Dave Richards.

Not even the fact that the crew was unable to fire the engine on the PEAK Chevy in the final qualifying session, leaving Beckman sitting at the starting line while Bob Tasca III made a solo run, was enough to blunt the 2012 World Champion’s optimism for Sunday. Continue reading →

Beckman, Prock Eye Saturday Improvement in Route 66 Qualifying

JOLIET, IL – Although a challenging track surface and 25 mile per hour cross winds played havoc with performance on the first day of the 25th NHRA Route 66 Nationals, two-time Top Fuel World Champion Brittany Force managed to wrestle her Monster Energy Chevrolet across the finish line at Route 66 Raceway in 3.833 seconds at 327.03 mph, good enough for the provisional No. 3 qualifying position.

One round win away from becoming just the 12th Top Fuel driver in 75 years to win 300 competitive rounds in the NHRA’s Mission Foods Series, Force will have two more chances on Saturday to improve both her performance and her position in advance of Sunday eliminations.

“Good start for our team,” said the 17-time tour winner. “We didn’t get down there on the first run (but) second run we put a 3.83 on the board. We were looking to run a mid-3.80, so that was a killer run for our Monster Energy team.

“It was a hot racetrack, one of the toughest racetracks we’ve been on,” said the 2013 NHRA Rookie-of-the-Year. “So, we feel good going into Saturday. It’s going to be completely different conditions tomorrow. We’re looking for two solid runs, definitely (plan to) step it up and see where we’ll end up qualifying.” Continue reading →

JOLIET, IL – With a couple of milestones clearly within reach, Brittany Force this week sends her national record-holding, 340 mile per hour Monster Energy Chevrolet after the Top Fuel championship in the 25th running of the NHRA Route 66 Nationals at Route 66 Raceway.

Seeking her 18th Mission Foods tour victory, a number that would tie her with Shirley Muldowney for most by a woman in the NHRA’s signature class, she also is just one round win away from reaching 300 in a pro career that began in 2013.

Nevertheless, the second youngest of John Force’s daughters is taking nothing for granted on the eve of the season’s sixth event. That’s because, while she is the Route 66 track record holder for speed at 334.82 mph, she knows better than most how fleeting success can be on the world’s premier drag racing circuit.

Just one year ago at this race, in fact, she found herself on the outside looking in, a non-qualifier for the first time in 190 events and for just the fifth time in her career. Continue reading →