Jack Beckman

Jack Beckman
Nationality American
Born June 28, 1966
San Fernando, California

Jack Beckman (Born June 28, 1966 at San Fernando, California) is a professional drag racer who currently drives a NHRA Fuel Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing. He is known in the drag racing community as "Fast Jack".

Beckman is also an instructor for Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing school, (the official driving instruction school of the National Hot Rod Association). Over a period of 11 years, Beckman has instructed over 7,000 different students.

Won the 2012 NHRA Funny car Full Throttle Championship. Jack won the Championship on the final day of the year in Pomona California @ NHRA Auto Club Finals, defeating DSR teammate Ron Capps by 2 points. He won in spite of a total team and car change in April of 2012.

The early years

Beckman became a fan of drag racing at a very early age. "In 1973 my uncle John began to take my brother (Ted) and me to Orange County International Raceway, Ontario, Irwindale and Bakersfield," recalls Beckman. "I made my first run (a 15.06 second elapsed time) at Lubbock Dragway in Texas while I was serving in the military in 1986."

In 1988 Beckman won his first race driving a 1968 El Camino (which was also the same car he drove for his driver license test when he was 16) and moved up to the Super Comp division in 1991. His dragster, known as "The Blackbird" was built by California Chassis Engineering and was the same dragster Beckman drove to a Lucas Oil World Championship in the Super Comp class in 2003. "The Blackbird Super Comp dragster has been with me since 1995, I've made more than 1500 runs in it and it feels like a second skin", states Beckman who continues to run his dragster at local bracket races when time permits.

In May 2004, following his Super Comp championship season in 2003, Beckman was diagnosed with cancer (high grade level 3B Lymphoma), which we now know has a survival rate of 46-60 percent. "I had what they call high grade level 3B lymphoma, and it was pretty pervasive throughout my body. One doctor told me the survival rate for that type of cancer is about 80% and another one said it’s about 50 to 65%. I liked the first doctor better."

Beckman had his eighth and final chemotherapy treatment on October 25, 2004, after which he was informed by doctors that they had been successful and his cancer was in remission. He then began a new type of treatment, "G-Force Therapy". In April, 2005 Beckman debuted as a professional drag racer in the NHRA in the sports elite category, Top Fuel Eliminator. Driving a Top Fuel Dragster for car owner Dexter Tuttle, Beckman qualified in his first event and beat fellow rookie dragster driver, Ben Marshall earning his first professional round victory.

As of March 2010, Beckman has nine career NHRA National Event Championships- including seven as a pro (all in Funny Car) and two as a sportsman driver (1998 and 2003 NHRA Winternationals in Super Comp). He has competed in 18 final rounds in NHRA National Event Competition.

Records

Personal life

References

External links