'Fast Jack' to drive in relief of John Force

BROWNSBURG, Ind. — With an NHRA championship still very much in play, John Force Racing president Robert Hight announced Tuesday that 2012 Funny Car world champion Jack Beckman will drive Force's Chevrolet Camaro for the remainder of the 2024 season. While Force continues to recover from a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) and other serious injuries suffered in a June 23 crash in Richmond, Va., "Fast Jack" will slide into the seat occupied by the 157-time tour winner during the season's first nine races. Beckman will make his debut in the PEAK Camaro in this week's non-championship event, the 47th annual Night Under Fire" at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk. He and JFR teammate Brittany Force in will both compete in the Saturday exhibition. Beckman is no stranger to the Maple City, where he won three of his 33 Wally trophies at the NHRA Summit Racing Nationals. When Force was injured, he was second in points behind JFR teammate Austin Prock. By NHRA rules, when a driver is unable to compete, the race team may employ a substitute who can earn points for the original driver in a maximum of eight tour events. This means when Beckman rolls to the starting line for qualifying at the Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd, Minn., on Aug. 16, he'll be pursuing a 17th championship title for Force. He currently sits sixth in the driver standings with two races remaining before points reset for the Countdown to the Championship. "When you think about someone who can handle the driving, can deal with the media, take care of the sponsors and take care of the fans, there was only one obvious choice and that was Jack Beckman," Hight said. "Plus, he has history with Chris Cunningham (co-crew chief on the PEAK Chevy with Dan Hood and Tim Fabrisi) and has the respect of John's family." A 33-time event winner in Funny Car, Beckman last raced competitively in 2020 when he returned to being a full-time elevator technician, a career that he left 22 years earlier to follow his drag racing dream. The 58-year-old Californian is keenly aware of the unique situation. "It's been nearly four years since I stood on the throttle, and I thought that feeling was something I'd never experience again," Beckman said. "Though the circumstances that brought me back are regrettable, the opportunity presented to me is beyond my ability to find words. I'm not replacing John ... nobody could ever do that. "John is one of a kind, and his impact on this sport, and my life, cannot be overemphasized. I know how fortunate I am to have been picked to fill in for John, and I should be easy to spot in the pits. I'll be the guy who can't stop smiling." Although he won the Funny Car title in 2012, Beckman's best season was 2015 when he advanced to nine final rounds and won seven races coming up just 56-points shy of being a two-time Funny Car champion. A cancer survivor and U.S. Air Force veteran, Beckman has taught more than 7,000 students the basics of drag racing as an instructor at Frank Hawley's drag racing school. Among them were Force's daughters, Ashley, Brittany and Courtney, and his wife, Laurie, who also earned her Super Comp license under Beckman's tutelage. Before distinguishing himself in the Funny Car division, Beckman won the 2003 NHRA Super Comp world championship. He is licensed in 12 different NHRA competition categories including Top Fuel, the class in which he made his professional racing debut in 2005. The following year, he made his Funny Car debut late in the season, and in just his fourth race in the category, he won the NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Two weeks later, in the season-ending world finals, he qualified No. 1, set NHRA national records for time and speed, and finished runner-up to Force. Eventually, Beckman became one of only a few drivers in the sport to enjoy a winning record against the Hall of Fame driver and car owner. The NHRA Summit Nationals held in Norwalk on June 28-30 was the first race following Force's crash. The 2014 Summit winner has been a track favorite in Norwalk, specifically for his yearly visits with the Night Under Fire show, long before the Norwalk dragstrip became an NHRA event in 2007. The winningest driver in the history of U.S. motorsports had a portion of the grandstands in Norwalk named in his honor, with a picture of his likeness perched high atop Summit Motorsports Park. It was unveiled at the Night Under Fire in 2000.