Beckman's Blog...
Continuing on ... By "Fast" Jack Beckman
I apologize for the long delay since my last entry. Apparently my computer caught a virus and needed some time to rest. Throw in racing, work and travel, and the time can quickly get away from you! I will try to keep this as interesting as possible, but I would like to catch you up on all of the off-season activities before we launch into my goals and plans for 2006.
After the NHRA closer at Pomona, I just couldn’t accept that the season was over, so I loaded up and headed for Vegas during the Thanksgiving weekend for a four-day big-dollar bracket race. I took the Blackbird, girlfriend Jenna took her dragster, and Rodger and Karen Comstock brought their Super Gas Corvette and Super Comp dragster. We had just installed a brand-new Madcap 572 into Rodger’s dragster, and he really liked the additional horsepower. We all were hoping to have some fun, make lots of runs, and maybe even make some money!
Well, things didn’t start off too well. First run Thursday, Jenna was two pairs in front of me, and I could just barely see the scoreboards when she ran. I was expecting to see her first seven-second run pop up (she always had run the car on the throttle stop, as do the rest of us for Super Class and bracket racing), but the scoreboard only showed an 8.21.
Oh well, time to focus on my run. About two feet after my launch, the motor went to the rev limiter and the car stopped moving. After a somewhat embarrassing tow back to the pits (I don’t even have a place to hook a tow rope to, as I always drive the car), I was surprised that Jenna wasn’t already in her pit spot. Two minutes later, she too was towed back (with a telltale trail of 20W50 following her). Not exactly the start to the weekend that we had planned. Jenna’s car was done, so I began to diagnose the Blackbird. Turns out the flange gear on the transmission had spun loose of the weld, so one hour and one spare tranny later I was back in business. The car ran in the 7.60’s and I went three rounds. Friday was more of the same, and this time I went to the fourth round. Next came the BIG day….
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Saturday featured not only the regular bracket program, but also an “Ultimate Gambler” race, with a $1000 buy in, winner-take-all format. We were hoping for a better count than last year’s 27 cars, but we were blown away when 64 cars (yes, that’s 64 THOUSAND dollars up for grabs!) signed up. Jenna borrowed our good friend Milt Gedo’s dragster, as she had already arranged sponsorship for her entry fee. All racing from this point on would be eighth-mile, which really cuts down the run time and adds a degree of excitement. We both made it past the first two rounds, and with 16 cars left, everyone agreed that we would start paying out at the round of 8, guaranteeing $25,000 to the winner, down to $2,500 for fourth round losers. I lost in the third round to the eventual winner and made nothing, but jumped up and down when Jenna turned on the win light. We had her wedged into the car with every pillow we could find in the motorhome, and even had a roll of paper towels as a headrest for her! She redlit in the next round, but at least she made $2,500. I went to the seventh round of the Saturday race, and did pocket some money.
Sunday was my last chance to win, and I came close. I lost in the eighth round (semis), again to the eventual winner, but I had a great time. I started my career bracket racing, and my roots are still there. I made 30 runs that weekend, more than I made in my first 5 races in the Top Fueler!
Now, let’s talk about the “off season”. When we returned from Vegas, I unloaded the Blackbird in the shop at the Frank Hawley Drag Racing School. I removed the engine so that Madcap could inspect it, (it needed nothing, not even a “freshen”) and sent my broken transmission back to friend Steve Casner, who always does a fantastic job. Next I loaded the car back into my trailer, as I was going to need all of the shop space that we could spare. Jenna’s car came next. One of the heartbreaks about being a “budget racer” is that blowing up an engine can literally put you out of racing for several months. Jenna was in tears when she blew up in Vegas, and her engine is STILL in pieces today. Luckily, since I installed my Madcap engine in the Blackbird, I still have the engine that won the World Championship in 2003. We installed that into Jenna’s ride, and also freshened her torque converter, transmission, and rear end (the one in the car!).
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Okay, load Jenna’s car back into her trailer, unload the next two (are you seeing a recurring theme here?). Rodger’s dragster needed a torque converter change to take advantage of the extra power, and I also installed a data recorder. (Wow, that description makes it sound like a quick “bolt on,” doesn’t it?) Let me tell you that routing, cutting, splicing, mounting, fabricating, locating and testing made that project far more involved than you might expect. I also did all of the routine service on Rodger’s car, making sure that it was race ready. Now that all of the “easy” stuff was done, it was time to tackle the big project……
Karen’s Super Gas Corvette Roadster needed everything; new engine, trans, converter, front rotors, brake pads, front end parts, hardware, and a “bumper-to-bumper” thorough inspection. Out came the 700 horsepower big block, and as soon as Madcap shipped back Rodger’s old dragster engine – now making 870 horses – in it went. Super Stock racer Bob Bales, who freshens all of the school car transmissions, did a complete upgrade on her unit, and I also put new u-joints in and rebalanced the driveshaft. I had the radiator cleaned, and I welded several brackets to the chassis (that’s scary!). I replaced any questionable hardware and power washed the entire car. It was apart so long I was afraid I wouldn’t remember how everything went back together! I need to label everything first, otherwise the front wheels might end up bolted to the wheelie bars! So, 12 days out from the Winternationals, and Karen had a running hot rod! Rodger really wanted her car to be able to run 150 mph (up from 144) with the new engine, and she went 156 out of the box at the test session in Fontana the week before Pomona! Anyway, 3 out of 4 cars were done, and only one wasn’t running……..MINE!
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Putting the Blackbird together was easy. Over the past 11 years I have had so many engines and trannies in my car that working on it has become a breeze. In fact, we even took a weekend off to go to the Vegas Pro Warmup just to see what was going on. It was difficult knowing that I wasn’t driving. I felt awkward walking around the Pro pits, not working in one. As we are still pursuing a fuel ride, I felt it was important to be out there, talking to team owners and drivers and building leads. I will give a complete update on our fuel situation next article. Taking time off to go to Vegas meant many late, cold nights at the shop to insure that all four cars were ready to go for the Fontana warmup.
At Fontana, the day before Super Bowl Sunday, we ran all four cars. Karen got some good test data and was near the 9.90 mark and still at 154-plus. Rodger was now in the 172-plus range (up nearly six mph with the Madcap engine). Jenna made four runs, ending with an 8.903. I made three runs, the last two were an 8.902 and 8.898. It looked like we were ready for Pomona.
Once in Pomona, the excitement of competition made NOT being in a Top Fueler easier to bear. I still ran up to the stands or starting line every Pro session, and I am still the biggest fan of those fuel monsters! However, I was there to race, and I really wanted to win in Super Comp. Going into Sunday with the fourth round bye run, I was getting THAT feeling. I thought that this was going to be my day, and I might collect my third Winternationals win. Apparently, somebody forgot to tell Anthony Castillo. After a .007 to .018 advantage at the tree, I felt great coming to finish line, as I had already tapped the brakes twice. For some reason the cars picked up in the last two rounds (everyone was fast in the finals as well). Anthony did a great job of “cutting me loose,” and he ran a perfect 8.900 on the brakes to my 8.88. Again, I lost to the eventual winner. Still, it was a fun weekend and good start to the year.
In addition to all of the racing, I still enjoy my job as instructor at the Frank Hawley School tremendously. It would seem that racing occupies every hour of my life, but there are a few moments spent without a tool or steering wheel in my hand.
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In December Jenna, her mother Cindy and I went to Vegas for Jenna’s second marathon. The day after her first marathon, which she ran as a cancer fundraiser in Long Beach, Jenna swore off running forever. However, like any racer, she soon forgot the pains and began looking forward to challenging herself again. She really wanted to improve upon her Long Beach time, and SHE DID, beating that by more than seven minutes. Friend and Injected Nitro racer Dennis Swearingen and his wife Georgia helped me cheer Jenna on from several VERY COLD checkpoints. Jenna has again decided to challenge herself, and will again be raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for her next marathon, June 4 in San Diego. We both would greatly appreciate any donations, and you can go to www.gofastjack.com if interested. Jenna raised more than $14,000 for her first marathon- thanks for your support!
Other non-racing activities included a Super Bowl party at Cindy and Jenna’s house. Fellow Super Comp racer Glenn Kern came out, and Rodger brought his father Hal, 92 years young with a full head of hair!
On the work front, I flew out to Gainesville a few weeks ago to help out with the school, as Frank was shorthanded for the week. (I ran the gas portion of the school in Gainesville from March to May of 2001 while Pomona was closed for repaving. I would fly out and stay for 2 weeks at a time. Once Pomona was redone, I returned to California and Frank moved back to Florida permanently). During this latest trip, I had the opportunity to work with Frank while we ran the Top Alcohol Dragster class. On Tuesday, I even got to suit up and make several runs in the school car while we tested several clutch and launch RPM combinations in an effort to make the car as smooth and quick as possible. After we were done, we had a five-second Cadillac!
Back in Pomona, we ran the school’s first Graduate race of the year. We run four per season, and anyone who licenses at Frank Hawley’s can participate. My job is so incredibly rewarding, and we have done some amazing things, but this day ranks at the top of my list. Our winner, Bud Hemstreet is one of the neatest people that I have ever met. He is a decorated war veteran, and was awarded the purple heart for combat during the battle for…Guadalcanal!!!!
Bud is 81 years old and has a bowling average most 25 year olds would be envious of. His son Ken won the 2005 Grad Series Championship, and two of Ken’s children have also attended. It’s hard not to love a job with people like that!
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As we are still hunting for the right program, as well as the money to properly fund a competitive fuel deal, I have been exploring other driving opportunities for the immediate future. I am actually supposed to be heading up to Bakersfield this weekend for the March Meet, and will once again have the opportunity to drive Jeff Gaynor’s nostalgia Funny Car. These things cackle just as loud as their NHRA cousins, and can run 100% nitro. Though limited by smaller blowers and fuel pumps, these cars are awesome to watch, and even more fun to drive. Ron Capps will drive when his schedule allows, and I feel privileged to be able to keep the seat warm for him.
I also will be driving a Top Alcohol Dragster for the remainder of the year. I’d rather not say more about it until all of the details are finalized, but I can tell you that I will be at the Vegas national event and that the car WILL win some races! Though some may think this is a step back after driving Top Fuel, I never have looked at it that way. It’s a chance to win races in a highly competitive car, and the fact that the driver has a direct influence on the performance and consistency really excites me. Driving a fuel car is by no means easy, but the majority of the performance falls on the crew chief. Blown alcohol drivers have to leave the line at the correct RPM and hit two shift points correctly to maximize the performance of the car. It will be a great opportunity to further develop my skills.
On the health front, I am due for my next post-chemotherapy checkup. I now only have to go in every six months, making it a bit easier to put the whole “cancer thing” further back in my mind. I am now one year and five months in remission, and my type of cancer has an average two-year “window” for recurrence. That means that my long term survival chances go up significantly once past that two-year threshold. However, I don’t like to live based on prognostication tables, actuarial charts and percentages. I just hope and pray the cancer won’t come back, and I encourage those facing similar situations to keep a positive attitude.
One of my friends, young Brittany Knisely of Indiana, hasn’t been doing too well lately. Please say a prayer for her and others who are facing health issues.
I appreciate you taking the time to follow my activities. I hope that my articles are enjoyable, and welcome any input that you may have.
Saturday featured not only the regular bracket program, but also an “Ultimate Gambler” race, with a $1000 buy in, winner-take-all format. We were hoping for a better count than last year’s 27 cars, but we were blown away when 64 cars (yes, that’s 64 THOUSAND dollars up for grabs!) signed up. Jenna borrowed our good friend Milt Gedo’s dragster, as she had already arranged sponsorship for her entry fee. All racing from this point on would be eighth-mile, which really cuts down the run time and adds a degree of excitement. We both made it past the first two rounds, and with 16 cars left, everyone agreed that we would start paying out at the round of 8, guaranteeing $25,000 to the winner, down to $2,500 for fourth round losers. I lost in the third round to the eventual winner and made nothing, but jumped up and down when Jenna turned on the win light. We had her wedged into the car with every pillow we could find in the motorhome, and even had a roll of paper towels as a headrest for her! She redlit in the next round, but at least she made $2,500. I went to the seventh round of the Saturday race, and did pocket some money.
Okay, load Jenna’s car back into her trailer, unload the next two (are you seeing a recurring theme here?). Rodger’s dragster needed a torque converter change to take advantage of the extra power, and I also installed a data recorder. (Wow, that description makes it sound like a quick “bolt on,” doesn’t it?) Let me tell you that routing, cutting, splicing, mounting, fabricating, locating and testing made that project far more involved than you might expect. I also did all of the routine service on Rodger’s car, making sure that it was race ready. Now that all of the “easy” stuff was done, it was time to tackle the big project……
