Team owner Don Schumacher dispelled rumors that Jack Beckman is headed back to Top Fuel in 2007. This denial comes after he confirmed that Beckman has been fitted for a dragster and will test the day after the St. Louis national event. 

“There’s no plan to have him leave Funny Car,” Schumacher said. “Jack is renewing his license so he can drive a dragster the day after St. Louis. As soon as we can get the car and all of the equipment … and it is almost ready … we’ll have him make a few runs in the dragster. We just want him to have his license up and active and we’ll go from there.”

“There is no plan for Jack to leave the MTS Funny Car and put him in a dragster. It’s just the right move for Jack in the long term.”

That doesn’t rule out Beckman’s defection in 2007. After all, it was rumored that he was planning to go Top Fuel racing this season despite last year’s Funny Car win at Vegas2 and the Funny Car speed record.

“Who knows what the right move is?” Schumacher said. “Jack’s committed here for a few years, so is MTS and so am I to MTS and Jack Beckman for a few years. We are going forward. Right now Jack is doing a great job in a Funny Car. That’s where our plan is to keep him.

“But … things do change.”

Schumacher says the decision to move over will not only be his to make.

“I don’t ever make just a single-sided decision,” Schumacher said. “Jack would be involved. The sponsor would be involved as well as crew chiefs Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler. I would make the final decision.”

Schumacher cannot say whether this is the only dragster session for Beckman.

“This is one test session to get his license back active,” said Schumacher. “But that is up to Jack. If Jack feels he needs to make a few more passes … if he doesn’t get it done there … we will try it again after Topeka or Chicago. There isn’t a plan to bring the car out into competition this year.”

The temptation does not exist under the Countdown to the Championship format to use Beckman as a blocker in Top Fuel in the event he fails to qualify for the elite eight in Funny Car.

“I will never bring a car out to be a blocker for any of my teams,” Schumacher said. “None of my teams will be a blocker for the other. I don’t race that way. The sport shouldn’t be that way. The fans would hate it. It would just be a negative in every way.”