Jack Beckman kicked off a busy week of preparation for the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season-opening CARQUEST NHRA Winternationals by volunteering to speak to hundreds of school children at the Etiwanda Elementary School, on Monday on the importance of education.
 
Beckman, driver of the Valvoline/MTS Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing, divided his time between a group of first- through third-graders and fourth- and fifth-graders, signing autographs and posing with them for photos afterward.
 

Jack Beckman kicked off a busy week of preparation for the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season-opening CARQUEST NHRA Winternationals by volunteering to speak to hundreds of school children at the Etiwanda Elementary School, on Monday on the importance of education.
 
Beckman, driver of the Valvoline/MTS Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing, divided his time between a group of first- through third-graders and fourth- and fifth-graders, signing autographs and posing with them for photos afterward.
 
"It was actually so big we split it into two groups," said Beckman, who welcomes invitations such as these to discuss his career and life with youngsters. "The younger kids wanted to know about the race car, how fun is it and how fast does it run, and the older kids were a little bit more open to hearing about school and education. I tried to get the message across that the things you learn in school are all the things that our crew guys, the drivers and team managers are using on a day-to-day basis, so it really is important to pay attention. The other thing we talked about is that it's OK if you're not great in every subject but, as for the subjects that you are good at, dive in with both feet, because if you really enjoy them then you'll probably use them later in life and build a career around them.
 
"You realize how neat it is not when you're speaking and projecting to a room of kids who are out there in front of you, but when they come up for questions and answers. And being able to kneel down next to them and put a hand on their shoulder and take pictures afterward is very rewarding," Beckman added. "It's kind of tough, whether you're talking to kids or adults, to know if they're receptive to your message until afterward. When everything was over, they wanted to come up and touch me and get my autograph and they were very excited, so I knew I got through to them. That's when you know it meant something to them and that's why it meant something to me."