Infinite Hero Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat funny car beat the Chevrolet Camaro of John Force.
The 2020 NHRA season opened this past weekend in Pomona, California and Jack Beckman opened the season with a big win in his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody funny car. “Fast Jack” qualified second with his Infinite Hero race car, trailing only teammate Matt Hagan, but Beckman was able to beat every challenger to claim the first “W” of the 2020 season.
This week’s Track Time Tuesday video comes to us from the NHRA YouTube channel and it showcases the first funny car final matchup of the 2020 NHRA season, with Beckman beating the legendary John Force in a thrilling drag race.
Beckman’s Run to the Finals
Jack Beckman qualified second for the first event of the 2020 NHRA season. In the first round, Beckman had his slowest run of eliminations, laying down a 4.291 at 294.18 to beat Steven Densham, who shut down early.
In the second round, Beckman and his Chargerfaced Ron Capps in another Don Schumacher Racing Dodge. Capps qualified seventh, but he also had a rough run in the first round. Beckman ran a 3.871 at 329.34 while Capps shut down early, giving Fast Jack the win. This 3.871 was the quickest elapsed time of the run.
In the third round, Beckman ran a 3.843 at 322.92 against Alexis DeJoria, who also shut off early. Beckman was the quickest funny car in this round as well. Meanwhile, on the other half of the bracket, Matt Hagan had a bad run, losing to John Force and his Chevrolet Camaro.
The First Final of 2020
In the finals, John Force and his Chevrolet Camaro lined up with Jack Beckman and his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody. Force ran a 3.923 at 331.28 in the semifinals, but his best run of the day was a 3.875 in the first round. Beckman was quicker than Force’s best in the second and third rounds, so it was clear that Force would need to really bring the heat in the finals.
Force held the lead on green, grabbing the reaction time advantage with a .065 to Beckman’s .081, but it didn’t take long for Fast Jack to catch, pass and win the race. It was a tight race, with Beckman winning on a 3.837 at 333.33 to Force’s losing 3.897 at 332.34. Beckman ran his quickest run of eliminations in the final round, giving him the first funny car title of 2020.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
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