Originally Posted on http://www.competitionplus.com

Release courtesy of: Judy Stropus

Palm Beach, Fla. – Driving the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing, Jack Beckman completed 11 test runs from Monday through Thursday down the Palm Beach International Raceway 1000-foot dragstrip, posting his quickest pass of 4.095 seconds on Thursday. He also unofficially recorded the fastest Funny Car speed of 308.78 mph.

“It was a very, very productive test,” said Beckman, who ended the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing season with two victories and fifth in points. “We just made a total of 11 runs and three were planned shutoff runs just to test the tune-up for (new crew chief) Rahn Tobler and four new people on the crew. We have five crew guys from last year, four from other teams.

“Of our nine full 1000-foot runs, five of them were really stout. We ran a 4.14, 4.12, 4.11, 4.10 and 4.095. We’ve run 307 mph and 308.78 mph, almost 309, and those are my two best speeds by quite a bit to 1000 feet.”

The Valvoline/MTS team plans to run again today, Friday. “We’re going to wait until it gets warm on Friday,” added Beckman. “We feel like now we’ve got a great handle on consistency, and we’re relatively quick and we want to see if we can go down a warmer race track.

“As far as testing goes, I try not to imagine too much about it beforehand, because each crew chief has his own plan, sometimes the race track doesn’t cooperate, sometimes the weather stinks, sometimes you’re sorting parts out. I try not to get a preconceived notion about testing, but this could not have gone better than the way it did out here.

“I believe we’re probably the most consistent of the Funny Car bunch and I think we’re fastest. I don’t think anybody’s run a better speed than we did, and we’re right there among the quickest. We’re within a few thousandths of them. It’s been perfect.

“This is exactly what we needed to accomplish. I’ll go even one step further: Had Thursday and Friday rained out, I think everybody on this team would have felt confident pulling into Pomona. So, it’s just been a bonus to get some more good runs on Thursday and to get another shot on Friday.

“And we’ve actually been able to try different parts on the car. Sometimes the problem with testing is you have to sort out a tune-up and you don’t get a chance to try new ideas and parts on the car. Because everything has gone so smoothly, we’ve been able to cycle a lot of our test parts onto the car to get data from them.”

The first race of the 23-event 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series will be in Pomona, Calif., Feb. 11-14.

Photo Courtesy of Roger Richards @ Competitionplus.com

BECKMAN ON TOUR; VALVOLINE STYLE

Courtesy of Judy Stropus

As a result of a joint nationwide campaign between Valvoline® and NAPA AUTO PARTS to promote Valvoline’s Engine Guarantee program, Jack Beckman will make his first of eight appearances around the country this year at the Gallatin, Tenn., NAPA store on January 18.

As part of the promotion, NAPA stores were asked in 2009 to dress up their stores with Valvoline logos and product and send in photographs of their displays. Each of the eight best displays won the opportunity to hold an in-store autograph session with Jack Beckman, driver of the Valvoline/MTS Dodge Funny Car in the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

The Valvoline/MTS Dodge will be on display at the NAPA Auto and Truck Parts of Gallatin, 204 N. Locust Ave., in Gallatin, Tenn., while Beckman signs autographs from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (local time).

“Our promotion with NAPA and Don Schumacher Racing is another example of creating value off the track as well as on the track,” said Rob Clendening, Manager, Global Brands of Ashland Consumer Markets (Valvoline). “Jack brings a ton of enthusiasm to programs like this, and the stores competed hard for the right to host him. Some of the displays they created were amazing.”

“There are so many positives with this program,” said Beckman, who’s won eight national events in 17 final rounds since joining DSR in 2006. “In these tough economic times we’re helping the consumer who is changing his/her own motor oil or going to a retailer and having it changed. They’re coming to a NAPA store to buy their Valvoline oil, and we’re letting them know that we can help them protect their car and it costs them nothing additional. They can go to www.valvoline.com and register and take advantage of the 300,000-mile Engine Guarantee program.

“And I really enjoy talking with the folks at these appearances to make them aware of this program and to help promote NHRA drag racing at the same time.”

Following is the current list of 2010 Jack Beckman appearances:
 

January 18:
NAPA Auto and Truck Parts of Gallatin                
204 N Locust Ave.                                         
Gallatin, TN 37066                                            
11am – 1pm    
 
February 4:
NAPA AUTO PARTS                                                              
4501 Stine Rd.                                                     
Bakersfield, CA 93309                                  
12pm – 2pm
 
February 9:
NAPA AUTO PARTS                                                        
9361 Sierra                                                  
Fontana, CA 92337                                          
2pm – 4pm
 
March 15:
Brooks Auto Parts                                             
212 Ogeechee St.                                      
Sylvania, GA 30467                                               
4pm – 6pm
 
March 25:
Aube’s Inc                                                      
8005 Hwy 49                                                         
Mt. Pleasant, NC  28124                                     
1pm – 3pm
 
March 29:
NAPA Richmond                                                          
800 Southlake Blvd                                           
Richmond, VA 23236                                            
2pm – 4pm  
 
April 2:
NAPA Omaha                                               
6160 Grover                                               
Omaha, NE 68106                                       
12pm – 2pm  
 
April 28:
Napa of Auburn                                                      
325 Center Dr                                                        
Auburn, ME 04210                                                       
1pm – 3pm