Photography: John Force Racing / Gary Nastase / Auto Imagery
BROWNSBURG, Ind. (Oct. 29, 2025) – It was at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2006 that PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet SS Funny Car driver Jack Beckman earned the first of his 37 career event wins in the category and his goal at the Oct. 31-Nov. 2 Nevada Nationals is to break the dry spell that has kept him out of winner’s circle there in the 16 races he competed in since.
The 2012 NHRA Funny Car Champion has earned two runner-up finishes in previous Nevada Nationals (2009, 2012) and three No. 1 Qualifying positions (2016, 2017, 2019) but that second win has been elusive. It’s a stat he and his Daniel Hood/Tim Fabrisi/Chris Cunningham-led team are focused on rectifying this weekend.
Beckman is third in the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Funny Car point standings after 18 of 20 races. The Top 10 are: 1. 2485 Austin Prock (2,485); 2. Matt Hagan (-112); 3. Jack Beckman (-131); 4. Ron Capps (-149); 5. Dan Wilkerson (-189); 6. Paul Lee (-228); 7. Cruz Pedregon (-233); 8. Chad Green (-249); 9. Spencer Hyde (-268); 10. Alexis Dejoria (-290).
Notes
- Beckman holds The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway speed record of 335.90 mph, set Nov. 2, 2019.
- Fast Jack has earned two event victories in 2025, the Winternationals in Pomona and again in Chicago, and was runner-up at Richmond, Indianapolis, and St. Louis.
- Beckman has earned the No. 1 Qualifier positions at five events in 2025 — Gainesville, Chicago, Richmond, Brainerd, and Indianapolis.
Quotes
What do you remember about earning your first NHRA Funny Car event at Las Vegas in 2006?
“I think it was my fifth race ever in Funny Car and in the final round I raced Tommy Johnson Junior who, ironically, would be a teammate of mine a few years later. I had the old Las Vegas track as a Sportsman racer for years. I remember driving on the dirt of that new Las Vegas track a year before it was even opened. It was just a super facility when it opened, and I still think it’s a fantastic track and I’ve probably got as many runs down as the old one. Anyway, winning that first race was just magical, you know. There I was, brand new to nitro Funny Car. Las Vegas wasn’t just my first pro category win; it was where I first raced as a pro the year before in a Top Fuel dragster.
“So, when we won in Funny Car in my rookie year, I just remember all my Sportsman racing friends were and, as we were lining up for winner’s circle, I just thought how surreal the whole thing seemed to me. It was as high as a high could be, and the wild thing is, as much as I love that track and as much success as I’ve had there as a Sportsman racer, I’ve never won since in a pro car. You’d think the sheer odds would favor me for that facility. I hope I’ve gotten to that tipping point because Pomona was very fickle to me in the pro car for years and now I’ve won the last four times I’ve been there so, hopefully, I’ve paid my dues for Las Vegas.”
With the Funny Car points shakeup after Dallas, do you still take the approach of “I have to do everything I can to win to win every round” to win the championship or has that adjusted?
What I’d like to tell you that I always prepare the same and I always have the same mindset when I get in my car some days that’s easier said than done but I’m pragmatic. I’m really good with numbers and right now, the race is for second place unless something significant happens to the Prock team that hasn’t happened since the day Austin first strapped into that car and we win. Nobody’s going to catch Austin, but our job is to just keep winning rounds and, if we can win, the next eight rounds will solidify second and maybe first if they stumble but, unless we get them in the first round at the next two races, it’s going to be very difficult for us to get them out of competition early. Things lined up in our favor at St. Louis, where we were able to beat them in the second round were able to beat them. Unfortunately, there was an inversion in Dallas. We lost early and they went on to win the race so if they win the championship, they didn’t back into it. The season they’ve had is amazing. I understand the numbers, so our goal is to win the race. The points will take care of themselves.”
Do you do any gambling in the casinos while you’re in Las Vegas?
“I have never felt a compulsion for that when we go to Las Vegas. I may put 20 bucks in a video poker machine, but only because I can make it last for an hour and that’s my entertainment.”
Are there any special places/restaurants/shows that you like to go to while you’re there?
“It would be awesome to say that you’re able to do all that but the reality is the days are pretty long at the drag strip but I’m not complaining. The PEAK SQUAD crews’ day starts two hours before mine and usually goes an hour to two hours after mine so there’s really not a big window unless you want to get there a day early or stay a day late. We’re probably going to drive home Sunday night and I’m probably going to work Monday so that doesn’t give me a window to do anything there. People might assume the romantic part of our jobs is all the travel we get to do and the things we get to see but the reality is if you’re driving race to race, you get to see things within two miles of the interstate and you get to see the race track. If you’re flying, you get to see the fuselage of an airplane and the interior of a rental car and the racetrack.”
Statistics at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
| Year | Race Result | Qualified | Round Record |
| 2005 (TF) | 1st round | 11th | 0-1 |
| 2006 (FC) | Winner | 4th | 4-1 |
| 2007 (FC) | 1st round | 5th | 4-2 |
| 2008 (FC) | 1st round | 11th | 4-3 |
| 2009 (FC) | Runner-up | 8th | 7-4 |
| 2010 (FC) | 2nd round | 9th | 8-5 |
| 2011 (FC) | 2nd round | 8th | 9-6 |
| 2012 (FC) | Runner-up | 7th | 12-7 |
| 2013 (FC) | Semi-finals | 3rd | 14-8 |
| 2014 (FC) | 1st round | 6th | 14-9 |
| 2015 (FC) | 2nd round | 4th | 15-10 |
| 2016 (FC) | 2nd round | 1st | 16-11 |
| 2017 (FC) | Semi-finals | 1st | 18-12 |
| 2018 (FC) | Semi-finals | 3rd | 20-13 |
| 2019 (FC) | Semi-finals | 1st | 22-14 |
| 2020 (FC) | 1st round | 10th | 22-15 |
| 2021 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 2022 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 2023 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 2024 (FC) | Semi-finals | 2nd | 24-16 |
Starts: 17
Wins: 1 (2006)
No. 1 Qualifiers: 3 (2016, 2017, 2019)
Final Rounds: 3 (2006, 2009, 2012)
Wins: 1 (2006)
Event Round Record: 24-16
Quickest time: 3.821 seconds, Nov. 2, 2024
Fastest speed: 335.90 mph, Nov. 2, 2019
Track & TV Schedules
NHRA Mission Food Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds Friday, Oct. 31, at 1:30 and 4 p.m. PT, and the final two rounds on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 12 and 2:30 p.m. PT. Final eliminations are scheduled on Sunday, Nov. 2, at 11 a.m. PT.
Television coverage on Sunday, Nov. 2, includes qualifying action on FS1 from 3-5 p.m. PT and then eliminations coverage on FS1 from 5-8 p.m. PT.
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