There are not many race car drivers that can say they’ve been given the “key to the dragstrip.”
After tonight, Jack Beckman can.
Beckman will be honored in front of thousands of fans, friends and family this evening at the Irwindale (Calif.) Dragstrip, which is near his boyhood home in Granada Hills and just a stone’s throw from his current residence in Norco.
"This guy is one of our true local heroes,” says Irwindale facilities manager Bob Klein. “Everyone loves "Fast" Jack Beckman. He's a real winner in all of our books, and this chance to tell him that right here at our little strip is a big deal for all of us."
But tonight’s festivities are not all pomp and celebration for the 46-year-old Beckman.
MoparMax.com is putting him to work as crew chief on their Maulin' Magnum race car, driven by young drag racing phenom and MoparMax.com Contributing Editor Alex Rogeo.
Jack has instructed more than 7,000 students at Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School since 1998 and he'll be giving Alex instruction and advice that she'll share with her readers in an upcoming MoparMax.com issue.
And, in case you didn’t know, Jack is quite proficient behind the wheel. He pilots the Valvoline NextGen Nitro Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing in championship drag racing events across the country. As of March 2010, the Mopar-powered driver has nine career NHRA National Event Championships, including seven as a pro (all in Funny Car) and two as a sportsman driver (1998 and 2003 NHRA Winternationals in Super Competition). He has competed in 18 final rounds in NHRA National Event Competition.
