Beckman stays busy prior to NHRA drag racing event at Brainerd, cautiously optimistic with revamped Valvoline NextGen Funny Car

It's that time of the season when even if Beckman's Goodyear tires aren't revolving, Beckman never stops moving.

Following NHRA's three-race "Western Swing," Beckman has been a busy man, juggling his time between family and sponsor responsibilities.

"It's been non-stop since the Swing," Beckman said. "After Seattle, I went to the world's largest, by sales volume, Harley-Davidson dealership to do an appearance for Valvoline signing autographs. 

"We were probably about 25 miles from Sturgis (S.D.) so after the signing I hopped on a Harley and went to Sturgis and did a lap there just to say that I've been there and crossed it off my bucket list now. I didn't want to be that close and not do it, so it was cool," he said of annual motorcycle rally.

Beckman is not the only one that hasn't stopped working since the last NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event two weeks ago in Seattle. His Valvoline NextGen team has been hard at work at the Don Schumacher Racing headquarters outside of Indianapolis.

"We've been running well on a consistent basis and we made a decision to front half our chassis," he said. "Typically we would like to take it out and test it one time and right after the Brainerd race we are going to have a two-day test session in Indianapolis. We just don't have the time with all the other teams in the shop to get the front half put on our car after Brainerd."

Beckman is looking forward to seeing how his Valvoline NextGen Funny Car performs at the upcoming event 130 miles northwest of Minneapolis. 

"I'm cautiously optimistic going into Brainerd," he said. "It basically just kind of sets everything back to zero runs on the car. There shouldn't be any sort of surprises on it though. 

"Our goal is to win a championship so we feel like doing it now and running this chassis throughout the rest of the year gives us the best chance to do that."

 

Beckman is also looking forward to the cooler weather that is forecasted for Brainerd.

"We're going to actually have a race where it's less than 100 degrees for all three days," he said. "It looks like it's going to be cool weather. It should be enjoyable for the fans and a reprieve for the crews and the drivers to not have it that hot."