The Other Guy in the Matco Funny Car: An Interview with “Fast Jack” Beckman
Written by Sheila Scarborough · September 24, 2006
People seem to either love or despise Whit Bazemore, the intense former driver of the Matco Tools Dodge Charger Funny Car. Whichever way you feel, he’s not the driver anymore for the moment. In his place is an unassuming but equally intense guy named Jack Beckman.
I asked Jack how many fans had stopped by the pit expecting to see Whit and getting him instead, especially since the vinyl wrapper around the big rig still has Whit’s face and signature on it.
“It’s been a mixed bag with the fans,” Beckman said. “Some think I stole his ride. Some have wished me well. Some ask for Whit and don’t even know he’s not the driver anymore. Most have been supportive. Hey, the vinyl wrapper on the trailer is the least of my concerns.”
There’s certainly no personal animosity between the drivers. Who was one of the guys who signed Jack’s Funny Car license?
Whit Bazemore, who was there with him throughout the licensing process.
I asked about the crew’s reaction to him. He said, “You know, Whit’s been linked with Matco Tools for a long time….everyone’s made the transition as pain-free as possible for me. The crew’s been great. This is their livelihood; they’re pros. They’ll do everything in their power to make sure we do well.”
The 40 year-old former Air Force Sergeant is a long-time racing professional who won four Sportsman championships, was the 2003 Super Comp champion and raced Top Fuel on a limited schedule in 2005. He has also taught over 6000 students as the chief instructor at the Pomona, CA Frank Hawley Racing School, a gig he hopes to retain in some capacity while racing because he loves it so much.
This is a calm, steady guy who is thrilled to be living his dream. As a cancer survivor (high grade level 3B lymphoma) currently in remission, he has his priorities straight and is not that easily rattled.
“You know, they gave me a 56% chance to survive,” said Beckman. “It really rearranges the ‘table of contents’ in your life. You learn to focus on the important things. First, live. Second, go drag racing.”
Even the rainout in Reading, where he was supposed to make his first appearance with Don Schumacher Racing, didn’t get to him much. He chuckled, “It rained. OK. You change some flights, some plans. OK. Rain is not the end of the world.”
Beckman had some solid qualifying runs in his driver debut here at the Texas Motorplex O’Reilly Fall Nationals. As he explained in another interview late Saturday, “The first time out the track was a little green, so we smoked the tires,” he explained. “Then, we went 4.91, 4.89, 4.91, and the reality is the last run Todd [Okuhara, crew chief] had a 4.83 in the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Charger, but I let it get out of the groove and clicked it early. So, the Matco Tools guys have had a quicker car every single session. It’s my job to stay on top of it and get it down the track,” he noted.
Although he fell to Tommy Johnson, Jr. in the first round, Beckman knows that he has a 5-race head start on next year, to keep living that Funny Car fantasy.
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