Jack Beckman was John Force Racing’s standard bearer in qualifying for the FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals by posting the second-quickest Funny Car run, while JFR teammates Jordan Vandergriff and Alexis DeJoria will go head-to-head in Round 1 and Josh Hart qualified 10th in Top Fuel for Sunday’s first-round matchups at Firebird Motorsports Park.
Temperatures in the 90s and into triple digits continued to play a critical role in the success of the competitors in either nitro category getting down the track clean. Beckman’s best run in the PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car, 3.982 seconds at 323.97 mph, was made in Q1 Friday as was Vandergriff and the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car team’s fifth-place run of 4.011 seconds at 288.21 mph and Alexis DeJoria’s run of 4.081 seconds at 298.47 mph in the Bandero Premium Tequila Chevrolet SS Funny Car for the 12th spot.
“The PEAK Squad had a really good run in the heat in Q4 and earned three points for low ET of the session,” said Beckamn. “We were second low of the first session, fifth low of the third session, lowest of the last session and just overpowered it on Q2. We’ve been almost a polar opposite of Gainesville. In this one, we unloaded with a great run which set the tone and we made it three out of four times down track. I’m really confident. Tomorrow will be another hot and nasty day but, with an earlier start, first round might be where we see the quickest runs of the week. Our goal is to make ours and winning run and then we want to survive the attrition.”
Josh Hart and the Burnyzz Speed Shop / Speedmaster Top Fuel team made their best run in Q3 Saturday morning with a time of 3.854 seconds at 328.30 mph in the semifinal round of the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. Hart got the holeshot but put a cylinder or two out down track allowing Justin Ashley to move past for the win. The two will pair up again in Sunday’s first round of eliminations.
“I have nothing but praise and love for the JFR team,” Hart said. “We are second to none when it comes to communication, and the team and I collaboratively came together and said, ‘You know, we had to try something big.’ That communication is priceless. We went out there and it didn’t fall our way this time, but I’m sure it will many more times in the future. And, hey, you have to race everybody on race day anyway. We’ll run our lane and be just fine.”
Vandergriff took the win in the first round of the Funny Car #2Fast2Tasty Challenge in Q3 when Chad Green turned on the red light. He then bowed out to JR Todd in the final round during Q4 when the Cornwell Tools Chevy hazed the tires while Todd was able to drive through similar circumstances.
DeJoria grabbed the holeshot (.087 to .114) against Todd in her #2Fast2Tasty Challenge semifinal but drove into tire smoke just past the 300-foot mark and clicked it off.
Beckman earned three bonus points for low ET of Q4 and will face Daniel Wilkerson in Sunday’s first round of eliminations which is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. PT.
Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 22, followed by eliminations coverage at 6:30 p.m. ET.
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