NHRA Winternationals
Event 1 of 24 (Pomona I)
Auto Club Raceway at Pomona
Pomona, Calif.
February 7-9, 2020
Highlights:
- 2019 Mello Yello Series Funny Car runner-up Jack Beckman, and third-place finisher Matt Hagan look to pick-up where they left off by building upon their late-season momentum at the 2020 season-opener
- Beckman returns to Auto Club Raceway at Pomona as the most recent Funny Car winner after having won the 2019 season-closer. He also posted a runner-up finish at the 2019 NHRA Winternationals
- Antron Brown earned his first No. 1 qualifier in the Top Fuel category at the 2008 Pomona I event
- Beckman, Ron Capps, and Leah Pruett consider Pomona to be a hometown track. Beckman resides in Norco; Capps resides in Carlsbad; Pruett grew up in nearby Redlands
- Team patriarch Don Schumacher won the 1973 event in the Funny Car category
- All current DSR drivers have been victorious at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona at least once
DSR-Owned Track Records:
Funny Car, E.T.: 3.822 seconds, Matt Hagan (Pomona I 2017)
DSR Driver Information:
Funny Car
JACK BECKMAN
Driver of the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
Pomona I Event Highlights:
- 2019 runner-up
- 2016 No. 1 qualifier
- 2019 Pomona I Recap:
- Qualified second; Event runner-up (defeated Phil Burkhart in E1, Cruz Pedregon in E2, Tommy Johnson Jr. in E3; defeated by Robert Hight in E4)
Last Event (Pomona II 2019):
Qualified second; Event champion (defeated John Hale in E1, J.R. Todd in E2, Blake Alexander in E3, Robert Hight in E4)
Career Statistics:
324 races; 30 wins; 27 No. 1 qualifiers
Noteworthy:
- The 2020 NHRA Winternationals marks Beckman’s 325th professional event
- Returns to Auto Club Raceway at Pomona as the facility’s most recent Funny Car winner after having won the 2019 season-closer
- Raced to the finals during both 2019 Pomona events; posted a runner-up finish at the 2019 Winternationals
- As a resident of Norco, Calif., Beckman considers Pomona a hometown track
Quotable:
?I?m sure every driver looks forward to the Winternationals, but for me, it holds a special place in my heart. I grew up in the area. When I was a 10-year-old, I had a paper route, and on Sunday mornings, my brother and I would wake up early, fold our newspapers, deliver our route, and then pack up and head out to the Winternationals to watch eliminations. When I was in the Air Force, I was stationed 1,500 miles away, but I couldn?t wait to get my copy of National Dragster and get the report of the season-opener. The day I got back from the Air Force, I unloaded all of my stuff at my mom?s house, and my buddies and I went right to Pomona to watch qualifying. That was in 1988. I just have so many great memories from there, including my first national event win in Super Comp in 1998. I have yet to win the Winternationals in nitro, but coming off the NHRA Finals win, I feel we have as good a shot as anyone in Funny Car, so I can?t wait.?
About Don Schumacher Racing:
Established in 1998 as a single-car Top Fuel team, Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) has grown to become the winningest organization in NHRA Drag Racing history. Including team owner Don Schumacher’s five NHRA Funny Car titles from the 1970s, DSR’s current win count stands at 345 entering the 2020 season, and DSR is looking forward to reaching the ‘350 milestone’ early in the year. DSR owns 17 world championships in three different NHRA categories.
Headquartered in Brownsburg, Indiana, DSR currently fields six professional teams competing in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. In Top Fuel, the Matco Tools/Global Electronic Technology/Toyota dragster driven by three-time world champion Antron Brown, and the Mopar/Pennzoil/Okuma dragster driven by Leah Pruett. In Funny Car, the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat driven by 2016 world champion Ron Capps, the Mopar Express Lane/Pennzoil/Sandvik Coromant Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat piloted by two-time series title-holder Matt Hagan, and in Doug Chandler’s ?giving cars,? 2012 NHRA world champion Jack Beckman in the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge, and Tommy Johnson Jr. behind the wheel of the MD Anderson Dodge.
DSR also campaigns two Factory Stock Showdown entries. The duo is piloted by Pruett, the 2018 Factory Stock Showdown Series champion, and former Pro Stock racer Mark Pawuk.
