For the remainder of the season, Force will be replaced by Jack Beckman, but get this: Force will receive all of Beckman’s points even though he is sidelined.
For the next eight races of the NHRA season, Jack Beckman, the 2012 Funny Car champion, will start in lieu of John Force.
John Force also has a chance to win the NHRA Funny Car championship.
Eight tour events remain on the schedule, therefore if a driver is unable to compete, the race team may insert a replacement who can score points in lieu of the original driver in a maximum of eight races.
Following a June 23 incident at Virginia Motorsports Park that resulted in a catastrophic brain injury, John Force will miss the entirety of the 2024 NHRA Funny Car season.
He might even win the NHRA Funny Car Championship this year, despite popular belief.
John Force Racing made a move on Tuesday that, at least theoretically, might earn the most successful driver in the sport his 17th NHRA Funny Car championship. Jack Beckman, the 2012 Funny Car champion, will take Force’s spot for the next eight races of the season, the team stated.
And if Beckman finds his groove in the last two regular-season races and then the six races in the Countdown to the Championship Playoffs, the 75-year-old John Force—who only participated in nine races this season—could still win a championship.
How’s that, you ask?
According to NHRA rules, when a driver is unable to compete, the race team may bring in a substitute who can earn points for the original driver in a maximum of eight tour events. This means when Beckman begins his eight-event run in the JFR PEAK Antifreeze Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car at the 42nd Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd, Minn., on August 16, he’ll be earning points for Force in a quest for Force’s 17th championship.
Force was second in the points behind teammate Austin Prock at the time of his accident, and he currently sits sixth in the driver standings with two races remaining before the points reset for the Countdown to the Championship.
Apparently, John Force Racing is all-in on embracing the opportunity for Force to win yet another title. The team has branded Beckman’s effort as, “Joint Task Force – Mission Championship.” There’s no mention of asterisks if Force were to win the title.
Force is currently recuperating from his brain injuries at home in California.
“There was only one obvious choice, and that was Jack Beckman,” JFR team president Robert Hight remarked when asked who could manage the driving, deal with the media, take care of the sponsors, and take care of the fans. In addition, he has the respect of John’s family and a history with Chris Cunningham, who was co-crew chief on the PEAK Chevy alongside Dan Hood and Tim Fabrisi.
With 33 Funny Car victories under his belt, Beckman last competed in 2020 before losing his ride in a Don Schumacher Racing downsizing.
“It’s been nearly four years since I stood on the throttle, and I thought that feeling was something I’d never experience again,” said the 58-year-old Beckman. “Though the circumstances that brought me back are regrettable, the opportunity presented to me is beyond my ability to find words. I’m not replacing John…nobody could ever do that.
“John is one of a kind, and his impact on this sport, and my life, cannot be overemphasized. I know how fortunate I am to have been picked to fill in for John, and I should be easy to spot in the pits. I’ll be the guy who can’t stop smiling.”
Beckman’s best season outside of his 2012 championship came in 2015 when he advanced to nine final rounds and won seven races coming up just 56-points shy of being a two-time Funny Car champion.
