JOHN FORCE RACING EYES TWO TITLES AT ‘NIGHT UNDER FIRE’

Two-time Top Fuel world champion Brittany Force and 2012 Funny Car world champion Jack Beckman will try to add to the John Force Racing legacy Saturday when they compete in the 47th annual Cornwell Tools “Night Under Fire” drag racing and fireworks extravaganza at the Bader family’s Summit Motorsports Park.

A 33-time NHRA tour winner, Beckman was a three-time champion in the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals here (2009, 2015, 2017), posted a 23-10 record in 13 starts and was runner-up to Bob Tasca III in his last appearance in 2019.

"It's been nearly four years since I stood on the throttle,” said the man who for the remainder of the season will drive the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS on behalf of Force, the drag racing Hall of Famer and Norwalk legend who continues to receive treatment for the TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) he suffered in a June 23 crash in Richmond, Va.

“Though the circumstances that brought me back are regrettable, the opportunity presented to me is beyond my ability to find words,” the cancer survivor said of his unexpected new job. “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,” said the former instructor at Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School, whose students included Force’s daughters and his wife, Laurie. “I should be easy to spot in the pits. I'll be the guy who can't stop smiling."

Significantly, Beckman joins a long list of JFR drivers who have raced in what has become the biggest independent event in the sport. That roster includes Tony Pedregon, Eric Medlen, Robert Hight, Mike Neff, Ashley Force Hood, Courtney Force and, of course, Brittany, who returns this year in Cornwell blue-and-black.

“It is an honor to be teamed up with Cornwell Tools and to feature them on our car,” she said. “Ohio is their home, so running their colors at Norwalk just feels right. It’s been a few years since I have competed (in the “Night Under Fire”), but I’m so happy to return.”

The 38-year-old NHRA national record holder for both time and speed is coming off a trip to the semifinals at last week’s NHRA tour event in Sonoma, Calif., where she lost to Antron Brown, one of the three drivers she will oppose in her bid for the “Night Under Fire” Top Fuel championship.

In addition to Brittany and Brown, the Top Fuel lineup also includes T.J. Zizzo, No. 1 qualifier earlier this year in the NHRA event at Chicago, and Clay Millican, who last week set a Sonoma Raceway track speed record of 338.26 mph. “Night Under Fire” also features jet dragsters, jet Funny Cars and a jet-powered truck and ends with the Baders’ signature fireworks show.