Densham Credits ‘Dumb Luck’ for Avoiding Disaster
The on-site replay shows Jack Beckman veering in front of Gary Densham's Funny Car just as they crossed the 1,000-foot finish line. (Photos by Roger Richards/CompetitionPlus.com; Click to enlarge)
By Ian Tocher
When Jack Beckman suddenly veered right and crossed the center line into Gary Densham’s lane during round two of Funny Car at the NHRA season opener at Pomona, Densham says he instinctively got off the gas and hit the brakes—hard. But the Bellflower, California-based veteran downplays any suggestion it was a masterful driving job.
“It was kind of different because all you can see is the whole windshield filled with the back of his car. You’re thinking, ‘Man, this isn’t NASCAR, we’re not supposed to be drafting out here.’ But probably the best thing that happened was we were getting our butts kicked and he was far enough ahead for me to see (him). So there was some dumb luck involved there,” Densham insists.
“I mean, you’re driving these things from the back seat and the guy has got to be a car length ahead of you before you can even see him. And just as I saw his nose poke out there I then saw it dart over in my direction. And win, lose or draw I’ve only got one of these (cars) and I don’t want to tear it up any worse than I have to.”
Once repairs were made to Densham's body, Beckman visited to autograph the damage, writing "Jack Beckman was here--and here!"
Densham did win, of course, as Beckman’s lane swap represented an automatic disqualification, however unexpected or without fault it was.
“The only thing we can figure is that some fluid got on one of the rear tires,” Beckman says. “No human could have turned the steering wheel so quickly to make that move.”
Despite running about 280-plus miles per hour when the incident occurred just past half-track, only the left front nose of Densham’s ’09 Charger made contact with the single, central wheelie bar on Beckman’s car, poking a small hole in the body and cracking the fender. Several crew members from opposing teams—including Beckman’s—helped Densham’s part-timers make hasty repairs before his third-round pairing with former teammate John Force, who went on to win the event.
“We’re lucky it happened just before finish line,” Densham points out. “Otherwise we would have been dealing with automatic parachutes opening up and possibly getting tangled up together, but Jack did a great job of getting it back over there to his lane and we both able to just coast on through there. No harm; no foul, basically.”
Still, Densham recognizes experience may have played a role in the relatively benign outcome of what was a potentially disastrous scenario.
“Yeah, that could’ve been pretty nasty, but Jack did a great job and I guess I did okay and luckily we got out of it with no more than we did. I guess it was pretty lucky we had two experienced people there.”
Densham went red off the start in his semi-final match against eventual race winner John Force.
