Duck Tape Racing team expands over Memorial Weekend

Rockingham, NC - Duck Tape Racing went from doubling-up to double-teaming over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, at Rockingham Dragway. After almost six years of intermittent badgering, Michael Beard's wife Jill agreed to become a competitor on the race track for the very first time. Jill drove the team's '85 Turismo, four-cylinder front wheel drive Stock Eliminator car in the Footbrake class, while Michael entered both the Duck Tape Volare in both Top ET and Footbrake.

"We went testing on Friday. I made the first run in the car with Jill riding shotgun, just so she could see and feel how everything operates," said Michael. "Then we swapped, and she made two passes before lightning and rain cut things short. The rest of the weekend, she drove solo."

In her first-ever round of eliminations, Jill was paired with Dunn-Benson Dragstrip's '09 Footbrake Champion and eventual Sunday winner, Wesley Roberts. She sent the champ to the buyback window with an .026 reaction time, and a better package than his light, forcing him to break out. A redlight ended her Saturday in the second round. Michael fell in the first round of Top, breaking out by .002 despite a holeshot, but advanced to the fourth round of Footbrake.

On Sunday, Jill fell on the losing side of a double-breakout in the first frame, and Michael fared only slightly better, taking the Volare to the second round of Footbrake after a lackluster first round of Top.

Monday put a pleasant cap on the long weekend, however. With no time trials, racers went directly into the first round of eliminations. Jill drew Wesley's brother, Travis Roberts, and punched her win ticket with a clutch .004 reaction time ahead of Roberts' foul start. Michael gave up a dead-on 7.001 in the first round of Top with a -.005 red light, but the husband and wife team both made it into the third round of Footbrake before rain forced an early end to the race, and a split of the purse.

MEDIA COVERAGE

- Drag Review Magazine, Spring Nitro Jam Stock win coverage, pp 22-23 Online now at www.ihramag.com. Print issue hitting mailboxes later this week.

- SPEED Channel TV coverage of the Spring Nitro Jam Stock win airs Sunday, June 6 at 4:00 PM Est.