"Ever since I had a driver's license and picked up a hot rod magazine," he said. "I knew what I was going to do."
And this race season, he is living the dream.
Beckley is serving as a back-up driver to Vinnie Deceglie in the National Hot Rod Association Pro Stock series. Beckley has sat behind the wheel in nine races this season, including one last weekend in Norwalk, Ohio, where he finished 10th overall.
Beckley has been filling in for Deceglie as he helps his wife recover from a liver transplant. "Racing is racing," Beckley said. "He only has one wife and only one mom for his kids."
Although Deceglie will likely drive in the next race at the end of the month in Sonoma, Calif., there is a good chance Beckley will be back in the driver's seat at a race Aug. 13-16 in Brainerd, Minn.
However, a final decision on that will likely come a week before the race.
The season hasn't gone as well for Beckley as he would have hoped for up to this point.
"I had a fast car," he said of last weekend's race. "I was just a little tardy at the start line."
At each race, there are four qualifying races, leading up to the main race on Sunday. The top 16 advance to Sunday's race, where the cars are paired up according to finish - No. 1 races against the No. 16 car and so on.
The elimination process continues until a winner is determined.
Beckley says there is little room for error as the competition among the various drivers is tight. He says there is only .04 of a second from the No. 1 seed to the No. 16 seed.
He has qualified for the final event in eight of his nine races this season, but has yet to advance past the first round.
The owner of Beckley's car, Nick Mitsos, does this for more of a hobby, while others pour millions of dollars into their respective teams.
Beckley has been driving for Mitsos for the past four years in other cars.
However, Beckley and his team appear to be on the verge of breaking through.
"They (the other competitors) don't want to race us," the former Williston resident said. "Because they know we are due."
So far this season, Beckley has been to various parts of the country filling in for Deceglie. His stops have included: St. Louis, Chicago, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Houston.
Beckley is a 1981 graduate of Williston High School. He hasn't been back to Williston in 10 years, but vows to return home some day.
"I'm not from California," he said. "I just live here right now."
Racing consumes most of his time these days. In addition to his racing duties, he also runs a race car shop in California.
"I have 15 guys that depend on me for their race cars," he said.
He helps a father-son duo with their cars in the Super Gas classification, in which they have finished in the top five in the world.
For more information on the NHRA Pro Stock series, log onto the following site: http://www.mountainview racing.com.
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