Jeannette's Beck has eyes on Daytona

Jayme Beck is rolling the dice on her racing career, a gamble where the odds are much worse than striding to the roulette wheel and putting it all on red, but better than spending the bankroll on Powerball tickets.

What Beck is doing, with the financial backing of her father, Jon Bolkovac, is making what virtually is an all-or-nothing run at the ARCA Re/Max 200 on Feb. 11 at Daytona International Speedway.

Only 41 cars will qualify to run the race. There already are more than 60 entries.

It will be Beck's first ARCA race, her first time in her new superspeedway car acquired from Andy Belmont's race shop, her first race action at the imposing two and one-half mile Daytona tri-oval, although she did log 17 test laps there last month in the intermediate-track car the family also has purchased from Belmont.

Beck's hope is that she can do well, attract some sponsorship, and move on with the rest of the ARCA season.

"It's a gamble," the Jeannette, Westmoreland County resident said. "I love local racing, but I want to try to take that next step.

"You can't swim with the sharks if you don't jump in the water. I'm taking this chance. It's going to be huge for me."

It's huge for father and daughter. Bolkovac, 53, and self-described as semi-retired after selling his video business in 2000, has been involved with racing since the age of 17.

The Greensburg man was a hands-on sponsor once he started his business, and Jayme, now 26, began racing go-karts when she was 12.

Beck progressed through Legacy cars, winning a couple of regional titles, and Late Models at area tracks. She also ran on the ASA National circuit. She became the first female to win a Late Model feature at Motordrome Speedway during the 2001 season.

Along the way, she married another driver, Tommy Beck, who was the Jennerstown 2005 season champion in Super Late Models.

Jayme could continue racing locally and do well, but she wanted more.

"We bought the cars and we're funding it and it's high, I'm not going to lie," she said. "My dad told me he could afford for me to race a year at Jennerstown or he could afford an ARCA car and one race at Daytona. I chose one race at Daytona. Hopefully, it goes well."

Her father said there could be ARCA life beyond Daytona for Jayme even if a sponsor doesn't materialize, but it would be a limited number of races.

"I already knew this, but it's being reinforced, to make a small fortune in racing, you need to start out with a large one," he said. "It's things people don't even think about. Tires are $1,800 plus tax for a set of four and you probably need six sets for practice and the race. The helmet alone costs $800. The suit is $1,200. The race seat, without belts, is $2,000."

Beck's best lap at Daytona was 50.681 seconds, 178.204 miles per hour.

Bobby Gerhart, last year's pole sitter and race winner, topped the December test session with a 48.555, 185.357 mph best.

Belmont, an ARCA regular who has a handful of Nextel Cup starts on his resume, will attempt to qualify, too, and is serving as a mentor to Beck.

"She did all right. She had the normal jitters in the first session that everyone who goes down to Daytona does," he said. "Let's face it, Daytona is the Mecca of auto racing in this country. It can be a little overwhelming. But once you get that out of your system, you realize it's just a race car and a race track and you have a job to do.

"Do I expect her to go fast enough to make the race• Yeah• Am I counting on it• Yeah. Can anything happen• Yeah."