Before entering professional drag racing, Beckman served in the United States Air Force, reaching the rank of sergeant. In recognition of his service and later contributions to motorsport, he was presented with the U.S. Air Force Wall of Achievers honor at the Enlisted Heritage Hall at Gunter Annex of Maxwell Air Force Base in May 2013.
Alongside his racing career, Beckman spent more than eleven years as an instructor at Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School, the official driver instruction program of the NHRA, where he taught over 7,000 students. He later became involved in documenting the history of the sport through work with the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsport Museum's History of Hot Rodding project.
Beckman joined Don Schumacher Racing for his top-tier Funny Car career. He won the Super Comp bracket championship in 2003 before graduating to the nitro ranks. In November 2012 he claimed his first Funny Car world championship, completing one of the more technically grounded title bids in the class.
In 2015 Beckman posted performance figures that placed him in the record books. He recorded the third-fastest Funny Car elapsed time in NHRA history during that season, and in the same month set what was then the quickest elapsed time in Funny Car history — demonstrating the pace of the Schumacher operation at its peak.
Don Schumacher Racing let Beckman go at the end of the 2020 season as part of a reduction in the team's operation, and he did not return to professional competition for nearly four years.
In July 2024, John Force suffered a season-ending injury at Virginia Motorsports Park during the Virginia Nationals. On July 30, 2024, Beckman came out of retirement to drive for John Force Racing in the Peak Antifreeze Chevrolet as a substitute driver, stepping in to allow the organisation to continue participating in events and remain eligible for the Countdown to the Championship. Under NHRA rules, Beckman was eligible to complete the remaining eight races of the season. His first drive came at Summit Motorsports Park at the Cornwell Tools Night of Fire event.
Jack Beckman's career spans the full range of NHRA amateur and professional competition, from bracket racing to a world championship and all-time elapsed time records. His background as a military veteran, long-time driving instructor, and historian of the sport gives him a broader profile within the NHRA community than most active competitors, and his willingness to return to competition in 2024 to support John Force Racing in a difficult moment reflected the cooperative culture that characterises the sport's top teams.