Centre Pointe/FireIce.com Team Hopes Results Are the Same
Pomona, Calif. – When the Santa Clarita, Calif. based Rick Jackson Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car team last visited historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, they captured the first NHRA National Event Wally awarded for the 2009 season. As the team visits the NHRA Auto Club World Finals this weekend the opportunity to pull off the season Pomona sweep is their goal. And based on previous performance their goal is also a distinct possibility.
Tony Bartone, who debuted as the driver of Jackson’s potent Mustang Funny Car at the season opening Winternationals, believes his Steve Boggs tuned car is ready to run well. “We’ve been creeping up on this tune up all season and I believe our car is running in that sweet spot where we can get down any track,” noted Bartone.
“Over the past few events, we’ve been in the top 4 in average elapsed time during the event. If we can squeeze just a taste more out of this car, I’m sure you’ll find this Centre Pointe Collision Center/FireIce.com team hoisting the little gold guy on Sunday evening. I’d like nothing more than to repeat here at Pomona.”
Bartone and Boggs know a thing or two about winning that ‘little gold guy’. Over a period of 15 years, the pair have captured NHRA National Event ‘Wally’s’ twenty nine-times. So far in the 2009 NHRA season, the Jackson Racing team has brought home three total victories, including winning the NHRA Summitracing.com Nationals in Las Vegas and the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event held in Belle Rose, La. But, the team also knows their competition this weekend will be gunning for them.
“When you’re the team who won the last event at a race track, everybody is looking to knock you off your perch,” noted team owner Rick Jackson. “It’s a role our boys actually enjoy. We usually do well when we are pressured. I am confident the boys want to head into the off season on a winning note.”
The Centre Pointe Collision Center/FireIce.com Funny Car began their quest for a Pomona victory today in their first qualifying effort. A conservative 5.65 second elapsed time is good enough for the number 3 qualified position. They will have two more attempts at qualifying tomorrow before final eliminations which will commence on Saturday afternoon. The event and 2009 season will conclude on Sunday.
Las Vegas, Nev. – The Rick Jackson Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car knows a strong finish at the final two races of the season will build momentum for a strong 2010 campaign. They can begin the stretch run by producing quality results this weekend as “The Strip” at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will host the final Division 7 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event of the 2009 NHRA season. Simply qualifying for the tough eight-car field will be a daunting task as over 20 of the best Alky Floppers in the nation plan to compete in this weekend’s race.
“The final D-7 race of the year always brings out the best of the best,” noted Tony Bartone, the 29-time NHRA National Event winning driver of Rick Jackson’s potent Ford Mustang Funny Car. “I have done well here with (crew chief Steve) Boggs in the past but if you win this race, you truly earn the victory. We know all the top dogs will be unleashed this weekend.”
The CentrePointeCollisionCenters / FireIce™ sponsored team enters this weekend’s race after a second round finish at last week’s Las Vegas Nationals. In the first round, the Steve Boggs tuned Funny Car was a bit aggressive with the clutch set up and instantly smoked the tires as the car launched from the starting line. It was a blessing in disguise as their opponent Thomas Carter from Cuero, Texas triggered the red light and handed the Santa Clarita, Calif. based team a round win.
During the second round, Bartone matched up against the event’s number one qualifier Johnny Lombardo Jr., Brea, Calif.Both cars left the starting line nearly glued together as their reaction times were separated by only 0.003 seconds. The two cars were literally side-by-side all the way down the quick quarter mile and Lombardo beat Bartone to the stripe by less than an inch. The true margin of victory was 0.0001 seconds. “This is a game of inches and milliseconds,” noted team owner Rick Jackson. “And unfortunately we were on the short end of this particular stick. The boys on the team have worked hard all season and our car is running well. I hope we can put it all together for a good showing this weekend at the LODRS event.”
The Rick Jackson Racing team will receive three attempts to qualify for the very difficult eight car field. Their first qualifying session will begin on Friday at 4 p.m. Two more sessions will occur on Saturday at noon and 2 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled to begin on Sunday. For ticketing and event information please visit http://www.lvms.com. To learn more about the Rick Jackson Racing team please visit their website @ http://www.rickjacksonracing.com or http://www.crxpromotions.com.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 29, 2009
Rick Jackson Racing Communications
NHRA Las Vegas Nationals Top Alcohol Funny Car Preview
Las Vegas, Nev. – The last time the Rick Jackson Racing team hit “The Strip” at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in April, they went home with the event championship in the tough Top Alcohol Funny Car division. This weekend the Santa Clarita, Calif. based team hopes to capture a Vegas Sweep during the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals held at LVMS. A win would also produce the teams third NHRA National Event Championship in 2009.
“We are coming into this event on a bit of a hot streak,” noted Tony Bartone, the 29-time NHRA National Event winning driver of Jackson Racing’s Mustang funny car. “After we won the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event in Belle Rose, Louisiana in September we have been itching to get back to the track to show what we can do. I am very confident, that Stevie (crew chief Boggs) and the boys will provide me with a consistently quick ride this weekend.”
Bartone and the Jackson Racing team captured their second NHRA National Event victory during the spring event held at LVMS and team owner Rick Jackson believes their Centre Point Collision Center/ FireIce sponsored flopper has the correct tuning data to produce quality results at this week’s event. “Our car runs very well in the cool conditions,” stated Jackson. “However, we also know that 24 other exceptional Top Alcohol Funny Cars will be on the property to knock us off our perch. We have to be at our best if we plan to walk away with our third NHRA National event “Wally” this season.”
Jackson believes the very tough NHRA Division 7 Top Alcohol Funny Car contingent plan to knock them off their pedestal. He knows the experience his team has captured this season will prepare them for the challenge. “When you are the defending champions at an event, everybody is shooting to defeat you. But we welcome the challenge. Our boys have literally found every way to win and lose an event in one NHRA season. This car is thundering right now. So if they want to knock us down, they better be at their best.”
The Rick Jackson team will hit “The Strip” with two qualifying efforts planned for Friday, beginning at 11 A.M. and then again at 5 P.M. They will receive another shot at cracking the 16-car field on Saturday Morning prior to the first round of elimination to be held later that night.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SEPTEMBER 20, 2009
TONY BARTONE/ RICK JACKSON RACING COMMUNICATIONS
DIV 4 LODRS BELLE ROSE, LA WRAP UP
PR CONTACT: Tim Charlet @ CRXpropr@live.com
BARTONE AND BOGGS BEST IN THE BAYOU
Belle Rose, La. - In NHRA drag racing, being the quickest and fastest car is not always as important as being consistent. Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Tony Bartone and his crew chief Steve Boggs proved this as they captured the event victory this weekend during the Division 4 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event held at No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, LA. Bartone, from Boca Raton, Fla. and his car owner Rick Jackson, Santa Clarita, Calif. won for the third time in the 2009 NHRA season.
Bartone's Center Pointe Collision Centre/ FireIce? sponsored team had to battle not only the other entries in the Top Alcohol Funny Car division this weekend, but temperatures over 90-degree and high humidity. These type of conditions provided a challenge for Jackson Racing crew chief, Steve Boggs, but he was up to the task. Boggs tuned Bartone to a 5.66 second elapsed time in qualifying, placing Bartone in the number 2 position in the six-car field. "The weather gave everybody fits this weekend," noted Bartone. "But Steve (Boggs) has raced in these conditions more than a few times in his career. I felt pretty confident having him in my corner this weekend."
In the first round the Jackson Racing Funny Car matched-up against Arlington, Tex. based Kebin Kinsley. Both cars left the starting-line with Kinsley capturing a slight reaction time advantage. The Boggs tuned flopper caught Kinsley by the 330-foot mark of the 1,320-foot race track. And Bartone took the round win recording a 5.680 E.T. in the process. The victory set up a semi-final appearance against Burl Brown, Gainesville, Tex.
Brown had difficulties staging the car and triggered the red-light, handing Bartone the automatic round win. In an attempt to capture lane choice for the final round, Bartone drove his 2009 Ford Mustang Flopper down the No Problem Raceway quarter-mile in 5.683 seconds, only 0.003 seconds slower than his previous round victory.
The final round saw a rematch of the Division 2 LODRS TAFC final in Atlanta, Ga. Steve Harker from Gainesville, GA, captured the win last week when Bartone left the starting line too early and lit the red light. This time Bartone took the event championship recording a 5.688 E.T. at a speed of 252.05 miles per hours as his opponent lost traction at the hit of the throttle.
"Boggs turned this car a bracket car today," noted team owner Jackson. "It feels great to break through with a win this weekend and I am so proud of the effort this team put forth this weekend."
Boggs was the winning crew chief in TAFC this weekend. He also tuned Brandon "the Kid" Lewis' A/Fuel Dragster to a victory in the Top Alcohol Dragster division as well. He also set a track record for the TAD division in the process.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 17, 2009
RICK JACKSON RACING / TONY BARTONE COMMUNICATIONS
LODRS D-2 ATLANTA WRAP UP/ D-4 BELLE ROSE, LA PREVIEW
JACKSON BOYS DETOUR PROVIDES FINAL ROUND APPEARANCE
Atlanta, Ga. - Sometimes a quick change in plans can yield great results. It did last weekend for the Rick Jackson Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car team as the Santa Clarita, Calif. based team advanced to the final round during the Division 2 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event held at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, GA.
Originally the Center Pointe Collision Centre / FireIce? sponsored team planned to take a week off after the 55th NHRA Mac Tool's US Nationals. Car owner Rick Jackson believed progress the team made during qualifying at ?The Big Go' could provide the team with some momentum. How right he was.
The Steve Boggs tuned Ford Mustang-bodied flopper captured the number one qualified position after recording a stellar 5.660 second elapsed time during the second qualifying session. The pole position set up a first round match up with Norcross, GA's Mark Billington.
Bartone left the starting line 0.057 seconds quicker than his opponent, but the fickle Funny Car made a hard move Unfortunately for the Southern Ca. based team the final round was over before it officially began. Bartone left the starting line a bit too early and the evil red light appeared in his lane, handing the event victory to Harker who streaked to a 5.63 second blast.
"We are pleased with the way the car ran this weekend," noted Jackson. "We found some things at Indy and it seems to be paying off now. A final round showing did our team some good and we'll now head down to Belle Rose to see if we can improve by just one more round."
As Jackson stated, the team will now head to the Division 4 LODRS event held this weekend at Belle Rose, LA. The team will have one qualifying session on Friday, at 6 p.m., and two on Saturday, at 2 and 6 p.m. Eliminations start for Top Alcohol Funny Car at noon on Sunday.
Commerce, Ga.- The Rick Jackson Racing Top AlcoholFunny Car team is looking to bounce back into the winner circle September 11-13th during the running NHRA Southeast Division 2 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series held at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, GA. The team believes lessons learned this past weekend at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Clermont, Ind., will pay dividends.
"We've been chasing this bug in the car for the past few events as the car has been running about a tenth-of-a-second too slow," noted twenty-nine time NHRA National Event Champion and driver of the Center Pointe Collision Centre / FireIce? / Throwdown? sponsored Ford Mustang Flopper. "We changed some things and the car picked up its performance in qualifying. Hopefully we can continue the trend this weekend."
The Santa Clarita, Calif. based team found an electrical issue was causing the car to lose horsepower during the car's quarter-mile runs. A quick change of some hardware produced promising results until a different mechanical issue came up during their round one loss to Chris Foster.
"I think that's the story of this season," noted car owner Rick Jackson.. "We find a problem, fix it, then something else pops up. The good news is we are finding these issues now and hopefully can finish the season strong. We have some great new marketing partners on our team and we hope to give them a winning product this weekend."
The entire Rick Jackson team would like to remind all their fans to take a few minutes to remember those brave souls who lost their lives in New York City, eight-years ago this day. If you see a police officer or fire fighter, tell them thank you for their hard work and selfless dedication to our protection.
The Top Alcohol Funny Cars will have two attempts at qualifying for the elite-eight car field, beginning Saturday at 3:30 p.m. A second session is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.
Eliminations will commence in Commerce on Sunday morning promptly at 9:00 a.m.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SEPTEMBER 08, 2009
RICK JACKSON RACING-TONY BARTONE COMMUNICATIONS
NHRA US NATIONALS WRAP UP PR CONTACT: Tim Charlet (303) 249-5933 CRXpro@sbcglobal.net
A TALE OF TWO EVENTS FOR THE JACKSON TEAM
Clermont, Ind. - "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," once said a 19th century novelist.
However, the man who wrote these words under the pen name "Boz" does not know Dickens about the experience the Rick Jackson Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car team had this past weekend during the 55th NHRA Mac Tool's US Nationals presented by Lucas Oil held at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Clermont, Ind.
The top running TAFC team from Santa Clarita, Calif. entered the first round of eliminations after recording a solid 5.60 second elapsed time run during the final qualifying session, which placed them in the fifth spot. It set up a first round rematch of sorts versus Division 3's Chris Foster. The last time Jackson Racing paired up against Foster in Norwalk, Ohio, the Center Pointe Collision sponsored Ford Mustang Funny Car experienced a mechanical failure which eliminated the team from competition.
It appears lightning can strike twice.
After constant rain showers plagued the Indianapolis suburbs where ORP is located, the first round occurred after the sun had set. Lined up in the left lane, Two-time US Nationals championship driver, Tony Bartone, slapped a 0.058 second advantage in reaction time against his opponent, Foster. The Steve Boggs tuned TAFC appeared to be on their way to a first round win, when a $20.00 part failure caused the 3,500 horse-powered flopper to slow down considerably. Foster shot past Bartone to take the round one victory.
"It happens," noted Bartone, who along with his brother Michael are the only siblings to capture US Nationals victories in the Top Alcohol categories in the 28-years contested at this historic race. "The car was charging hard through first and second gears but just nosed over as soon as we got to the 660 foot cones."
"The engine broke a retainer on the number two cylinder head," noted Mike Pavia, Jackson Racing's team cylinder head specialist. "I believe had we had the final qualifying session and not gotten behind that old eight ball we would have discovered the problem. That car was on it's way to running a .50-something on that pass. Boggs had the wick turned up."
The round one loss aside, the weekend could not have been more perfect for the Jackson team. "We were honored to have Michael and Peter Cordani from GelTech Solutions Inc., along with several of their partners as our guests this past weekend," commented team owner Rick Jackson. "We had many family friends here at the event and truly were blessed to be able to race at this historic event. We will move upwards and onwards from here. We'll get them next year."
The Jackson Racing team of Chris Perl, Pavia, Pat Feely, Lew Larson, Javier Gonzales, lead by Boggs and followed-up by their driver Bartone will be looking to cook up some ?Cajun Cooking' as they invade Division 4 in two weeks for a Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event held in Belle Rose, LA.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 5, 2009 Rick Jackson Racing Communications
PR CONTACT: Tim Charlet @ 303-249-5933
Jackson Racing Sponsorship Announcement
JACKSON RACING PLANS TO THROWDOWN WITH FIREICE®
Indianapolis, Ind.- The Rick Jackson Racing Top AlcoholFunny Car team from Santa Clarita, Calif. is proud to welcome FIREICE® PRODUCTS a division of GelTech? Solutions and THROWDOWN? INDUSTRIES Inc. to their team. Terms of these marketing partnerships were not disclosed and begins this weekend during the 55th running of the NHRA O'REILLY US Nationals presented by Lucas Oil held at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis, Ind.
"We are very pleased to be involved with Tony Bartone and the Rick Jackson Racing team," stated Michael Cordani, the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of GelTech? Solutions. "The people involved in the sport of NHRA Drag Racing and especially the team Mr. Jackson has assembled are the quality and hard working people. We look forward to establishing a solid relationship in the future with the Rick Jackson Racing team."
FireIce® is a powerful weapon against fire. FireIce® can be used directly on wildfires, brush fires, structure fires and even to extinguish tire fires. The product is environmentally friendly and conserves precious water.
"The group at GelTech? Solutions are amazingly passionate guys," stated team owner Rick Jackson. "We know our team will provide them with an amazing product in which they can share their passion for the sport."
GelTech Solutions provides innovative, environmentally safe and creative products to agriculture, various industries and the general public that help improve lives, reduce the need for such precious commodities as water, protect lives and property from wildfires and potentially helping to reduce the impact of hurricanes upon storm-prone areas.
The Jackson Racing team also welcomed THROWDOWN? Industries Inc. to their Top Alcohol Funny Car team.
Throwdown Industries, Inc. specializes in premium impact and action sports goods and services. Their current product portfolio includes a full line of MMA fight gear: cages, rings, racks, bags, gloves accessories, performance apparel, media and Training Center's under the THROWDOWN brand name.
"Adding a quality sponsor like GelTech? to our team was great, adding the guys at THROWDOWN? as well is awesome," stated Tony Bartone, the two-time NHRA US Nationals Top Alcohol Funny Car champion. "We are honored they selected our team and hope to establish a great business relationship with them henceforth."
For more information and to purchase THROWDOWN? apparel please visit their site at http://www.throwdown.com
For Immediate Release: July 29, 2009 Rick Jackson Racing/ Tony Bartone Communications NHRA PR- Division 3 Columbus Wrap-Up PR CONTACT: Tim Charlet of CRX Promotions 303-249-5933 CRXpro@sbcglobal.net
Bartone Shakes Away Opportunity in Columbus
Hebron, Ohio- Heading into the NHRA Division 3 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event held this past weekend at National Trail Raceway located in Hebron, Ohio, the Rick Jackson Racing team and driver Tony Bartone, were cautiously optimistic their Ford Mustang Top Alcohol Funny Car would capture the event win.
Apparently the temperamental Blown Alcohol Funny Car did not get the message, as severe tire-shake in the semi-finals ended the day for the Santa Clarita, Calif. based team.
Bartone, who hails from Boca Raton, Fla., placed the Centre Pointe Collision Center sponsored Flopper in the second qualifying position after recording a solid 5.721-second elapsed time in the first session on Friday. After constant rain showers blanketed the Columbus area all day Saturday, the TAFC contingent was given one more crack at qualifying on a very tricky race-track Sunday morning prior to eliminations. The end result was a tire-shaking lackluster 13.57-second ET for the Jackson Racing team.
This set up a round one pairing with the number seven qualifier, Terry Munrow from Beaver, Pa. In the opening frame, Bartone's 5.781-second ET was good enough to hold off Munrow's slowing 11.677-second run. The round one victory advanced the Jackson Racing team to the semi-finals of the event. However team owner Rick Jackson was concerned the track would provide his team with a challenging tune-up for the semi-finals.
"After the rain on Saturday, the starting-line was in pretty good shape, but about the 200 foot mark there was hardly any ?bite'," stated Jackson. "This part of the track is crucial for our cars as this is where the clutch begins to engage more aggressively applying the 3,000 plus horsepower to the ground."
Jackson's prophetic concerns unfortunately came to fruition during their semi-final match-up with Racine, Wis.'s Andy Bohl. The Jackson Racing Funny Car launched hard and seemed to be making up ground on Bohl, who held a slight reaction-time advantage. About 200 feet into the run, Bartone's mount began to shake violently causing him to lift his foot off the throttle to gain control of the bucking Mustang. Bartone did a masterful job placing the car back into the racing groove; however his 6.148-second ET was not good enough to catch Bohl's stout 5.741-second blast.
"Well, that's drag racing," noted Jackson from his office at Centre Pointe Collision Center in Santa Clarita. "I can't put the blame on the race track as every car out there had to deal with it. We just simply missed on the tune-up and it cost us. This team is very resourceful and we will learn from our mistakes."
The Jackson Racing team of Crew Chief Steve Boggs, Chris Perl, Mike Pavia, Pat Feely, Lew Larson, Javier Gonzales and driver Bartone currently sit in the second position in the NHRA LODRS National point standings. The team is considering attending one more LODRS divisional race prior to heading to the "BIG GO", the US Nationals in Indianapolis, Ind. Labor Day weekend
For Immediate Release: July 23, 2009 Rick Jackson Racing / Tony Bartone Communications PR: Contact Tim Charlet @ 303-249-5933 CRXpro@sbcglobal.net NHRA LODRS Div 3 Columbus, Ohio Preview
Jackson Racing - Tony Bartone Set to Conquer C-bus.
Hebron, Ohio - After the University of Southern California Trojans beat "THE" Ohio State University football team, 35-3 to kick off the 2008 College Football season, Buckeye head coach Jim Tressel was quoted as saying, "You have to consider the boys from Southern California a serious threat to win it all." The Rick Jackson Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car team hopes the ?vested-one' was referring to their Santa Clarita, Calif. based team as well.
The Southern California invaders endeavor to taste victory this weekend during the running of the NHRA Buckeye Fuel Wars, the fifth race of the Division 3 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series held this weekend at National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio.
The team is coming off a three week sabbatical and are looking forward to putting their Ford Mustang bodied TAFC back on the historic Ohio quarter-mile. After a semi-final appearance at their last race appearance in Norwalk, Ohio, where gremlins and solid running opponent Chris Foster prevented them from reaching the final round, car owner Rick Jackson believes the team is poised and ready to return to the level they are accustomed to.
"After our last race in Norwalk where the Electronic Tachometer failed in the semi-finals, we decided to go with a new system which will be a bit more user friendly for our driver Tony Bartone," stated Rick Jackson, the owner of Centre Pointe Collision Center's located in Santa Clarita. "And our great crew lead by Steve Boggs had this car set on kill in Norwalk. It's consistently quick and we feel as if every time we head out to the track we get a little better each time. I think we'll prove that this weekend in Columbus."
As a successful business owner, Jackson understands employee morale is essential in creating a cohesive team. Earlier this week, he took his team flying in a few World War II airplanes. "The boys and I had a great time in those vintage fighters," concluded Jackson. "They are the best in the business and they deserved a day of fun."
Jackson's driver, 29-time NHRA National Event winner, Tony Bartone compiled a 37-0 consecutive round win streak in 1996 in Top Alcohol Funny Car. The streak was broken in Columbus, however the Boca Raton, Fla. based driver feels his team is ready to begin a new streak at the same National Trail Raceway.
The Jackson Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car will hit the track on Friday with a qualifying attempt scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. The team will also have two more opportunities to qualify for the eight-car field, Saturday at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. local time. Eliminations will commence on Sunday at Noon.
For Immediate Release: June 29, 2009 Tony Bartone; Rick Jackson Racing Communications Tony Bartone- NHRA Norwalk, Ohio Wrap-Up PR Contact: CRX Promotions @ CRXpro@sbcglobal.net
Gremlins Halt Jackson Racing Progress in Norwalk
Courtesy of Tim Charlet
Norwalk, Ohio- In the sport of NHRA Drag Racing, a victory or loss can often come down to who has the most consistent race-car during eliminations. The performance of every part on a very expensive machine can also impact success. This past weekend at the Summit Equipment Nationals held at SummitRacewayPark in Norwalk, Ohio, the Rick Jackson Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car team experienced both sides of this equation.
The Santa Clarita, Calif. based group entered final eliminations with an incredibly consistent race car. After qualifying in the third position with 5.663-second elapsed time, the Steve Boggs lead crew and their driver, Tony Bartone, would pair-up against the 14th qualifier, John Bojec from Chardon, Ohio. Bartone grabbed a slight starting-line advantage and headed straight down the track, recording another 5.66-second elapsed time (a third in a row) and capturing a round one victory.
In the second round Bartone's foe would be Kebin Kinsley from Kennedale, Texas. Bartone once again captured a slight reaction time advantage and the Boggs tuned ?flopper' picked-up the performance; recording a stout 5.644-second elapsed time at a speed of 252.66 miles per hour, taking the round two win over Kinsley. The car was becoming a deadly consistent machine.
"We had a car which could compete with anyone out there this weekend," stated car owner Rick Jackson. "These cars are very fickle and you need to ensure every cog in the machine is working perfect to create this type of consistency."
The machine which is the Jackson Racing Mustang Alcohol Funny Car would experience a parts failure during the burnout in the semi-final pairing with Chris Foster. "The electronic tachometer broke during the burnout which completely threw off the rhythm of our car," noted Jackson. "Tony did the best he could do under these circumstances and really drove the car considering."
Bartone did his best to give Foster a good race, but the driver from Davenport, Iowa was on his game. Foster took the round win recording a 5.673-second ET and ended the weekend's activities for the Jackson Racing team.
"Steve (Boggs) had our car right all weekend and we were making changes that were showing promise," concluded Jackson. "My team did a fantastic job with the car all weekend and all were very disappointed. Chris Foster, Will Hanna and his team did a good job and had a good race car all weekend. We congratulate Chris (Foster) and look forward to our next event."
The Jackson Racing team of Boggs, Chris Perl, Mike Pavia, Pat Feely, Lew Larson and Javier Gonzales will head back to the CentrePointeCollisionCenter head quarters in Santa Clarita, Calif. and prepare for their next race weekend at the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event for Division 3, held July 24th through July 26th in Columbus, Ohio.
Norwalk, OH- Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Tony Bartone breeds success in many facets of life. Whether it's with his New York construction-industry based business, spending time with his family in Florida, or on the track, Bartone usually finds himself on the winning end of the stick.
As the driver of Rick Jackson's Valencia, CA based ?Flopper', Bartone will look to notch another victory this weekend at the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals held at Bill Bader's Summit Raceway Park in Norwalk, OH.
Driving for Jackson, the owner of Centre Pointe Collision Center and legendary Top Alcohol tuner Steve Boggs, Bartone has surrounded himself with a cast of characters who share his passion for winning.
"Rick Jackson is a quality person who loves to win and has assembled a team who share this passion for success," remarked Bartone. "Stevie (Boggs) has been tuning over here with Jackson's team for a few years. We (Boggs and Bartone) have enjoyed many levels of success in the past and the magic is coming back."
The team kicked off the 2009 NHRA season in style, tasting victory in February at the season opening Winternationals in Pomona, CA. Followed up by a win in April during the running of the Summitracing.com Nationals held on "The Strip" at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV.Although the car and driver have been competitive, the team has not reached the top of the mountain since.
"We started the season off very well," noted Bartone, a previous winner of 29 total NHRA National event titles. "It's the old adage - you never say die, you never give up, you keep plugging and good things are likely to happen."
Team owner Rick Jackson agrees. "Our team ran exceptionally well at our last race in Englishtown, NJ. The car is showing signs of entering a dominating stage. I am very happy with the progress our team is showing."
The Rick Jackson Racing team of Boggs, Chris Perl, Mike Pavia, Pat Feely, Lew Larson and Javier Gonzales along with their charismatic flopper pilot will begin their quest to return to the ?summit' in Norwalk on Friday with two qualifying sessions. The first round of qualifying for Top Alcohol Funny Car category is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m., with a second session starting at 5:30 p.m. local time. Qualifying will conclude on Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. Eliminations for the sixteen-car field will begin after the final professional qualifying session later that evening.
Release Courtesy of Tim Charlet
TOP ALCOHOL JUST FINE FOR BARTONE
Written by Tim Charlet
Sunday, 05 April 2009
Tony Bartone has himself a pretty good ride heading into final eliminations on Sunday in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the Summitracing.com Nationals. The former nitro flopper pilot, and multi-time winner in both TAFC and TAD, finds himself in the number one position, for the 27th time in his stellar career by recording a solid 5.586 elapsed time at a speed of 255.15.
Driving for Rick Jackson and tuned by long time friend Steve Boggs, Bartone believes this ride is one that was perfect for him at this time in his life.
"The biggest reason I came out of the nitro ranks was to spend more time with my kids. Spending time with them in Florida is a big priority to me," stated a very pleased Bartone, who's crew, led by the afore mentioned Boggs was preparing his 2009' Ford Mustang Alcohol Funny car for a round one match-up with Division Seven's Jason Rupert.
Bartone's return to the sportsman ranks has not been without some pesky problems.
"In all candor, this is our fourth race of the season, and this is the first time that we have had the car right," Bartone elaborated. After winning the rain delayed opening Winternationals in Pomona, Ca, the team started to develop an electrical system ?bug' as he described it.
"We had electrical troubles in Houston, the points race in Phoenix and believe it or not, also the Winternationals. We got the electrical bugs figured out, Stevie (Boggs) tuned it up and here we are."
The relationship between Boggs and Bartone has been very potent during the years. When Rick Jackson's former driver, Von Smith, took a full time position with the Al-Anabi/Awesome Motorsports Pro Modified team this past winter, the door opened up for a reunion of the former power combo, who could be the team ready to knock off perennial TAFC champion Frank "Ace" Manzo off his pedestal.
"Boggs has been tuning over here for a few seasons, and we had lots of success for many years. We are great friends, and it was an easy decision for me," concluded Bartone. "I'm having a great time with these guys, and heck, anything with a steering wheel that goes fast I like, and this car is fast."
Bartone to return to Top Alcohol Funny Car ranks in 2009
Tony Bartone will go back to his Sportsman racing roots by taking the wheel of Rick Jackson's 2008 Ford Mustang Top Alcohol Funny Car while reuniting with former tuner Steve Boggs.
The 1996 TAFC champion left his post as the driver of Jim Dunn's Canidae Pet Foods Funny Car to spend more time with his family after five full seasons of racing with Dunn on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
Bartone made headlines during the 2008 season when he notched his first national event win in Funny Car at the Seattle event. He became the third driver in NHRA history to have wins in both alcohol classes and Funny Car (Cruz Pedregon and Gary Scelzi are the others).
"My heart was in fuel racing, but the bottom line is that I have a couple of kids I need to spend more time with," said Bartone. "Being on the road for 24 events affects me more than the average Professional racer, because when the race is over I have to go back to my business in New York while my kids are in Florida. With an alcohol car, you can run 14, 15, 16 races, get your points, and go from there. Going back to alcohol racing gives me some of my family life back."
Though Bartone last competed in the Top Alcohol Funny Car class in 2000, the prolific driver intends to be competitive from the get-go. After all, he'll be driving for a team that won the prestigious Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis and finished in the top five in the national point standings in 2008 with driver Von Smith, who will be driving a Pro Mod entry for Awesome Al Anabi Motorsports in 2009.
Jackson, who owns Centre Pointe Collision Center and Valencia Body Shop in Santa Clarita, Calif., has fielded entries that have finished in the top 10 over the past two seasons. He scored three national event wins with Smith and won the inaugural event at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2000 with Rod Alexander driving. Boggs, who tuned Bartone to all 28 of his wins in the Sportsman ranks, has won TAFC championships with Joe Penland Jr. in 1995 and Bartone in 1996 as well as a Top Alcohol Dragster championship with Mitch Myers in 2004.
"I think we have the opportunity to be competitive right off the bat," said Bartone. "I don't think I forgot how to drive an alcohol car, and we've got a good car with good parts and a good team behind it. I don't have to tell you about my relationship with Steve Boggs. He's like an older brother, and we talk almost every day of the week. I only met Rick in the last year or so, but I can tell you that if Steve Boggs is hanging out with Rick then Rick has got to be a good guy."
"I don't have any reservations about going back to alcohol," Bartone continued. "I enjoy racing. Some guys get in their mind when they get in the Pro ranks that they can't go backwards, but I'm a car guy, I enjoy driving, and I enjoy racing. I still get to do all that, so it works for me."
The team is working on finalizing a schedule for 2009, and they plan to participate in preseason testing in January and compete at the season-opening Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals in Pomona.
Brad Littlefield Associate Editor National DRAGSTER (626) 250-2327 blittlefield@nhra.com
