CAREER BEST ET AND SPEED VAULT BARTONE TO POLE POSITION
Pomona, Calif. - Rick Jackson Racing and driver Tony Bartone recorded a career best elapsed time and mile per hour in the final qualifying session today and will enter eliminations tomorrow in the number one qualified position, at the Auto Club NHRA World Finals contested at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif.
The Centre Pointe Collision Center Ford Mustang entered today's final two qualifying sessions after recording a very solid 5.548 second elapsed time at 264.18 miles per hour on day one of qualifying yesterday. The run gave the Santa Clarita, Calif. based team a solid base line tune-up for the weekend, a philosophy which the Jackson Racing team has embraced for years.
"The idea is to get down the track solid in the first session and fine-tune it from there," noted Tony Bartone, the winner of 31-NHRA National Events in his very successful career. "When we line up in Q-1 and can get the car down the track, Steve Boggs is magic at turning up the wick and getting our Centre Pointe / FireIce.com Mustang to improve during the weekend."
Bartone called his shot, as in the second qualifying session earlier today Boggs tuned the Jackson Racing Mustang to an improved 5.513 ET. However, the effort still trailed Stamford, Conn. driver Mickey Ferro, who set the pace with a solid 5.489 during Q-1 on Thursday. The team however did set low ET of the session and was eager to see what they could pull out of the hat for the final session.
The final qualifying session yielded several severe improvements to the qualifying sheet, yet arguably the most impressive run of the weekend was delivered by the Centre Pointe / FireIce.com team. An amazing 5.448 ET at 266.00 mph gave the Long Island City, NY based driver another number one qualifier position and momentum heading into eliminations tomorrow. It also gives the Centre Pointe team the opportunity to walk out of the final event of 2010 with a World Record.
"The car flat out hauled the mail on that pass," Bartone said. "We are doing the math right now, and it looks like we'll have to run a 5.502 or better sometime this weekend in order to end the year with a world record. Our first priority will be to win each round, starting tomorrow in our first round. But, we will do the best we can to set that record. Nothing would make (car owner) Rick happier than to have the world record going into the off season."
The current world record a 5.454 was set by TAFC kingpin Frank Manzo in October of 2006. The mile per hour record of 265.74 also held by Manzo would be eclipsed by the Centre Pointe team as their prior 264.18 is within the required 1-percent back up. The speed record will not be official until the end of the event.
Bartone will face Sean Bellemeur in round one tomorrow afternoon.
FINAL ROUND FINISH POWERS BARTONE TO SEASON FINALE
Las Vegas, Nev. - A runner-up finish at the final NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event of 2010 contested at "The Strip" at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend will propel the Rick Jackson Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car team with some momentum as they head back home to California for the final event this season.
After a disappointing second round exit at the recently completed NHRA Las Vegas Nationals held the week prior the divisional event, team owner Rick Jackson, who owns and operates Centre Pointe Collision Center in Santa Clarita, Calif., decided to keep car in Las Vegas and test the set-up on his potent Ford Mustang TAFC. With team driver Tony Bartone behind the wheel and talented crew chief Steve Boggs turning the wrenches, the Centre Pointe team found a few extra hundredths of a second during the test session and was prepared to race against some of the best Top Alcohol racers in the world at "The Strip".
Bartone and the Centre Pointe team entered eliminations qualified in the number 3 position after recording a solid 5.657 elapsed time in the final session on Saturday evening. This set up a round one race with Sean O'Bannon, a re-match of the second round just one week ago when O'Bannon captured the round win. This time, the Centre Pointe team exacted some revenge. O'Bannon left the starting line a mere -0.007 seconds prior to the flash of the green light, disqualifying him from the race. However, Bartone powered by the Boggs tune-up negotiated the Vegas quarter-mile in 5.613 seconds at over 257 miles per hour. This performance held up for low elapsed time of the round, and advanced Bartone to the semi-final round.
In the semi's, the Centre Pointe/FireIce.com team paired up against John Lombardo Jr. and his NAPA Auto Parts sponsored, Bob Devore tuned flopper. At the flash of the green, Bartone gained a solid reaction-time advantage, but it was not needed as the Centre Pointe Ford dipped into the 50's, recording a 5.596 ET, while Lombardo Jr. had mechanical problems and slowed to a mid-9 second ET for the loss. On the other side of the ladder, Mickey Ferro who won the national event last week, and his talented team from Division 1 beat Division 6 racer Clint Thompson to advance to the money round.
The finals paired Bartone, the Long Island City, NY native versus Ferro, who calls Stamford, CT. home. Bartone was hyped up for the final and recorded an amazing 0.005 second reaction time, however the power of the Centre Pointe Ford was too much for the cooling LVMS track and the car went up in smoke, while Ferro throttled down for a great 5.59 ET to capture the Vegas Double-Double.
The Rick Jackson Racing team will now head back their home track, Pomona Raceway and complete the 2010 NHRA Drag Racing Season this upcoming weekend at the NHRA Auto Club World Finals.
BARTONE PREPARES FOR VEGAS DOUBLE-DOWN
Las Vegas, Nev. - The Centre Pointe Collision Center Ford Mustang Top Alcohol Funny Car team will pull into "The Strip" at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend for the first of two back-to-back events which will set the stage for what is expected to be an exciting three weeks of racing to conclude the 2010 NHRA Drag Racing Series.
Rick Jackson's Santa Clarita, Calif. based team enters the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals after a semi-final finish last weekend during the final Division 4 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event contested in Noble, Oka. The final-four appearance officially clinched the team's first NHRA Division 4 TAFC championship title. However, this weekend, the focus of the Centre Pointe team will be to add to their NHRA National point total and complete the 2010 season on a winning note.
"We have a very consistent and quick race car right now, and racing here in Las Vegas plays right into our hand," noted team owner Rick Jackson, the owner of Centre Pointe Collision Center in Southern California. "We have done very well at this facility and with the weather conditions expecting to be cool at LVMS; we expect to be quick and competitive. The team has done a wonderful job this season. And winning this event in front of several of our friends would provide us with some momentum to complete the season on a winning note."
Jackson's TAFC is driven by Tony Bartone, who in his exceptional driving career has captured 31-NHRA National Event titles and 33 Divisional Wally's, is also very excited for the opportunity to capture Vegas-gold once again. "We were very fortunate to win the April race at LVMS last season," noted Bartone. "We enjoy racing here for several reasons, and the people at LVMS do a great job providing us with a classy and very clean facility. I'm looking forward to the race this weekend and we are cautiously optimistic about our chances to come home with the Wally."
Rick Jackson Racing knows without the support from Marketing Partners such as FireIce.com, Red Line Oil, Simpson Safety Equipment, Hussy Copper, Goodyear Tires and many more, their racing efforts would be difficult. The team of Steve, Chris, Lew, Javier and Scott are confident they work with the best equipment and vendors possible and are very thankful for their support.
The Centre Pointe Collision Center TAFC team will receive three attempts to qualify for the 16-car field. Qualifying begins on Friday with two sessions scheduled. They will receive a final session Saturday with first round of eliminations commencing Saturday afternoon.
"NO PROBLEM" - BARTONE AND JACKSON RACING TAKE D-4 WIN
Belle Rose, LA - Tony Bartone added yet another Top Alcohol Funny Car Wally' to his impressive career this past weekend during the NHRA Division 4 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, LA. The wire-to-wire victory padded his D-4 point lead and moved him up to fifth place in the National point standings.
Bartone, who spends time between his Long Island City, NY and Boca Raton, FLA homes, drove the Rick Jackson Racing Centre Pointe Collision Center / FireIce.com Ford Mustang to the number one qualified spot after uncorking a solid 5.57 elapsed time off the trailer. The team held the number one spot through (3) qualifying sessions and entered eliminations as the odds on favorites to capture the event title. However, there is a reason they say races are won on the race track and not on paper.
Due to an odd number of cars entered in the field, the Centre Pointe / FireIce.com team drew a bye-run to open up eliminations. Crew Chief Steve Boggs, who has tuned Tony Bartone to over 90 percent of his total career NHRA victories, tuned the Ford Mustang to a solid and clean 5.602 ET at 253.99 miles per hour. Also advancing after round one were Divison 7 hitter Steve Gasparrelli and Division 4 competitor Steve Burck, who earned a solo into the final round in the semi-finals.
In the semi-final round, Bartone was a bit tardy off the starting line, but was clean and straight down the No Problem Raceway quarter-mile, recording a 5.612 ET at 254.90 mph and captured the round win, while the California invader had problems and slowed to a mid-15 second elapsed time. On the other side of the ladder, Burck stepped up his best performance of the weekend by recording a very respectful 5.738 ET to set up the final round pairing of Bartone and Burck.
In the money round, the Centre Pointe / FireIce.com team of Chris, Lew, Javier, Scott and Rick put together a team effort and their hard work paid off. Burck gained a slight hole-shot advantage over the 31-time NHRA National Event champion, but the performance and consistency of the Jackson Racing Ford Mustang was enough to capture the lead by the 330 foot cones and power Bartone to yet another Division 4 event title. For the record, Bartone's 5.694 ET beat Burck's 6.266 efforts in the final round.
"The car is running mean right now," noted team owner Rick Jackson. "We took a few months off to get our car prepared for the last half of the season and we are very pleased with this weekend's performance. The tune-up is coming to us right now and we are confident our car can compete with anybody out there right now. Once again, our crew did a masterful job. It's refreshing knowing the chemistry of this team can be the difference between a win and a loss."
The Rick Jackson team will head to the O'Reilly NHRA Super Nationals in Baytown, Texas in attempt to add another Big Wally' to the team's impressive resume. To learn more about Rick Jackson Racing and their driver Tony Bartone, please visit http://www.rickjacksonracing.com
JACKSON RACING LOOKS TO DEFEND BELLE ROSE 09' TITLE
Belle Rose, LA - Coming off a runner-up finish at the prestigious Mac Tools NHRA US Nationals, Rick Jackson's potent Top Alcohol Funny Car team heads into Cajun-country this weekend to contend for another NHRA Divisional ?Wally', as No Problem Raceway will host the 4th NHRA Division 4 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event of the 2010 season.
The Santa Clarita, Calif. based Centre Pointe Collision Center / FireIce.com Ford Mustang TAFC team returns to their home division for another crack at the Belle Rose, LA event title. Last season, team driver Tony Bartone, who has won NHRA National Event titles in three divisions, took the ?Wally' back to his Boca Raton, Fla. home with consistent elapsed times produced by the tuning talents of Steve Boggs. Last week at "The Big Go", the Centre Pointe / FireIce.com team produced a career best elapsed time of 5.498 seconds to earn the pole position. For team owner Rick Jackson, the performance gained at Indy, is hopefully the beginning of what will be a solid ending to the 2010 NHRA season.
"We have been creeping up on the tune up of our car for the past year or so," noted Jackson, the owner of Centre Pointe Collision Center in Southern California. "When we put the .49 on the board at Indy, we were very surprised, but we also knew the car had the potential. Our team has worked very hard on establishing good procedures and operates very professionally. Heading down to Belle Rose, our goal will simply be to improve on our consistency, establish a good base-line in qualifying and move forward from there. I am optimistic, if we do our job, we will have a good shot at defending our race title from last season."
Last year at this same event, Bartone and the Centre Pointe team strung together three consecutive 5.68 second ET's in eliminations to capture round wins over Kebin Kinsley in round one, Burl Brown in the second stanza and Steve Harker in the money round. The consistency of the Boggs tuned Ford Mustang is the key to victory, according to Bartone.
"When we go out and put a good solid number on the board in qualifying, we tend to do very well in eliminations," noted Bartone. "The key to these cars is to steadily improve each run during the event. A Blown Alcohol Funny Car is one of the more difficult cars to drive, but when Stevie has the car humming, running hot, straight and normal, it makes my job easier. The boys on the team, Chris, Lew, Javier, Scott and Rick are very good at what they do. I look forward to another successful race weekend in Louisiana."
BARTONE AND JACKSON RACING RUNNER-UP AT THE BIG GO....View Pictures
Indianapolis, Ind. - Through a dominate qualifying effort and a little bit of good luck in eliminations, the Rick Jackson Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car team from Santa Clarita, Calif. reached the final round this past weekend at the 56th Mac Tool's NHRA US Nationals presented by Lucas Oil contested at O'Reilly Raceway Park.
The Centre Pointe Collision Center / FireIce.com Ford Mustang flopper set the pace in qualifying by recording a career best elapsed time of 5.498 seconds during the team's third qualifying session. The number one shot was the first sub 5.50-second ET in the TAFC division for 31-time NHRA National Event Champion Tony Bartone and set up a first round race with Rick Cortino from Wheaton, Ill. Bartone drove the Jackson Racing Mustang through a bit of tire shake to an off pace 5.767 ET at 255.10 miles per hour to advance to Sunday's eliminations.
In the second round, Bartone, who spends his time between Long Island City, NY and Boca Raton, Fla., returned to form as crew chief Steve Boggs tuned the Centre Pointe/FireIce.com TAFC to a solid 5.530 ET to capture the win versus Gainesville, Ga.'s Steve Harker who trailed with a 5.612 ET. Bartone then matched up against Chardon, Ohio's John Bojec in the semi-final round. At the hit of the throttle, the Centre Pointe Ford shook the tires violently and Bartone was forced to abort the race, while Bojec thundered to a 5.55 second ET to capture the round win. However, in post race inspection, Bojec's Monte Carlo was disqualified due to being too light at the scales. Bartone and the Centre Pointe/FireIce.com team were re-instated to square off with the FireIce Ford Mustang of Jay Payne in the money round.
At the flash of the green, Bartone nabbed a slight hole shot advantage, but once again tire shake was the gremlin which ended the Southern California based teams quest for the US Nationals Wally. Payne was straight and normal and produced a 5.648 ET to capture his first US Nationals title in his long and historic career.
"After the semi-final race we returned to our pits and started to eat some pizza when we were informed that our team had been given a second chance," noted team owner Rick Jackson, the owner of Centre Pointe Collision Centers in Santa Clarita. "Our team was smooth and cool as we serviced our car with time to spare prior to the final round. Our boys did a wonderful job this weekend and I am very pleased with the performance of our car. We would like to extend our congratulations to Jay, Shelly, Brad, Michael and the entire FireIce.com team for their victory."
NEW COLORS, SAME DESIRE BURNING AT INDY FOR JACKSON RACING
Indianapolis, Ind. - When it comes to racing at the historic Mac Tools NHRA US Nationals at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis, the focus of Rick Jackson's highly successful Top Alcohol Funny Car team is kicked up a notch. Add in the fact this is the team's first race in over two months and debuting a brand new paint scheme of their 2010 Ford Mustang body equals a group of die-hard racers chomping at the bit for the annual Labor Day gathering at the race known simply as "The Big Go".
Jackson's TAFC team has taken the past few months off to regroup in preparation for the home stretch of the 2010 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. The second half of the season begins this weekend at the 56th running of the Mac Tools NHRA US Nationals presented by Lucas Oil. The Centre Pointe Collision Center Ford Mustang TAFC team enters this weekend's race currently occupying the 11th position in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series National point standings. However, the spirited bunch from Santa Clarita, Calif. along with their 31-time NHRA National Event champion driver Tony Bartone expect the new-look Centre Pointe/FireIce.com Mustang to compete for the event title at Indy.
"We've have not had our most sterling season to date in the first half of our 2010 campaign," noted Bartone, who has captured Indy victories in Top Alcohol Funny Car twice. "Our car has run exceptionally consistent in our Divisional races, but we just haven't been up to par at the National Events this season. Our boys always step it up when it counts, and as far as races are concerned, it just doesn't get much bigger than "The Big Go". With Steve Boggs making the tuning calls, and Lew, Chris, Scott, Javier and Rick turning the wrenches this weekend, we'll look to continue to improve each pass and hopefully walk out of here with another Wally."
Team owner Rick Jackson, is also ready to get back to competing with the best-of-the-best in the highly competitive TAFC division at Indy with the new-look Centre Pointe Mustang. "This color scheme is something entirely different for our race team," noted Jackson. "The car looks fast with this solid color. Our crew has done a wonderful job getting the car ready to compete for the second half of our season, and nothing would make me happier than to return to our winning ways at Indy as we did in 2008."
The Rick Jackson Racing team is proud to have partnered with several outstanding companies such as FireIce.com, Simpson Race Products, Hussy Copper, Red Line Oil, Goodyear Tires and ARP who proudly support the Centre Pointe Collision team. To learn more about the Jackson Racing team, please visit their website at http://www.rickjacksonracing.com.
CENTRE POINTE TEAM LOOKING FOR D-4 THREE-PEAT IN TULSA
Tulsa, Ok. - They say bad things often happen in threes. If the Santa Clarita, Calif. based Rick Jackson Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car team continues their winning ways at this weekend's NHRA Division 4 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Event contested at Tulsa Raceway Park it could be bad news for those also competing for the coveted D-4 title.
The Centre Pointe Collision Center / FireIce.com sponsored Mustang TAFC enters this event after capturing a wire-to-wire win at the previous D-4 event in Houston, Texas in May. It was the second Divisional victory for the Southern California based team and provided them with a solid lead in the NHRA Division 4 point standings. However, the So Cal invaders and their 31-time NHRA National Event Championship driver Tony Bartone from Long Island City, NY know there will be a target on their back as several of the best TAFC's in the south-central United States will be gunning to knock the Centre Pointe team off their current D-4 perch.
"The nice thing about having a competitive car is you have confidence in your equipment and your team," noted Bartone, who is currently fifth in the NHRA World Championship point standings. "The problem with having a competitive car is everybody else is gunning for you. These guys will bring their "A-GAME" against us this weekend in Tulsa for certain. However, our boys are used to pressure situations and I like our chances to walk away with another D-4 race win here in Tulsa."
The Rick Jackson Racing team got off to a good start today in the first of three qualifying sessions, as the Centre Pointe Collision Center / FireIce.com team landed the provisional pole position after recording a conservative 5.78 second elapsed time at 248 miles per hour. The team will receive two more qualifying attempts tomorrow before final eliminations begin on Sunday.
"This is going to be a tough weekend with tricky track conditions," noted Bartone. "Getting down the track in your first qualifying session is very important as it gives you and your team a chance to review the run data and make fine adjustments to these very finicky cars. With Steve Boggs making the tuning calls, and Lew, Chris, Scott, Javier and Rick turning the wrenches this weekend, we'll look to continue to improve each pass and hopefully walk out of here with another Wally."
BARTONE AND JACKSON BOYS TAKE BAYTOWN TITLE
Baytown, Texas - It's been said, consistency wins championships in the high-powered sport of NHRA Championship Drag Racing. After running 3-consecutive 5.66-second elapsed times at this past weekend's Division 4 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event contested at Houston Raceway Park, the Rick Jackson Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car team captured their second straight Division 4 event title.
Tony Bartone, the talented driver of Rick Jackson's potent Ford Mustang Centre Pointe Collision Center sponsored flopper qualified in the number one spot in a talented field of four TAFC's in Baytown, Texas. His pole position set up a round one match-up against the reigning NHRA Division 3 champion Chris Foster and his talented crew chief Will Hanna. Foster did his job at the flash of the green light, capturing a solid reaction time advantage, but he could not run with Bartone and the tuning talents of Steve Boggs. Bartone was in the lead by the time they reached the 330-foot marker and never looked back, taking the round one victory with a solid 5.668 second elapsed time.
On the other side of the ladder, Lee Calloway defeated Ro Yale, recording his best pass of the weekend, a 5.766 ET, while Yale struggled down the HRP quarter-mile recording a 6.948 ET. With Calloway's victory, the final round with Jackson's Santa Clarita, Calif. based team was set. Bartone entered the money round with a tenth of a second advantage, but in drag racing, past performance is no guarantee of success.
In this case, past performance was a perfect indicator for Bartone, running yet another 5.66, this time with a 3 while, Callaway chattered the tires hard on the launch and eventually crossed the center-line trying to step things up against the California invaders, then coasted to a 13-second ET, handing the Wally to the Centre Pointe / FireIce.com team.
"I am very proud of the efforts of our team once again this weekend," noted team owner Rick Jackson, the owner of Centre Pointe Collision Center in Southern California. "When you can run three elapsed times within 0.006 seconds in changing weather conditions during the weekend, your car is going to be hard to beat. And we accomplished this task. Racing in Division 4 against some very good racers challenges our team to provide their best efforts at all times. They always work very hard and I'm very pleased with our team effort once again."
Tony Bartone and the Rick Jackson Racing team realize their race victory is not without the efforts of their hard working crew of Chris, Lew, Javier and Scott, who put in count-less hours working behind the scenes to insure the Centre Pointe Collision Center's / FireIce.com TAFC is race ready no matter what conditions may hold. The next event for the Jackson Racing team will be held in Tulsa, Ok scheduled for June 25-27.
TEAM EFFORT PROPELS TONY BARTONE TO WIRE-TO-WIRE DIV 4 RACE WIN
Ennis, Texas - 31-time NHRA National Event champion Tony Bartone and the Rick Jackson Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car team is flying high tonight after the Centre Pointe Collision Center TAFC took home the title at the first Division 4 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event of 2010 at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas.
The weekend did not start off great for the Santa Clarita, Calif. based team as the first two qualifying efforts produced less than fantastic results, however the experienced bunch lead by crew chief Steve Boggs reached down and produced a 5.608 second 256.70 mile per hour blast in the final qualifying session yesterday to capture the pole position. The number one spot lead Tony Bartone to a round one pairing against Channelview, Texas driver Lee Callaway; a rematch of the first round in Houston earlier this year.
The results were the same as they were at the O'Reilly Nationals in March as Bartone grabbed a starting line advantage, never looked back and sped to an event best 5.602 second elapsed time in the round one win. Due to a field of only 6 TAFC's entered at this event, the round one victory gave the number one qualifier Bartone a bye-run in the semi-finals. Bartone showed his skills on the single, the car was moving back and forth between the left and right edge of the groove, but he "kept it in the black" and ran 5.606 second ET. The quick and consistent win for Bartone set up a final round pairing of two veteran Ford Mustang TAFC drivers with FireIce.com on their side windows.
Hot off a National event victory in Las Vegas, Nev. last week, Jay Payne and his FireIce.com TAFC entered the money round against Bartone after dispatching Chris Foster in a very close race in the semi-final round. As the two left the starting line, Bartone captured a slight starting line advantage, but both cars had problems negotiating the quick all-concrete quarter mile. Bartone's Centre Pointe Collision Center car was the more fortunate of the two and after producing yet another low 5.6 second elapsed time (a 5.625 for the record) the Jackson Racing team captured their first win of the 2010 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing series.
"This was a complete team effort today," noted team owner Rick Jackson. "Steve, Chris, Scott, Javier and Lew are the best crew in the business and our driver is pretty darn good as well. We have been trying some different things recently and it was great to put together a string of consistent ET's today to take home our first NHRA Wally of 2010. I hope this is the beginning of better things for this team. I'm very proud of our efforts this weekend."
JACKSON RACING TEAM SEEKING CURE FOR GREMLINS IN DALLAS
Dallas, Texas - If there is a doctor in the house who has the cure for Gremlins, please consult Rick Jackson Racing.
It seems no matter what changes the Centre Pointe Collision Center group makes to their Ford Mustang Top Alcohol Funny Car, something always seems to pop up at the in-opportune time. The competitive group from Santa Clarita, Calif. is hoping to change this luck as they invade NHRA Division 4 and the Texas Motorplex in Dallas, Texas for their first official Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series appearance in the 2010 season.
The high-spirited Rick Jackson Racing, Centre Pointe Collision Center TAFC team heads into Dallas after a lack-luster showing at the recently completed Summitracing.com NHRA Nationals contested on "The Strip" at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 31-time NHRA National Event champion Tony Bartone drove the Centre Pointe Collision Center Ford Mustang TAFC to a number 4 qualifying position in the field of 16-cars and took on the painter, Mark "The Woz" Woznichak from Ontario, Calif. in the opening stanza.
Bartone was first off the line, and his off-pace 5.768 elapsed time barely held off the hard-charging Camaro of "The Woz" to capture the round one victory. "Hey a win is a win," noted Bartone. "Let's just say we used up a bit of Las Vegas luck in that win. We found something in the motor which should not have been in the motor after that pass. How it held together is a mystery." Bartone and the boys then advanced to the second round; losing to eventual runner-up Sean O'Bannon and the Jeff Lirones tuned Forest River sponsored TAFC team.
"I think we can say in all candor this Las Vegas race was not a good one for us," Bartone said. "We had mechanical problems on our first qualifying session, and as I've said a million times before, you get behind on your first qualifying effort, it seems to haunt you during the entire event. Our team is talented and there is no arguing this fact. With Chris, Lew, Javier, Scott, Rick and Steve working hard on the car there is no reason why we should be struggling like this. For other teams a second round showing would be quite an accomplishment and we respect that. However, it's our goal to be the best. To win races. We need to find a way to improve this weekend in Dallas. We have companies like FireIce.com, Simpson Race Products, Hussy Copper, Red Line Oil and Goodyear Tires standing behind our team. We owe them a good showing."
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JACKSON RACING READY FOR SUNDAY ELIMINATIONS
Las Vegas, Nev. - 31-time NHRA National event Champion Tony Bartone and the Rick Jackson Racing Centre Pointe Collision Center Top Alcohol Funny Car team will be ready to play on Sunday after a first round victory over "The Woz" Mark Woznichak in round one of the Summitracing.com NHRA Nationals held on "The Strip" at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
After qualifying in the forth position with a solid 5.686 second elapsed time recorded in the second qualifying session on Friday afternoon, the experienced driver from Boca Raton, Fla. via Long Island City, NY., matched up against Division 7 veteran painter Woznichak, from Onterio, Calif. in the first round on Saturday afternoon.
As the two cars left the starting line, Bartone grabbed nearly a tenth of a second advantage over "The Woz" in reaction time. Bartone'sneeded every bit of his stellar .047 combined with his off-pace 5.768 second elapsed time to beat Woznichek's quicker 5.70 effort to advance to the second round tomorrow.
"We missed the combo and had some issues down track," noted the round one victor Bartone. "Fortunately, the driver did his job for once, and our Centre Pointe Collision Center / FireIce.com car will have a chance to race on Sunday. Most of the time, Steve and his tune up make up for the driver's short comings. It was nice to repay the guys for once. We will need to step our game up against Sean O'Bannon tomorrow. That car is flat out hauling the mail, but I'm confident Steve will give us a good tune-up to match up against their team."
Tony Bartone and the Rick Jackson Racing team realize their round one victory is not without the efforts of their hard working crew of Chris, Lew, Javier and Scott, who put in count-less hours working behind the scenes to insure the Centre Pointe Collision Center's / FireIce.com TAFC is race ready no matter what conditions may hold. The team is also proud of their new Facebook page, where members of the social media giant can follow the activities of the Rick Jackson team during the 2010 NHRA season at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Santa-Clarita-CA/Rick-Jackson-Racing/285221759287?ref=ts.
BARTONE BAGS BAYTOWN FINAL ROUND APPEARANCE
Baytown, Texas - The Rick Jackson Racing, Centre Pointe / FireIce.com Ford Mustang Top Alcohol Funny Car team came up just short against Mickey Ferro in the final round of eliminations at the 23rd running of the O'Reilly NHRA Springnationals contested at Houston Raceway Park located in Baytown, Texas.
Team driver Tony Bartone placed the Centre Pointe / FireIce.com TAFC in the number two qualified position earlier in the weekend and entered eliminations against the number 13 qualifier, Channelview, Texas own Lee Callaway. At the flash of the green, Bartone grabbed the starting-line advantage and never looked back, as his 5.539 elapsed time was good enough to take the win against Callaway's impressive 5.584 ET.
With only 13 TAFC's on the property, the round one victory gave Bartone a bye-run into the semi-finals. Crew chief Steve Boggs decided to go for the throat and lane choice in the semi's, however just barely missed the tune up and Bartone shook rattled and rolled his way to an off pace 10 second elapsed time into the semi-finals against Gainesville, GA based Steve Harker.
A match-up of titans in the competitive TAFC division, both of whom finished in the top 10 in the world last season wound up becoming anti-climatic as Harker lost traction at the hit of the throttle. Bartone drove his Centre Pointe / FireIce.com Mustang TAFC straight down the HRP quarter-mile and recorded a 5.600 second ET giving Bartone the round win and a final round appearance.
In the money round, Bartone raced against his buddy Mickey Ferro from Stamford, CT who had been dominating the class with low elapsed time recorded in every round. Ferro was out of the gate first and never trailed recording a solid 5.543 ET for his third National event win. Bartone recorded a 5.561 ET in a losing effort.During his sterling career in the TAFC division, Bartone has only failed to qualify once in 121 TAFC races. And that occurred at this event last season. To say the Rick Jackson team improved on last season's effort would be an understatement.
"We conquered some demons at HRP this weekend by making the money round," noted Bartone. "Our car ran pretty well, but we've at the end of the day we didn't get it done when it counted. We want to give our congratulations to Mickey Ferro and his crew for the great final round race and for their event wins. We'll take a look at our run data, fix our parts and be ready for Vegas next weekend. Hopefully we our results will be exactly the same as last year there."
To learn more about the Santa Clarita, Calif. based Rick Jackson Racing team, who won last year's Summitracing.com Nationals in Las Vegas, please visit their website at http://www.rickjacksonracing.com and http://www.crxmedia.com.
BARTONE'S CONSISTENCY PRODUCES NUMBER TWO SPOT
Baytown, Texas - 31-time NHRA National Event champion Tony Bartone and the Rick Jackson Racing Centre Pointe / FireIce.com Ford Mustang Top Alcohol Funny Car currently occupy the number two qualified spot after the first day of the 23rd running of the O'Reilly NHRA Springnationals contested at Houston Raceway park in Baytown, Texas.
Bartone and crew chief Steve Boggs un-corked a great 5.546 second elapsed time at a speed of 260.56 miles per hour in the first session. Steve Harker recorded an identical elapsed time after the first session however based on a speed difference of only 0.60 mph, Bartone and the Centre Pointe / FireIce.com Mustang grabbed the provisional pole after the first session.
"Boggsy had it set for a conservative run for our first session and that .54 was a great result," noted Bartone who lives with his family in Boca Raton, Fla. "When you come to any race it is crucial you get a good base-line run in your first session. If you don't, it seems you always get behind the curve and are chasing your tail all weekend long. We were very pleased with our first pass of the weekend and we'll hop it up a bit for Q-2."
The hop in the second session turned into a small stumble, as the Santa Clarita, Calif. based team slowed to a 5.567 second E.T. at 259.21 mph, which was good enough for the second quickest run of the session. Mickey Ferro's stellar 5.507 blast at 262.69 mph gave the Stamford, Conn. driver the provisional pole position after the first day of qualifying.
"We planned to hop it up a taste for Q-2 but we hopped a bit too much," stated Bartone. "We shook the tires a bit and I had to pedal it right before first gear. Even if the run was perfect, we would still be a little behind that great 5.50 ET our buddy Mickey Ferro put up on the board. We did great today and we should be good to go tomorrow for the last session and our first round of eliminations tomorrow."
The Rick Jackson Racing team will receive one more qualifying shot tomorrow morning prior to first round of eliminations tomorrow afternoon after the final professional qualifying session. To learn more about the Centre Pointe / FireIce.com TAFC, please visit their website at http://www.rickjacksonracing.com and http://www.crxmedia.com.
BARTONE AND JACKSON BOYS READY FOR BAYTOWN ASSULT
Baytown, Texas - After nearly 30 days away from a drag strip, the Rick Jackson Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car team is itching to return to NHRA competition this weekend during the 23rd running of the O'Reilly NHRA Springnationals contested in the oxygen-rich air environment of Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas.
The Santa Clarita, Calif. based Centre Pointe Collision Center/FireIce.com TAFC team enters this event with a bit of a chip on their shoulder after a lack-luster DNQ at last year's event. And for team owner Rick Jackson, the lightning quick HRP facility is the perfect place for his team to seek some redemption.
"Quite frankly we really fell flat on our faces here last season," noted the owner of the potent Centre Pointe / FireIce.com Ford Mustang Alcohol burning flopper. "After we won the marathon 6-day NHRA Winternationals last year, we came into this race expecting to dominate, but we sure got a taste of humble-pie as we failed to qualify. The key with these cars is to get a good base-line qualifying effort right out of the box and last year we did not accomplish this goal. We will focus on hitting a few singles instead of swinging for the fences in qualifying and hopefully we will be racing on Sunday."
The Jackson Racing team is coming off the postponed NHRA Division 7 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Firebird Raceway in Chandler, Az. During this event the team experienced some mechanical gremlins which produced an off-pace number eight qualified position. The team began the season with a number one qualified effort at the 50th running of the NHRA Winternationals. However, a semi-final loss to eventual race runner-up Doug Gordon inspired 31-time NHRA National Event winning driver Tony Bartone and his crew chief Steve Boggs to get back on track at the teams next National event.
"When you lose a race by simply getting out performed, it bugs at you until you get back out there," noted Bartone, who returned to his roots in the NHRA's sportsman categories last year after a successful campaign as the driver Jim Dunn's AA / Funny Car. "Phoenix was cancelled thankfully so we'll just pretend it didn't happen. This weekend in Houston is our return to the track and we owe this place our best effort. I am confident Steve and the boys will tune our Centre Pointe/FireIce.com to performance we expect."
Jackson, Bartone, Boggs and the rest of the Jackson Racing team will begin their qualifying efforts on Friday, April 9th with two sessions scheduled for 11:00am and 1:45 pm local time. They will receive a final qualifying session on Saturday scheduled for 10:15am prior to the first round of eliminations on Saturday afternoon.
Chandler, Az. - Oscar Wilde was fond of saying, "You don't get a second chance to make a first impression." However, Mr. Wilde never drove a 260 mile per hour Top Alcohol Funny Car in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series either.
One week after the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing series invaded the valley of the sun, the Santa Clarita, Calif. based Rick Jackson Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car team and their top-shelf driver, Tony Bartone, bring their highly competitive car to the first Division 7 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event of 2010, contested this weekend at Firebird International Raceway in Chandler, Az.
The Centre Pointe Collision Center / FireIce.com team began their 2010 NHRA season with a semi-final showing at the season opening NHRA Winternationals a few weeks ago in Pomona, Calif. After qualifying number one in the 16-car field team driver Tony Bartone took out Brian Smith and Brian Thiel in the first two rounds of eliminations en-route to a semi-final round loss to Doug Gordon. It was a round loss which did not sit well with team owner Rick Jackson and the entire team.
"We flat out got beat," noted Jackson, whose team has captured six NHRA National Event championships in the past two years. "If you lose by making a mistake that is difficult to accept, because you basically shoot yourself in the foot. But, when another team out performs you it is like Doug Gordon did to us in Pomona, that leaves a bad taste in your mouth and you can't wait to get back to the track to prove you are better and capable of a higher level of performance. We need to do well this weekend to start off the divisional series on a good note."
The team ended last year's NHRA LODRS divisional series with a win at the Division 4 event in Belle Rose, LA.
However, racing against some of the world's most competitive Alcohol Funny Cars this weekend at Firebird will be a much more difficult task.
"These guys are very tough racers and if you qualify in the top 8, you can win this race in Division 7," stated driver Tony Bartone, a 31-time NHRA National event champion in three different categories. "We've got a good thing going here at Rick Jackson Racing. Our car ran very well in Pomona and I'm optimistic we can run well this weekend."
Bartone's confidence was up to par as the team entered the first qualifying session today. Bartone launched hard, recording a solid 0.944 second 60-foot time and was on track to recording a low 5.60 elapsed time in the quarter mile, however a parachute malfunction deployed the laundry 320 feet before the finish line, causing the car to slow down dramatically. The end result was a sub-par 6.185 E.T., good enough for the number7 spot.
Bartone and the Rick Jackson Racing team will receive two more shots to improve their qualifying position tomorrow at Firebird Raceway.
Pomona, Calif. - Tony Bartone, the 31-time NHRA National Event champion, drove the Rick Jackson
Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car to a semi-final finish this past weekend at the 50th Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals contested in Pomona, Calif.
The Centre Pointe Collision Center / FireIce.com flopper captured the number one qualified position after their off-the-trailer 5.570 second elapsed time. The pole position matched them against number 16 qualifier, Brian Smith from Fullerton, Calif. in the opening stanza. Smith captured a slight starting line advantage over the Long Island City, N.Y. based driver, but the Steve Boggs tuned Mustang caught Smith by the 330 foot cones and sped along for the round one victory. The 5.556 second ET was low for the round of 16 cars.
In the second round, Bartone raced against Pleasant Grove, Calif.'s Brian Thiel, who was being tuned by Randy Anderson this weekend. His first round ET of 5.70 seconds gave up lane choice to Bartone and the Jackson Racing team. At the flash of the green, Thiel gathered a 0.012 starting line advantage, but once again, the Centre Pointe / FireIce.com car charged ahead of his competitor, crossed the finish line 5.600 seconds after the start and handing the round win to Bartone.
The semi-final pairing brought Division 7 hard-charger Doug Gordon up against the Jackson Racing team, with the winner set to match up against Sean O'Bannon in the money round. Bartone was on his game as he cut a 0.022 second reaction time and held the lead for the first 330 feet of the race. Unfortunately for the Santa Clarita bunch the race track is 1320 feet long and Gordon's 5.576 second ET was good enough to hold off the Centre Pointe / FireIce.com Mustang's 5.61 second run.
The weekend ended earlier than the team had planned, however the Jackson Racing group gathered some important run data in which they plan to take to their next scheduled event, The NHRA Division 7 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event to be held in Phoenix, Arizona in two weeks.
You can read a round by round update, including all archived elapsed times recorded during this event from our friends at http://www.dragracecentral.com.
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BARTONE CAPTURES NUMBER ONE QUALIFYING POSITION AT THE 50th
Pomona, Calif. - Vince Lombardi was fond of saying, "Being number one does not happen often, but when it occurs, you must capitalize the opportunity."
The inspirational words of the legendary football coach, which have become a source of inspiration of the Rick Jackson Racing Centre Pointe Collision Center / FireIce.com Top Alcohol Funny Car for the past few seasons, came to fruition today in Pomona. The Santa Clarita, Calif. based team captured the number one qualified position heading into final eliminations of the 50th Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals, the first event of the 2010 NHRA season.
The Centre Pointe / FireIce.com TAFC team's initial 5.570 second elapsed time recorded in the first qualifying session yesterday held up after two more qualifying efforts today. 15 of the best Top Alcohol Funny Car teams in the always tough NHRA Division 7 attempted to bump the Jackson Racing team off their top spot but were unsuccessful.
"I'm very proud of the way this car has run so far this weekend," noted 31-time NHRA National Event champion Tony Bartone, who returned to the seat of Jackson's potent Ford Mustang flopper for a second consecutive season. "Stevie (crew chief Boggs) had some good run data from last season which he put in the car for Thursday's initial run and it worked very well. That 5.57 was one of the smoothest passes I've ever had in a car. Today we backed up the first shot with another smooth pass, but missed the set-up by just a taste in the final session this evening. I'm pretty confident we'll be good to go tomorrow for the first round."
Bartone and the Jackson Racing team will begin to defend their Winternationals championship from last season in the first round of eliminations tomorrow at Auto Club Raceway, versus Brian Smith, the number 16 qualified car in the field. Team owner Rick Jackson is very well aware that any car in this tough class could step it up at any time.
"If you qualify in this class, you can beat anyone on any given race day," Jackson said. "Just because our car ran well in qualifying does not mean we can take anyone lightly. We've been doing this for a while and we are going to ensure we cross every ?T' and dot ever ?I' before tomorrow's first round. We are honored to be racing at this prestigious race. We will focus on round one tomorrow and take it one race at a time."
Bartone and the Centre Pointe / FireIce.com team's first round is scheduled to begin tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. For more information about the Rick Jackson Racing team please visit their website at http://www.rickjacksonracing.com or http://www.crxpromotions.com.
Santa Clarita, Calif. - Many racers would consider winning three NHRA events in one season a successful accomplishment. Not the Rick Jackson Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car team however.
The potent Top Alcohol Funny Car team based in Santa Clarita, Calif. concluded the 2009 season with a sub-par, tire-rattling first round exit. The run was a microcosm of the entire season. "We did a great job last year finding out every possible way to lose a race," noted team owner Rick Jackson. "From breaking a few connecting rods in the engine, to a $0.50 cent part failing, we learned more how to lose a race than how to win. Several of these instances were not our fault, but the teams who always finish on top minimize their mistakes. I feel last season was a very solid learning opportunity, which we plan to implement for the 2010 season."
Jackson's Centre Pointe Collision Center / FireIce.com Ford Mustang TAFC captured victories at the season opening Winternationals, the NHRA Summitracing.com Nationals in Las Vegas, Nev., and the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event in Belle Rose, La., in route to a 4th place finish in the 2009 NHRA National point standings. With 29-time NHRA National Event champion Tony Bartone behind the wheel and legendary Alcohol tuner Steve Boggs turning the wrenches, the Southern California based team heads into 2010 with visions of a Lucas Oil World Championship in site.
"Last year was a learning experience for our entire team; especially myself," noted Bartone. "After driving the Jim Dunn Racing Nitro Funny Car for a few seasons, getting back into the groove of driving the Alcohol Funny Car took some time. Towards the end of the season, we started to gel as a team. And since we have nearly our entire team intact for 2010, I'm confident the Jackson Racing Funny Car will challenge for the season championship."
The crew of Chris Perl, Lew Larson and Javier Gonzales will join Jackson and Boggs in preparing the 3,500 horse-powered Blown Alcohol Funny Car for its mid-five second, 260 mile per hour assaults on the quarter mile. Combined with the continuing support of marketing partners, Centre Pointe Collision Center, FireIce.com, Hussy Copper, Simpson Performance Products, Weld Racing, ARP, Red Line Synthetic Oil, Moroso, Jaz Products and Goodyear Racing Tires the Jackson Racing team is planning on a very successful 2010 season.
BARTONE PREPARES FOR VEGAS DOUBLE-DOWN
Las Vegas, Nev. - The Centre Pointe Collision Center Ford Mustang Top Alcohol Funny Car team will pull into "The Strip" at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend for the first of two back-to-back events which will set the stage for what is expected to be an exciting three weeks of racing to conclude the 2010 NHRA Drag Racing Series.
Rick Jackson's Santa Clarita, Calif. based team enters the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals after a semi-final finish last weekend during the final Division 4 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event contested in Noble, Oka. The final-four appearance officially clinched the team's first NHRA Division 4 TAFC championship title. However, this weekend, the focus of the Centre Pointe team will be to add to their NHRA National point total and complete the 2010 season on a winning note.
"We have a very consistent and quick race car right now, and racing here in Las Vegas plays right into our hand," noted team owner Rick Jackson, the owner of Centre Pointe Collision Center in Southern California. "We have done very well at this facility and with the weather conditions expecting to be cool at LVMS; we expect to be quick and competitive. The team has done a wonderful job this season. And winning this event in front of several of our friends would provide us with some momentum to complete the season on a winning note."
Jackson's TAFC is driven by Tony Bartone, who in his exceptional driving career has captured 31-NHRA National Event titles and 33 Divisional Wally's, is also very excited for the opportunity to capture Vegas-gold once again. "We were very fortunate to win the April race at LVMS last season," noted Bartone. "We enjoy racing here for several reasons, and the people at LVMS do a great job providing us with a classy and very clean facility. I'm looking forward to the race this weekend and we are cautiously optimistic about our chances to come home with the Wally."
Rick Jackson Racing knows without the support from Marketing Partners such as FireIce.com, Red Line Oil, Simpson Safety Equipment, Hussy Copper, Goodyear Tires and many more, their racing efforts would be difficult. The team of Steve, Chris, Lew, Javier and Scott are confident they work with the best equipment and vendors possible and are very thankful for their support.
The Centre Pointe Collision Center TAFC team will receive three attempts to qualify for the 16-car field. Qualifying begins on Friday with two sessions scheduled. They will receive a final session Saturday with first round of eliminations commencing Saturday afternoon. To learn more about Tony Bartone and Rick Jackson Racing, please visit their website at http://www.rickjacksonracing.com
