Centre pointe team looking for d-4 three-peat in tulsa

CENTRE POINTE TEAM LOOKING FOR D-4 THREE-PEAT IN TULSA

<img src="http://www.insidetopalcohol.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=218&thumb=1&d=1267285500" align="right" borders="0"/>Tulsa, Ok. – They say bad things often happen in three’s. 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.”

To learn more about the Rick Jackson Racing team and their driver Tony Bartone, please visit their website at http://www.rickjacksonracing.com