Parker/Bellemeur Las Vegas preview

TA/FC Musical Chairs: Parker and Bellemeur Both to Race in Vegas

Russ Parker and Sean Bellemeur both had successful 2007 seasons in Top Alcohol Funny Car. Parker, from Salem, Oregon finished in the top five in NHRA’s Northwest Division 6 while driving the Bellemeur Motorsports Pontiac Firebird owned by Gregg and Nancy Bellemeur. Sean, from Tustin, California finished number 3 in the Lucas Oil National Championship points chase and secured the Pacific Division 7 championship while driving the Meer Homes Inc. Camaro after having driven his parents’ car last year.

Fast forward one year as Sean has been on the sidelines since the season opening Carquest Winternationals after lack of sponsorship parked the Meer team. Russ has been waiting patiently with the Bellemeur Motorsports team for their next scheduled race which is the Pacific Division 7 race in Fontana, CA in early May. Enter Randy Goodwin, who called upon Parker to drive his TAFC at the Summitracing.com Nationals in Las Vegas, April 11-13. This opened up the opportunity for Sean to have another shot at the racetrack. “My dad called me and told me about the situation with Russ. He asked me if I was interested in trying to put a one race deal together with the family’s car again, and I couldn’t say yes fast enough” said Sean. “Mastercam Cad/Cam Software has jumped on board as a primary sponsor for the race, and I couldn’t be more excited! We tested the car a few weeks ago with Russ’ blessing and we uncovered some big things. This program is definitely headed in the right direction and I am really looking forward to getting back on the national event stage and showing what the team is capable of” said Sean.

Randy Goodwin is also anxious to prove what he and his car can do. His TAFC was one of the many cars affected by Torco Race Fuels suspension of sponsorships during the 2008 season. He and Russ have been competitors, then friends for a long time, hoping that at some point they might race together. For this one race deal they will be flying the banner of LifeLock, the industry leader in the rapidly growing field of Identity Theft Protection. They are based in Tempe, Arizona, and led by experienced and successful entrepreneurs and industry experts. LifeLock serves tens of thousands of consumers in every state of the union, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. To find out how to "guarantee your good name", visit LifeLock.com. "I'm thrilled to be racing with Randy and his team, along with LifeLock in Las Vegas," said Russ. "Even more so because Sean and his family will be there racing, too. The Bellemeurs have become like family to me. Even though Sean and I talk a lot of trash to each other, we both really care about seeing each other achieve our goals in NHRA drag racing.”

The Summitracing.com Nationals in Las Vegas, NV will host a full field of the best cars from around the country. Top Alcohol Funny Cars have been categorized by many as the toughest cars in all of drag racing to drive. The engines supply over 3000 horsepower to a clutch and three speed transmission combination that must be manually shifted by the driver. All is done in a car that is shorter in length than most production cars on the road. 5 and-a-half seconds later at 260mph, the run is over. That is excitement! Both Bellemeur and Parker will have their work cut out for them, but they are ready for the tall task. Race fans are invited to come by and meet both Russ and Sean, their teams, and learn more about their new sponsors.