Tony Bartone- NHRA Norwalk Preview

Bartone Plans for Success in Norwalk

Photo provided by Auto Imagery

Norwalk, Ohio- 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 Santa Clarita, Calif. 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, Calif. 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, Nev. 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 the quest of returning 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.

For more information about Tony Bartone and the Rick Jackson Racing team please visit their website @ http://www.rickjacksonracing.com


Release Courtesy of Tim Charlet @ CRX PROMOTIONS