Chevy's Tony Bartone Takes First Career 'Wally' to Infineon Raceway
Western Swing Concludes with FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals
SONOMA, Calif., July 23, 2008 - The third and final leg of the always arduous three-race Western Swing concludes this weekend with the 21st annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals on July 25-27 at Infineon Raceway, and Team Chevy's Tony Bartone doesn't mind that he's got an extra carry-on for the flight from Seattle to Sonoma - his first career Funny Car trophy or 'Wally.'
Bartone drove his Canidae All Natural Pet Foods Chevrolet to his first career victory in the pro ranks at last weekend's Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals at Seattle when he got past veteran Ron Capps in the final round. Despite five Top Alcohol Funny Car Southeast Division championships (1999, 1996, 1992-94) and a Top Alcohol Funny Car national championship in 1996 in the Sportsman ranks, this was his first professional Funny Car victory in his second career final round appearance (Las Vegas 1 2005).
"This is what you dream about, this is what you work for in your career - to win in the pro ranks," Bartone said. "Winning was great in the alcohol classes, we won a championship and a lot of races, but this is a special moment - a culmination of what you try to accomplish as a pro racer.
"What a great day. It's the old adage, you never say die, you never give up, you keep plugging away, and days like this happen. I owe it to Jim Dunn for giving me a chance five years ago to drive this Funny Car. It took us awhile, but we worked hard and we finally ended up in the winner's circle. I owe it all to Jim Dunn, Diane, John Dunn, and the guys on the team who just did a fantastic job. We've had a couple of trying experiences over the last couple of weeks, but we kept persevering and brought the Canidae All Natural Chevy to the winner's circle and we're all very proud of that."
The native New Yorker didn't back into his first win, either, qualifying No. 5 for Sunday eliminations and then defeating 2005 POWERade Funny Car champ Gary Scelzi in Round 1, John Force Racing's Mike Neff in Round 2, and defending POWERade Funny Car champion and fellow Chevy driver Tony Pedregon in the semifinals to face off with Capps.
"Funny Car, in my opinion, is as competitive as it's ever been," Bartone said. "Just look at some of the drivers who don't make these races. On any given weekend there are a number of top teams that don't get in the show and that speaks volumes about the competitive nature of this category is. There are a lot of great cars and a lot of great teams out here."
Although recent stumbles will probably keep him out of the top 10 qualifiers for the Countdown to 1, Bartone is confident the team is close to getting the consistency to compete on a weekly basis. With his win Bartone is 15th in the Funny Car standings, 129 points behind Jack Beckman and that coveted 10th-place qualifying position. But for now, it's back to work, and Tony Bartone will enter the front gate of Infineon Raceway as the most recent Funny Car event winner on the NHRA POWERade circuit.
"It doesn't get any better than this," Bartone said from the winner's circle at Seattle. "First win in a fuel car and I probably won't sleep for three or four days. Then we'll try to do this again next week in Sonoma. It will be another hot race track, hopefully we'll have something for them and we can go some rounds again. They say the first one is the toughest. Maybe we have the monkey off our back. We'll see."
Watch Video - Funny Car winner Tony Bartone/Seattle Post-Race: YouTube - Chevrolet NHRA Funny Car/Tony Bartone/Post Race/Seattle
Watch Video - Pro Stock winner Jason Line/Seattle Post-Race:
YouTube - Pontiac/Jason Line/NHRA Pro Stock Post Race/Seattle
21st annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals GM RACING STATS AND FACTS
* Tony Bartone's win at Seattle in his Canidae All Natural Pet Foods Chevrolet continued a streak of a Chevy in the Funny Car winner's circle at five consecutive races starting with Tony Pedregon's victory in the Q Horsepower Chevy at Chicago last month.
* Bartone's first career win at Seattle was Chevrolet's 97th all time in the nitro Funny Car category, and it was also the 191st time a Chevrolet had advanced to a Funny Car final round.
* With his No. 2 qualifying effort at Seattle, Pro Stock points leader Greg Anderson became the first driver in the class to clinch a spot in the Countdown to 1. The driver of the Summit Racing Pontiac GXP has a class-leading five wins on the season including back-to-back-to-back wins at Englishtown (N.J.), Norwalk (Ohio) and Denver.
* Anderson is one of only five drivers, and the first and only driver in Pro Stock, in the 28 years of the Western Swing to have swept all three races (Denver, Seattle and Sonoma). Those drivers are Joe Amato (1991, Top Fuel), John Force (1994, Funny Car), Cory McClenathan (1997, Top Fuel), Larry Dixon (2003, Top Fuel), and Anderson (2004, Pro Stock).
* Jason Line's Seattle victory was the 188th all time for Pontiac in the Pro Stock category. Of those 188 victories, his teammate Greg Anderson has the most behind the wheel of a Pontiac with 54 victories (56 total career wins), Warren Johnson is next on the list with 42 wins and Jim Yates is third with 25.
* Anderson is the defending event champion in Pro Stock at Infineon Raceway after defeating his teammate Line in last year's final round. Anderson currently sits atop the Pro Stock standings, 79 points ahead of ACDelco Chevy Cobalt driver Kurt Johnson.
* KB Racing teammates Anderson (2007, 2004-05) and Line (2006) have put a Pontiac in the winner's circle for the last four consecutive years at Infineon Raceway.
* Not surpisingly, Anderson and Line share the Infineon Raceway track records for time and speed in Pro Stock. Last year Anderson set the track record for elapsed time at 6.605 seconds and Line set the track-record speed at 208.59 mph.
* Warren Johnson in the GM Performance Parts Pontiac GXP (1998, 1996, 1992), Jim Yates in the WileyX Eyewear Pontiac GXP (1999, 1997, 1995), and Anderson (2007, 2004-05) are tied for the most career wins at Infineon Raceway among Pro Stockers with three. Other GM-backed winners include Kurt Johnson in the ACDelco Chevy Cobalt (2000), Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt (2003), Pontiac driver Tom Martino (2001) and Line (2006).
* After 14 of 24 races on the schedule completed, and just four events remaining before the Countdown to 1 cut at Indianapolis, eight drivers in GM-branded cars occupy a spot in the top 10 of the Pro Stock standings. Greg Anderson (Pontiac) leads the standings with 1,033 points (clinched position in Countdown to 1), Kurt Johnson (Chevrolet) is in second place with 954 points, Jason Line (Pontiac) is third with 944 points, and Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Chevrolet) is fourth with 851 points. Mike Edwards (Pontiac) is seventh with 724 points, Ron Krisher (Chevrolet) is in eighth place with 696 points, Greg Stanfield (Pontiac) is ninth with 698 points, and Warren Johnson (Pontiac) is 10th with 596 points. Dave Connolly (Chevrolet) is just outside the top 10 in 11th place with 570 points.
* Chevy Funny Car drivers have combined for a class-leading nine victories so far this year to match the mark set in 1998 for most Chevy Funny Car wins in a season. Points leader Tim Wilkerson leads the way with four victories (most in class), Tony Pedregon has three victories, Del Worsham drove the CSK Chevrolet to a win in April at Houston, and Tony Bartone is the most recent winner in Funny Car at Seattle this past weekend.
* After 14 of 24 races, three Chevy Impala drivers occupy a spot in the top 10 of the NHRA POWERade Funny Car standings including points leader Tim Wilkerson in the Levi Ray & Shoup Chevrolet. Wilkerson leads all Funny Car drivers with 1,009 points (clinched position in Countdown to 1). Tony Pedregon in the Q Horsepower Chevrolet is in second place with 954 points, and Gary Densham in the Racebricks Chevy Impala SS is eighth with 704 points.
A ninety-minute telecast of qualifying coverage for the FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals can be seen on ESPN2 on Saturday, July 26, beginning at 6:00 p.m. Eastern. Coverage on ESPN2 continues on Sunday, July 27, when NHRA Race Day will kick off eliminator coverage starting at 11 a.m. Eastern, and concludes with three hours of final eliminations coverage beginning at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
Western Swing Concludes with FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals
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SONOMA, Calif., July 23, 2008 - The third and final leg of the always arduous three-race Western Swing concludes this weekend with the 21st annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals on July 25-27 at Infineon Raceway, and Team Chevy's Tony Bartone doesn't mind that he's got an extra carry-on for the flight from Seattle to Sonoma - his first career Funny Car trophy or 'Wally.'
Bartone drove his Canidae All Natural Pet Foods Chevrolet to his first career victory in the pro ranks at last weekend's Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals at Seattle when he got past veteran Ron Capps in the final round. Despite five Top Alcohol Funny Car Southeast Division championships (1999, 1996, 1992-94) and a Top Alcohol Funny Car national championship in 1996 in the Sportsman ranks, this was his first professional Funny Car victory in his second career final round appearance (Las Vegas 1 2005).
"This is what you dream about, this is what you work for in your career - to win in the pro ranks," Bartone said. "Winning was great in the alcohol classes, we won a championship and a lot of races, but this is a special moment - a culmination of what you try to accomplish as a pro racer.
"What a great day. It's the old adage, you never say die, you never give up, you keep plugging away, and days like this happen. I owe it to Jim Dunn for giving me a chance five years ago to drive this Funny Car. It took us awhile, but we worked hard and we finally ended up in the winner's circle. I owe it all to Jim Dunn, Diane, John Dunn, and the guys on the team who just did a fantastic job. We've had a couple of trying experiences over the last couple of weeks, but we kept persevering and brought the Canidae All Natural Chevy to the winner's circle and we're all very proud of that."
The native New Yorker didn't back into his first win, either, qualifying No. 5 for Sunday eliminations and then defeating 2005 POWERade Funny Car champ Gary Scelzi in Round 1, John Force Racing's Mike Neff in Round 2, and defending POWERade Funny Car champion and fellow Chevy driver Tony Pedregon in the semifinals to face off with Capps.
"Funny Car, in my opinion, is as competitive as it's ever been," Bartone said. "Just look at some of the drivers who don't make these races. On any given weekend there are a number of top teams that don't get in the show and that speaks volumes about the competitive nature of this category is. There are a lot of great cars and a lot of great teams out here."
Although recent stumbles will probably keep him out of the top 10 qualifiers for the Countdown to 1, Bartone is confident the team is close to getting the consistency to compete on a weekly basis. With his win Bartone is 15th in the Funny Car standings, 129 points behind Jack Beckman and that coveted 10th-place qualifying position. But for now, it's back to work, and Tony Bartone will enter the front gate of Infineon Raceway as the most recent Funny Car event winner on the NHRA POWERade circuit.
"It doesn't get any better than this," Bartone said from the winner's circle at Seattle. "First win in a fuel car and I probably won't sleep for three or four days. Then we'll try to do this again next week in Sonoma. It will be another hot race track, hopefully we'll have something for them and we can go some rounds again. They say the first one is the toughest. Maybe we have the monkey off our back. We'll see."
Watch Video - Funny Car winner Tony Bartone/Seattle Post-Race: YouTube - Chevrolet NHRA Funny Car/Tony Bartone/Post Race/Seattle
Watch Video - Pro Stock winner Jason Line/Seattle Post-Race:
YouTube - Pontiac/Jason Line/NHRA Pro Stock Post Race/Seattle
21st annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals GM RACING STATS AND FACTS
* Tony Bartone's win at Seattle in his Canidae All Natural Pet Foods Chevrolet continued a streak of a Chevy in the Funny Car winner's circle at five consecutive races starting with Tony Pedregon's victory in the Q Horsepower Chevy at Chicago last month.
* Bartone's first career win at Seattle was Chevrolet's 97th all time in the nitro Funny Car category, and it was also the 191st time a Chevrolet had advanced to a Funny Car final round.
* With his No. 2 qualifying effort at Seattle, Pro Stock points leader Greg Anderson became the first driver in the class to clinch a spot in the Countdown to 1. The driver of the Summit Racing Pontiac GXP has a class-leading five wins on the season including back-to-back-to-back wins at Englishtown (N.J.), Norwalk (Ohio) and Denver.
* Anderson is one of only five drivers, and the first and only driver in Pro Stock, in the 28 years of the Western Swing to have swept all three races (Denver, Seattle and Sonoma). Those drivers are Joe Amato (1991, Top Fuel), John Force (1994, Funny Car), Cory McClenathan (1997, Top Fuel), Larry Dixon (2003, Top Fuel), and Anderson (2004, Pro Stock).
* Jason Line's Seattle victory was the 188th all time for Pontiac in the Pro Stock category. Of those 188 victories, his teammate Greg Anderson has the most behind the wheel of a Pontiac with 54 victories (56 total career wins), Warren Johnson is next on the list with 42 wins and Jim Yates is third with 25.
* Anderson is the defending event champion in Pro Stock at Infineon Raceway after defeating his teammate Line in last year's final round. Anderson currently sits atop the Pro Stock standings, 79 points ahead of ACDelco Chevy Cobalt driver Kurt Johnson.
* KB Racing teammates Anderson (2007, 2004-05) and Line (2006) have put a Pontiac in the winner's circle for the last four consecutive years at Infineon Raceway.
* Not surpisingly, Anderson and Line share the Infineon Raceway track records for time and speed in Pro Stock. Last year Anderson set the track record for elapsed time at 6.605 seconds and Line set the track-record speed at 208.59 mph.
* Warren Johnson in the GM Performance Parts Pontiac GXP (1998, 1996, 1992), Jim Yates in the WileyX Eyewear Pontiac GXP (1999, 1997, 1995), and Anderson (2007, 2004-05) are tied for the most career wins at Infineon Raceway among Pro Stockers with three. Other GM-backed winners include Kurt Johnson in the ACDelco Chevy Cobalt (2000), Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt (2003), Pontiac driver Tom Martino (2001) and Line (2006).
* After 14 of 24 races on the schedule completed, and just four events remaining before the Countdown to 1 cut at Indianapolis, eight drivers in GM-branded cars occupy a spot in the top 10 of the Pro Stock standings. Greg Anderson (Pontiac) leads the standings with 1,033 points (clinched position in Countdown to 1), Kurt Johnson (Chevrolet) is in second place with 954 points, Jason Line (Pontiac) is third with 944 points, and Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Chevrolet) is fourth with 851 points. Mike Edwards (Pontiac) is seventh with 724 points, Ron Krisher (Chevrolet) is in eighth place with 696 points, Greg Stanfield (Pontiac) is ninth with 698 points, and Warren Johnson (Pontiac) is 10th with 596 points. Dave Connolly (Chevrolet) is just outside the top 10 in 11th place with 570 points.
* Chevy Funny Car drivers have combined for a class-leading nine victories so far this year to match the mark set in 1998 for most Chevy Funny Car wins in a season. Points leader Tim Wilkerson leads the way with four victories (most in class), Tony Pedregon has three victories, Del Worsham drove the CSK Chevrolet to a win in April at Houston, and Tony Bartone is the most recent winner in Funny Car at Seattle this past weekend.
* After 14 of 24 races, three Chevy Impala drivers occupy a spot in the top 10 of the NHRA POWERade Funny Car standings including points leader Tim Wilkerson in the Levi Ray & Shoup Chevrolet. Wilkerson leads all Funny Car drivers with 1,009 points (clinched position in Countdown to 1). Tony Pedregon in the Q Horsepower Chevrolet is in second place with 954 points, and Gary Densham in the Racebricks Chevy Impala SS is eighth with 704 points.
A ninety-minute telecast of qualifying coverage for the FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals can be seen on ESPN2 on Saturday, July 26, beginning at 6:00 p.m. Eastern. Coverage on ESPN2 continues on Sunday, July 27, when NHRA Race Day will kick off eliminator coverage starting at 11 a.m. Eastern, and concludes with three hours of final eliminations coverage beginning at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
