The last time the Rick Jackson Racing team hit "The Strip" at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in April,
they went home with the event championship in the tough Top Alcohol Funny Car division. This
weekend the Santa Clarita, Calif. based team hopes to capture a Vegas Sweep during the NHRA Las
Vegas Nationals held at LVMS. A win would also produce the teams third NHRA National Event
Championship in 2009.
"We are coming into this event on a bit of a hot streak," noted Tony Bartone, the 29-time NHRA
National Event winning driver of Jackson Racing's Mustang funny car. "After we won the Lucas Oil
Drag Racing Series event in Belle Rose, Louisiana in September we have been itching to get back to
the track to show what we can do. I am very confident, that Stevie (crew chief Boggs) and the boys
will provide me with a consistently quick ride this weekend."
Bartone and the Jackson Racing team captured their second NHRA National Event victory during the
spring event held at LVMS and team owner Rick Jackson believes their Centre Point Collision Center/
FireIce sponsored flopper has the correct tuning data to produce quality results at this week's
event. "Our car runs very well in the cool conditions," stated Jackson. "However, we also know that
24 other exceptional Top Alcohol Funny Cars will be on the property to knock us off our perch. We
have to be at our best if we plan to walk away with our third NHRA National event "Wally" this
season."
Jackson believes the very tough NHRA Division 7 Top Alcohol Funny Car contingent plan to knock them
off their pedestal. He knows the experience his team has captured this season will prepare them for
the challenge. "When you are the defending champions at an event, everybody is shooting to defeat
you. But we welcome the challenge. Our boys have literally found every way to win and lose an event
in one NHRA season. This car is thundering right now. So if they want to knock us down, they better
be at their best."
The Rick Jackson team will hit "The Strip" with two qualifying efforts planned for Friday,
beginning at 11 A.M. and then again at 5 P.M. They will receive another shot at cracking the 16-car
field on Saturday Morning prior to the first round of elimination to be held later that night.
For more information about the Rick Jackson Racing team, please visit their website at www.rickjacksonracing.com or www.crxpromotions.com
Keep up to date with instant race results posted on www.dragracecentral.com
