Semi-final finish in Houston goes long way to erase bad memory


Tony Bartone refused to experience flashbacks during the recently completed NHRA O’Reilly Springnationals in Houston, Texas. The determination clearly overrode the memories from one race earlier in Gainesville, Florida.

Bartone’s car left the Houston Raceway Park starting line, then the tires smoked and the car began to move around. Instinctively, Bartone realized his first round opponent Bob Tasca III was having the same traction problems.

Bartone, an accomplished Top Alcohol racer in both the dragsters and Funny Cars, began pedaling. The front wheels hiked up and at one time all four wheels came off the ground.

Still, Bartone drove to the win light, carding a 6.32 winning elapsed time.

Semi-final finish in Houston goes long way to erase bad memory

Tony Bartone refused to experience flashbacks during the recently completed NHRA O’Reilly Springnationals in Houston, Texas. The determination clearly overrode the memories from one race earlier in Gainesville, Florida.

Bartone’s car left the Houston Raceway Park starting line, then the tires smoked and the car began to move around. Instinctively, Bartone realized his first round opponent Bob Tasca III was having the same traction problems.

Bartone, an accomplished Top Alcohol racer in both the dragsters and Funny Cars, began pedaling. The front wheels hiked up and at one time all four wheels came off the ground.

Still, Bartone drove to the win light, carding a 6.32 winning elapsed time.

“We brought an old chassis which was like the one we wrecked in Gainesville,” Bartone explained. “We put the same combination in the car and we were back in business.”

Bartone drove his way to the second qualifying position, a 4.839 elapsed time at 305.80 miles per hour, to rebound from the Gainesville snafu in which a giant wheelstand broke the steering and forced the Canidae Pet Foods-sponsored Impala into the retaining wall. The damage to the chassis was enough to remove the team from competition for the event.

“The chassis was totally compromised and bent from one end of the other,” said Bartone. “That chassis and the body ended up in the Jim Dunn Racing museum.”

Bartone’s success in Houston could be attributed to the fact he took the Gainesville incident personal.

“I’m here to do a job and one of the things a driver should be doing is taking care of the equipment,” Bartone said. “It hurts me when I trash the equipment because that’s not what I’m here to do.”

Bartone and Dunn qualified on the strength of essentially one full run on Friday. They sat out Saturday before returning on Sunday.

Bartone gave his fresh equipment a good workout in the first round victory over Tasca but then drove a conservative race to stop Tommy Johnson, Jr. in the second round.

Bartone lost a semi-final match to Ashley Force he felt was winnable.

Team owner Jim Dunn praised his team and Bartone for the Houston performance.

“After what this team went through in the last few weeks,” said Dun. “I’m proud of our performances.  We might not have been the quickest car in Houston, but Tony did a great job behind the wheel, and all of our guys worked hard, and that’s all you can ask for.
           
“I think this weekend demonstrated that we’re going to be in the thick of things for the rest of the year, and right now, that’s important.”