Bartone Bros. Racing is headed to “The Big Go,” the 70th Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park that’s held over Labor Day weekend. The team is looking to defend their Top Alcohol Funny Car (TAFC) win from last year and capitalize on a strong month of June and July winning four races in Ohio including the Summit Motorsports Park National and finishing second at Brainerd two weeks ago.
The team won Top Alcohol Funny Car last year in Indy and are looking to embrace the pressure and prestige.
“The U.S. Nationals is the resume changer,” Sean Bellemeur, driver of the Barton Bros. Racing TAFC, said. “It’s ‘The One.’ The feel is different when you walk in the gate. The prestige, the anxiousness, the pressure. It’s all different. It’s horrifying and wonderful all at the same time. Every racer would agree that it’s a privilege to participate in the event – and oh what an honor to win it!”
Bellemeur is ready for the long weekend. “Indy is one of those marathon races,” he added. “Any team or driver will tell you that the key is to approach it the same way every time, which is a great theory. It’s different though – it’s Indy. The goal is the same but you have to really work hard to keep your emotions in check.
“I love it. The team loves it. We’ve dealt with those emotions before and the guys know how to handle themselves in the different situations. The conditions can be completely different. It could be 100 degrees. It could be raining. It could be 100 degrees while raining, you just never know. I’m sure glad we have (Steve) Boggs (tuner) and the boys in our corner. They know what to do no matter what situation they’re in.”
This story was originally published on August 29, 2024. 
