Bartone Bros. Racing is ready to kick off the 2024 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series season at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals to run at Gainesville Raceway, March 7-10.
The three-time NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car Championship-winning team is coming off a 2023 season that was highlighted by a late calendar run of winning big at Indy, Maple Grove, Las Vegas (National and Regional), and Pomona. The Killer B’s (Bartone, Boggs, and Bellemeur) had the Pirate Ship dialed in through the leadership of team owner Tony Bartone, tuner Steve Boggs, and driver Sean Bellemeur.
The team has coined the hashtag #GoingFor4in24 as a motivator to win the squad’s fourth Lucas Oil Drag Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car Championship this season. In addition, the team has reversed the livery of the Pirate Ship to mirror that of the team’s Mercedes-AMG GT3 car that competes in the SRO Motorsports Fanatec Europe GT Championship.
“The worst thing that could’ve happened for us was to have the 2023 season end,” Bellemeur said. “We were reeling off a lot of round wins and taking a lot of pictures on Sunday afternoons. That makes the goal easy for this year, don’t change a thing. We have the exact same group of guys coming back. We have the same parts, some new knowledge, and the same Killer B’s attitude – to tear it up out there.
“Our motivation is simple. Rip that number 2 off the car at the end of the season. We want the number 1 back. It won’t be easy, but we feel we can do it if we stay focused.
“The focus this offseason has been more about keeping the consistency that we had in the second half of last year. The elephant in the room is the injected nitro car of course. We’ve been making slow progress on that car and hope to be testing it at some point before the summer.
“It’s hard to describe what it’s like being a member of the Killer B’s with Tony, Steve and the boys. Tony’s drive, focus, and work ethic have been embedded into the way we run the race team, and it’s a really cool thing to be a part of. We all hail a common goal. Work together and win. With that and the relationship that Tony and Steve have had over the past 30 years makes the foundation of the team as strong as can be. Tony has recruited the best team between Troy Green, Nick Stoms, Justin Taylor, Garrett Bateman, Seth Shebester, Matt Krebs, a couple fill-in roles and a uniform mentality that is to constantly go for the throat. I’m honored to be his driver.”
Tony Bartone has the team focused on getting back on top of the Top Alcohol Funny Car ranks this season.
“We are fortunate to have a great group of guys, all of which are coming back for ’24,” Bartone said. “Sean is dialed in to go for our fourth Championship and Boggs is ready to put the power to the Pirate Ship. With the way we ended the ’23 season, the team is looking to get out of the gate strong at Gainesville in three weeks. We have a great schedule together for ’24 that will also have us defending our JEGS Allstars title in Texas.”
The 2024 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series season begins March 7-10 at Gainesville Raceway in Florida.
The team would like to thank team sponsors Red Line Oil, Roger Dean Chevrolet, Talon Air, NGK, and Mastercam, along with product sponsors Simpson Performance Products and Taylor Motorsports Products.
For more information on Bartone Bros. Racing, including race recaps and photos, please visit the team site at www.BartoneBrosRacing.com
This story was originally published on February 27, 2024. 
