Bartone Bros. Racing won Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The Killer B’s, comprised of team owner Tony Bartone, tuner Steve Boggs, and driver Sean Bellemeur, continued where they left off in 2023, where they won three events at The Strip.
Bellemeur set the pace behind the wheel of the red and black Pirate Ship for the weekend early by being the second-fastest qualifier on Friday. That speed continued through the semifinals where he went 5.500. In the final of the 4-Wide, lined up against Brian Hough, Madison Gordon, and Hunter Jones, Bellemeur hit the loud pedal on the Pirate Ship and sent it to the win light with a run of 5.48 and 266 MPH on top of a 0.36 reaction time with a margin of victory of .0008 over Gordon.
“What a race! With Maddi Gordon, Brian Hough, and Hunter Jones, there were some stout cars out here this weekend,” Bellemeur said. “I said it over the winter, just because Doug (Gordon) stepped out of that car it doesn’t mean it will stop winning. Maddi is doing a phenomenal job behind the wheel. She will be in the winner’s circle soon.
“Steve Boggs looked at the data after the semi and thought it looked weak. The air in Vegas is so unpredictable. He kind of felt like he let one get away from him in the semi. He told me it will be hopped up for the final, and fortunately, we had just enough to get the win.
“This is so special, my family is here – my wife, two of my three girls are here too. The Killer B’s are something special. We want that number one back on our car.
“Thanks to everyone who gets us to the track, especially Tony Bartone. Steve Boggs puts the power to the Pirate Ship and Troy Green, Nick Stoms, Justin Taylor, Garret Bateman, Seth Shebester, and Matt Krebs, all put in the work to get it down the track and into the winner’s circle.”
The team will travel across country for the NHRA 4 Wide Nationals to run at zMax Dragway April 26-28.
The team would like to thank team sponsors Red Line Oil, Roger Dean Chevrolet, Tallon 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 April 15, 2024. 
