Las Vegas: Tony Bartone preview

RICK JACKSON TEAM HOPES TO DOUBLE DOWN IN VEGAS

Las Vegas, Nev. - Sometimes a city and a race team go together like apple pie and the 4th of July. The entertaining, high energy, top shelf and exciting Top Alcohol Funny Car team of Rick Jackson Racing will be defending their 2009 event championship at this year's NHRA SUMMITRACING.COM Nationals contested on "The Strip" at Bruton Smith's luxurious Las Vegas Motor Speedway located in Las Vegas, Nev.

Coming off a final round appearance and number two qualified position at last week's O'Reilly NHRA Springnationals in Baytown, Texas, the Centre Pointe / FireIce.com TAFC team is primed to improve on their runner-up results. And for team owner Rick Jackson, the owner of Centre Pointe Collision Center in Santa Clarita, Calif. the first Las Vegas race of the season would be the perfect place to take home the teams first Wally of 2010.

"We did very well at this race last season and we are ready to repeat at this year's Summitracing.com Nationals," noted Jackson, whose competitive TAFC team captured two National Event championships during the 2009 season. "The Vegas race always brings together several friends and marketing partners of our team and performing at our highest level for our friends is at the top of our team's priorities this weekend. The car ran very well last week in Houston, but we are still a few hundredths away from where we expect to run. We are learning more at each race and hope to put it all together at "The Strip" this weekend."

Jackson is not the only one hoping for positive results this weekend. His driver, 31-time National Event winner Tony Bartone, from Boca Raton, Fla. loves racing at Bruton Smith's Las Vegas race track. "This place is one of the nicest facilities in motorsports," noted Bartone. "The track is very smooth, the weather is usually chamber of commerce quality and the fans are always having a good time here. We had a great party after we won this event last season and would love to duplicate our efforts once again."

In the days following the Summitracing.com Nationals, Bartone will be testing his brother Michael's new Nostalgia Top Fuel Dragster at LVMS. "The car is brand new and I can't wait to strap into this wicked looking car. I love driving with Rick Jackson don't get me wrong, but to be able to drive a Nitro-powered front motored rail and working with my brother Michael will be awesome."

-source: rjr