Bartone Bros. Racing wins Top Alcohol Funny Car at Maryland

LONG ISLAND, N.Y. (June 1, 2026) – Bartone Bros. Racing won the Top Alcohol Funny Car class at the NHRA Potomac Nationals at Maryland International Raceway (MIR) on Sunday.

Tony Bartone's team extended its win streak to five in a row for the 2026 season. The victory at MIR followed wins at Route 66, zMAX Dragway, the Gatornationals, and the Baby Gators regional event.

Driver Sean Bellemeur captured his 52nd national win, driving the Steve Boggs-tuned "Pirate Ship." Bellemeur posted runs of 5.46, 5.39, 5.39, and 5.60 seconds before defeating Bob McCosh in the final round with a 5.39-second pass to secure the team's fifth Diamond Wally of the season and setting a new Top Alcohol Funny Car track record.

"MIR provided what we call 'Disneyland-like' conditions," Bellemeur said. "The barometer, temperature, and water grains were absolutely magic. That produced some amazing times, and Boggs used that to his advantage to deliver those low E.T.s and fast speeds."

Regarding the challenge of racing at a new track, Bellemeur said, "Part of the struggle for all the teams was simply not having any history with the MIR facility. There was a pretty good size bump at the transition, which happens to be right around the 1-2 shift point on an alcohol car. That shift typically upsets the car a little, so having the bump right in that spot forced us to be more creative when going over that part of the track. It took a couple of runs to figure out what our car wanted, but we were able to make the most of it."

Looking ahead to Summit Motorsports Park, Bellemeur added, "Whether we win or lose, the goal is always the same — focus on being the best we possibly can on every run down the track. Going into back-to-back races in Norwalk gives us even more motivation. This is a favorite track for our entire team in Boggs' home state of Ohio. The fans will be pumped. We want to showcase our abilities."

The team's next outing is scheduled for the 20th Annual Cavalcade of Stars at Summit Motorsports Park, June 20-21.

The team extended a heartfelt thank you to its sponsors: Red Line Synthetic Oil, Roger Dean Chevrolet, Talon Air LLC, NGK Spark Plugs and McLeod Racing, along with product supporters Simpson Performance Products and Taylor Motorsports Products.