Bartone Bros. Racing wins Top Alcohol Funny Car at Route 66

LONG ISLAND, N.Y. (May 18, 2026) – Bartone Bros. Racing won the Top Alcohol Funny Car class at the Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Joliet, Illinois, on Sunday.

The win is driver Sean Bellemeur's 51st national event victory and the team's fourth Diamond Wally, adding to those won at the Gatornationals, Baby Gators (regional), and zMAX Dragway.

Bellemeur drove Tony Bartone's and Steve Boggs-tuned "Pirate Ship" to times of 5.40, 5.47, 5.44, 5.44, and a final run against Annie Whiteley of 5.49 with an impressive .029 reaction time to secure the fourth Diamond Wally of the season.

"Steve and the team came into Joliet with a great plan, and they stuck to it," Bellemeur said. "The car actually ran a little better than we expected on Friday in qualifying, so that gave the team some chances to try some different things to test on the car and conditions. None of it was easy, but the foundation of the success started with that 5.40 shot in Q1."

Bellemeur on his driving at Route 66

"Sometimes you're the bug, and sometimes you're the windshield," he continued. "I felt ready to go mentally and physically. But man, did I struggle. I was late leaving first round. Jim Whiteley smacked me in the jaw on that run. Thank God for the 'Pirate Ship's' horsepower to be able to drive around him. In the semifinals, I missed the shifter button with my finger and overrevved the engine. There's a very tight window to shift these cars, and I made a rookie mistake. Hey, it happens. I'm really looking forward to getting back in the car in a couple weeks."

On the strong start to the season

"We are off to a strong start to the 2026 campaign," Bellemeur said. "Probably the best start of my career. But there is a long, long way to go. We will work to stay focused, keep the car fast, and make successful runs. The competition is getting tougher, not easier, so we have to be ready. Like this past weekend, I will lean on Hall of Famer Steve Boggs, and team members Troy Green, Nick Stoms, Justin Taylor, Garret Bateman, Brian Gawlik, Lauren McMaster and Matt Krebs to pick me up and keep the momentum going."

The team's next outing is scheduled to be the NHRA Potomac Nationals at Maryland International Raceway, May 29-31.

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.