Drag Illustrated Issue 140, January 2019 | Page 88

THE CHAMPIONS ISSUE NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car S outhern California native Sean Bellemeur has been at this drag racing deal his entire life. It took a lot of years, a ton of perseverance, and all the right pieces falling into place, but the former Jr. drag racer achieved something many dream of and few will ever ac- complish when he drove Tony Bartone’s Steve Boggs-tuned Hussey Performance Chevrolet Ca- maro to the 2018 Lucas Oil Series Top Alcohol Funny Car national championship. Fellow SoCal racer Shane Westerfield was de- termined to defend the title he had earned the year before, and he started strong. At season’s end, however, it was Bellemeur who presented a per- fect scorecard of seven NHRA national event wins and three regional victories in exchange for the big trophy. It was a feat previously only achieved by legendary driver and tuner Frank Manzo. “The credit goes to this team, and it starts with the boss-man, Tony Bartone,” says Bellemeur, who punctuated the fruitful season with a victory at the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Na- tionals in Indianapolis. “When we assembled this at the beginning of the year, he was committed to doing it right. Couple that with Steve Boggs horsepower and Brad Anderson engines, all the sponsors and this great team, and we were able to get it done.” The group meshed from the start, and towards the end of the 2018 season, Bellemeur was un- stoppable with 21 consecutive round wins and five victories in a row. The championship was decided during eliminations on Saturday at the fall national event in Charlotte, and Bellemeur complemented the crowning moment by winning the race on Sunday. The group went ahead and won the Las Vegas race a couple of weeks later, just to drive the point home. “I was watching this team between rounds, and it’s like a symphony,” states Bellemeur. “These guys are so good, and boy is it a pleasure to drive for them. “You ought to see the look in Steve Boggs’ eye when he says we’re going to try stuff,” Bellemeur continues with a grin. “I just put Advil in my pocket and hope for the best. This has been the most fun roller coaster ride, this thing is so fast, and it’s fun every single time. I still can’t believe they picked some poor kid from Southern Califor- nia to drive this car. What a year.” – KELLY WADE DI DI DI DI DI DI DI DI DI DI JUSTIN LAMB NHRA SUPER STOCK // PAUL NERO NHRA TOP DRAGSTER // RONNIE PROCTOR SR. NHRA TOP SPORTSMAN 88 | D r a g I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com Issue 140 Sean Bellemeur