This is a season Tony Bartone will never forget. It was one for the ages.

The veteran racer from Long Island, N.Y., capped a dream season Sunday by winning the Top Fuel class at the California Hot Rod Reunion in Bakersfield.

This is a season Tony Bartone will never forget. It was one for the ages.

The veteran racer from Long Island, N.Y., capped a dream season Sunday by winning the Top Fuel class at the California Hot Rod Reunion in Bakersfield.

Bartone not only won the prestigious race, but he also captured the season title, and was undefeated en route to claiming five race victories.

“You know something, I will not know this is for real until I wake up tomorrow,” said Bartone on Sunday. “You know I needed a drink (Sunday); I was very nervous from the semifinal on. I was nervous in the car. We wanted to do the deed, we wanted to pull off the sweep and we wanted to win the race. I have been at this a long time, but I tell you what, I was nervous.”

In the first round, Bartone had a bye run, setting up his meeting with Terry Cox in the second round. Cox took the early advantage with an .047 light, but Bartone caught him and drove around for the win. Bartone clocked a 5.634-second elapsed time to Cox’s 5.961-second lap.

The semifinals saw Bartone muscle past Jim Young. Bartone’s ET was 5.642 seconds to Young's 5.768-second effort.

During the final round against Rick White, the drama vanished immediately as White left the line too early, handing Bartone the victory and securing his place in history.

“Probably, Probably,” Bartone said when asked if he was more nervous Oct. 19 than any other day during the season. “That would be a good way to put it. Final rounds I get a little bit nervous, and I still can’t believe we did it. We got the broom for the winner’s circle for the clean sweep.”

Bartone, who drives the Steve Boggs-tuned “Bartone Bros” AA/Fueler, was quick to credit his team for his success. Bartone also was the 1996 Top Alcohol Funny Car world champion in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.

“This was just a great season and a salute to my guys,” Bartone said. “Steve Boggs is just awesome and the rest of my guys just busted hump and did what they had to do and we are proud that we were able to accomplish this. My guys are just awesome.”

Bartone won NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series races at Bakersfield (twice), Boise, Idaho and Bowling Green, Ky., and Epping, N.H.

Before this season, Bartone had never won at Bakerfield’s storied Auto Club Famoso Raceway.

“We started off with a win at Epping at the end of last year and things have just been phenomenal since then,” Bartone said. “It was a dream season. The guys did their job and the car ran well.”

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