News From Don Schumacher Racing and Matco Tools Racing FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Ted Yerzyk, Don Schumacher Racing tyerz@aol.com (760) 207-9767, cell BROWN RACES DSR MATCO TOOLS CAR TO SECOND ROUND AT LAS VEGAS LAS VEGAS (Nov. 1, 2009) – Antron Brown drove his Don Schumacher-owned Matco Tools dragster to a quarterfinal finish Sunday afternoon at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 23-time NHRA winner remains fourth in the NHRA Top Fuel standings with one race remaining on the 2009 NHRA schedule. A day after racing to the No. 3 qualifying position for the second time this season (Phoenix) with a 1,000-foot blast of 3.834 seconds at 317.42 mph, Brown defeated European racer Stig Neergaard before falling to second-generation star Brandon Bernstein in the second round. As the seventh pair of dragsters to do battle in the opening round of eliminations, Brown used the jump at the start to score the wire-to-wire win in the Matco Tools dragster. The former college track star raced his Matco-backed rail to a lap of 4.012 seconds at 247.66 mph. The Matco Tools car dropped a cylinder and suffered an engine explosion. Neergaard’s car smoked the tires in the left lane and slowed to an elapsed time of 6.954-seconds. Brown and Bernstein were the first pair of drivers to race in the quarterfinals. It was the eighth meeting between the two this season. Brown powered the bright blue Matco-backed rail to a lap of 3.894 at 311.35, but Bernstein’s pass of 3.882 at 311.85 was too much for the Matco Tools flagship driver to over come. Brown is now 4-4 against Bernstein this season. Brown is now 47-18 in 65 rounds this season. “That was a really close race; those Budweiser boys are running really well,” Brown said. “Those close races are tough to lose, but we’ve won a lot of them this season too. That’s just drag racing. It was an awesome race. It’s a bummer because we’ve had such a great season and we’re so hungry as a team to get back to the winner’s circle. This championship isn’t over yet so we’re going to Pomona to win the race.” The next NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event is the 45th annual Auto Club Finals, Nov. 12-15, at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. It is the final event on the 2009 NHRA schedule. Brown earned the pole at the season-opening Winternationals at Pomona and posted a runner-up finish. He also clocked the quickest run of the season at 3.778-seconds at Pomona in February. Don Schumacher Racing, headquartered in Brownsburg, Ind., consists of seven professional NHRA teams: The U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster driven by six-time world champion Tony Schumacher; the FRAM Tough Guard dragster of Cory McClenathan, and the Matco Tools dragster of Antron Brown. The Funny Car teams are the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge driven by Ron Capps, the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge piloted by Jack Beckman, and the shelor.com Dodge driven by NHRA rookie Matt Hagan. Matt Smith rides the Nitro Fish Ultimate Gear Suzuki Pro Stock Motorcycle for DSR. Since 1998, Don Schumacher Racing teams have won 135 national events in 257 final rounds, and seven world championships. E1 BROWN (.076) 4.012 ET, 247.66 MPH def. Neergaard (.128) 6.954 ET, 86.18 MPH E2 Bernstein (.053) 3.882 ET, 311.85 MPH def. BROWN (.068) 3.894 ET, 311.34 MPH -30- www.matcotools.com www.shoeracing.com www.antronbrown.com If you do not wish to receive e-mails from Don Schumacher Racing, please respond to tyerz@aol.com.