The Brown Bulletin The pre-race release of 21-time NHRA winner Antron Brown and the Matco Tools Top Fuel team 22nd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals July 17-19, 2009 Pacific Raceways Kent, Wash. Antron Brown on Seattle “We had an awesome weekend in Denver and we just want to keep it going. This season has been so awesome for our MAR Matco Tools team and we just want to do the same thing we’ve been doing for the first 13 races. It’s exciting to come back to Seattle after racing there for the first time last summer and I’m hoping to eat some good seafood and have a good weekend at the race track.” Brian Corradi (crew chief) on Seattle “We did very well last weekend in Denver and we hope to be able to repeat that in Seattle. The conditions are drastically different, so hopefully we can adapt well and continue to run like we have all season long. The goal is to qualify well and go rounds and maybe win another race and possibly sweep the Western Swing. That would be a great accomplishment for the team.” Antron Brown Seattle NHRA Notebook Last weekend at Denver, the start of the three-race Western Swing, Brown swept the Mile-High Nationals in his Matco Tools dragster. The former college track star earned his fifth No. 1 qualifying award of the season at 3.862-seconds. He claimed his third victory of the season in a category-best six final round appearances. Brown also took home low elapsed time of the meet (3.862 seconds) and top speed of the meet (318.39 mph) honors. It was the first time Brown has won a race from the No. 1 qualifying position in Top Fuel. Brown remains the only Top Fuel driver to not have lost in the first round of eliminations this season. Brown made his Pacific Raceways debut last July. The veteran racer had never competed at the Seattle NHRA race as the Pro Stock Motorcycle class does not compete at all 24 races. Brown qualified his Matco Tools dragster third at 3.831 seconds at 312.06 mph before falling in round one to Bob Vandergriff, Jr., after the Matco Tools car lost traction, 4.229 to 6.784. Pacific Raceways is the only track in which Brown has yet to win an elimination round. As a result of winning the 30th annual Mile-High Nationals, Brown extended his lead in the NHRA Top Fuel standings to 116 over two-time series champion Larry Dixon. It is Brown’s largest lead of the season. He entered the Denver race with a 53-point lead over Dixon. Brown has led the standings following eight of 13 races this season. Antron Brown... Did You Know? -Brown was a track star at Mercer College in New Jersey competing in the 100 and 200-meters, long jump, and 55-meter indoor. He ran quick enough to qualify for the U.S. Olympic trails in the 100-meters. -Brown’s first race team owner was former NFL star cornerback Troy Vincent. -Brown is the only driver in NHRA history to hold the points lead and win races in both Top Fuel and Pro Stock Motorcycle (4 TF/16 PSM). -Ashley will return to competition at the final four races on the 2009 NHRA schedule in Top Fuel as he attempts to become just the 15th driver in NHRA history to win races in both Top Fuel and Funny Car. -Brown’s co-crew chief, Mark Oswald, won the 1984 NHRA Winston Funny Car championship. Oswald is one of 14 drivers in NHRA history to have won races in both Top Fuel and Funny Car. -Oswald won the Funny Car title at Pacific Raceways in 1990 and earned the No. 1 qualifying award at Seattle in 1992. 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Top Fuel Standings (13 of 24 races) 1. ANTRON BROWN (3) 1,056 - - - 2. Larry Dixon (4) 940 -116 3. Tony Schumacher (3) 938 -118 4. Brandon Bernstein 881 -175 5. Cory McClenathan 779 -277 6. Spencer Massey (1) 743 -313 7. Shawn Langdon 719 -337 8. Morgan Lucas (1) 716 -340 9. Doug Kalitta (1) 634 -422 10. Clay Millican 534 -522 11. Joe Hartley 492 -564 Antron Brown’s Career Results at Pacific Raceways Year Qualified Finish/Winning Driver 2008 No. 3—3.831 ET First round—Bob Vandergriff, Jr. Brown’s Seattle NHRA Schedule Date/Time Event/Location Thur., July 16, 8:30 a.m. Toyota Video Shoot, Pike Place Fish Market Fri., July 17, 3:30/6 p.m. TF Qualifying 1/2, Pacific Raceways Sat., July 18, 12:30/3 p.m. TF Qualifying 3/4, Pacific Raceways Sun., July 19, 11 a.m. Final Eliminations, Pacific Raceways Brown’s Career-Best Performances E.T./Speed Location Date E.T.—4.495 seconds Pomona, Calif. Feb. 2008 MPH—331.94 mph Madison, Ill. May 2008 E.T.—3.778 seconds* Pomona, Calif. Feb. 2009 MPH—319.75 mph* Bristol, Tenn. May 2009 *1,000-foot NHRA Northwest Nationals TV Schedule (ESPN2) Date/Time (ET) Coverage Sat., July 18, 7-9 p.m. Qualifying Highlights Sun., July 19, 11-11:30 a.m. NHRA Race Day Sun., July 19, 9 p.m.-Midnight Final Eliminations Coverage www.matcotools.com www.mikeashleyracing.com www.antronbrown.com www.twitter.com/MARnews