Antron Brown on Dallas
"Man, we're fired up about Dallas. Dallas will always be a
special place to me since I got my first win there way back in 1999. Now
we want to get our first win in the Countdown (to 1) at Dallas. I really
believe our Matco Tools team has what it takes to win this
championship."
Lee Beard (crew chief) on Dallas
"We're in contention for the championship. All of the teams have
their hands full to come up with a combination to beat that U.S. Army
car. We think with a couple tweaks, we can rise to the occasion."
Antron Brown Dallas NHRA Notebook
Last weekend at the inaugural Charlotte NHRA race in Concord, N.C., Brown
qualified the Matco Tools dragster third for the second time this season
at 3.865-seconds. Brown advanced to his fifth final round of the season
where he posted a runner-up finish to Tony Schumacher, 3.882 to 3.923. It
was his 38th career final round appearance. He has 18 wins.
Brown enters the second race in the Countdown to 1 ranked second in the
NHRA Top Fuel standings. He trails points-leader Tony Schumacher by 46
with five races remaining on the 2008 NHRA schedule. Brown has two wins
(Houston and Atlanta) in five final rounds this season. He also has three
No. 1 qualifying awards. He has ranked second in the standings since
winning the Atlanta race in April. He and Schumacher are the only drivers
to win multiple Top Fuel races this season. Brown has a record of 32-17
in 19 races this year.
Last season at Texas Motorplex, Brown qualified his Suzuki ninth at 7.066
seconds at 187.76 mph. He was defeated in round one by Eddie Krawiec.
Brown earned his first career NHRA victory at the Dallas NHRA race in
1999 by defeating three-time PSM champion Angelle Sampey. It was his 16th
career start. The 10-year PSM rider earned 16 wins and 11 poles in the
two-wheel division.
Brown has qualified for 164 consecutive NHRA events and hasn't missed
the cut since the Gainesville race in 1998, his first career race. It is
the second longest qualifying streak in the professional ranks (Angelle
Sampey--179). He has an average qualifying position of 4.79 in 19
races this season with three poles.
Brown became the eighth different driver that crew chief Lee Beard has
tuned to the pole and 10th different racer Beard has tuned to a win in
Top Fuel or Funny Car. Beard has 53 wins and 60 poles, including three
wins and poles at the Dallas NHRA race.
-credit: dpm
