The Brown Bulletin The prerace release of 16-time NHRA winner Antron Brown and the Matco Tools Top Fuel team Contact: Ted Yerzyk, (317) 852-6363 o, or (760) 207-9767 c ted@davidpowersmotorsports.com 39th annual ACDelco Gatornationals March 13-16, 2008 Gainesville Raceway Gainesville, Fla. Antron Brown on Gainesville “My spirits are riding high to get to Gainesville. I’m looking forward to getting back to Gainesville Raceway which is where we had our first full test session with our Matco Tools team. My confidence is riding high after our first two races knowing that our team is getting stronger with each race. It’s time to go out and win some rounds at one of our biggest races on the schedule.” Lee Beard (crew chief) on Gainesville “Our performance has been outstanding during qualifying and early rounds. Our consistency on race day is what we’re really looking to improve upon. We just need to change our outlook on things and work on race day consistency. It’s a really good facility, they have great crowds, the race has a great traditional following.” Brown Gainesville Notebook Brown is a 10-year veteran of the historic Gainesville quarter mile. The 16-time NHRA winner made his professional debut at Gainesville Raceway in 1998. Brown’s Suzuki was disqualified for bad fuel. It is the only did not qualify (DNQ) of his career. He earned the pole at the 2001 Gatornationals with a pass of 7.208 seconds at 188.94 mph. He also was runner-up to former teammate Angelle Sampy in 2006. Brown earned his 12th career pole by pacing the field at the season-opening Winternationals in February with a run of 4.495 seconds. He has posted quarterfinal finishes at the first two races of the 2008 season. Brown qualified the Matco Tools dragster fifth three weeks ago at the Phoenix race. He enters the Gatornationals ranked sixth in the NHRA Top Fuel standings and trails teammate Rod Fuller by 12 points. Brown became the eighth different driver that veteran crew chief Lee Beard has tuned to the pole award. It was Beard’s 56th No. 1 qualifier. Brown posted the quickest pass of his PSM career last March at Gainesville Raceway, 6.930 seconds, during qualifying. Last season, Brown raced his U.S. Army Suzuki to a 10th place finish in the PSM standings. It was his 10th consecutive finish in the top 10. Brown was named driver of the Matco Tools dragster during the Auto Club Finals last November. Brown has qualified for 146 consecutive NHRA events. He hasn’t missed the cut since the Gainesville race in 1998 after being disqualified for bad fuel at his first career event. It is the second longest qualifying streak in the professional ranks (Angelle Sampey—166). 2008 NHRA Top Fuel Standings 1. Tony Schumacher (1) 191 - - - 2. Larry Dixon (1) 190 -1 3. David Grubnic 130 -61 4. Cory McClenathan 125 -66 5. ROD FULLER 124 -67 6. ANTRON BROWN 112 -79 7. Morgan Lucas 107 -84 8. Brandon Bernstein 90 -101 Hillary Will 90 -101 10. Doug Herbert 84 -107 Bob Vandergriff, Jr. 84 -107 Antron Brown’s Career Results at Gainesville Raceway Year Qualified Finish/Winning Driver 1998 DNQ DQ’d bad fuel 1999 No. 4 Semifinals—Angelle Sampey 2000 No. 8 Second round—Tony Mullen 2001 No. 1 Second round—G.T. Tonglet 2002 No. 2 Second round—Craig Treble 2003 No. 4 Second round—Mike Berry (foul) 2004 No. 6 Second round—G.T.Tonglet 2005 No. 4 Semifinals—Steve Johnson 2006 No. 2 Runner-up—Angelle Sampey (foul) 2007 No. 3 First round—Tom Bradford Brown’s Gatornationals Schedule Date & Time Event and Location Fri., March 14, 8:30 a.m. Army Y.E.S. Program, Gainesville Raceway Fri., March 14, 1/3:30 p.m. TF Qualifying 1/2, Gainesville Raceway Sat., March 15, 1/3:30 p.m. TF Qualifying 3/4, Gainesville Raceway Sun., March 16, 11 a.m. Final Eliminations, Gainesville Raceway Brown’s Career-Best Performances Top Fuel E.T.—4.495 seconds Pomona, Calif. Feb. 2008 MPH—331.61 mph Pomona, Calif. Feb. 2008 Pro Stock Motorcycle E.T.—6.930 seconds Gainesville, Fla. March 2007 MPH—193.24 mph Englishtown, N.J. May 2002 Gatornationals TV Schedule (ESPN2) Date & Time (ET) Coverage Sun., March 16, 1-3 a.m. Qualifying Highlights Sun., March 16, 11-11:30 a.m. NHRA Race Day Sun., March 16, 6-9 p.m. Final Eliminations Coverage www.matcotools.com www.davidpowersmotorsports.com