The Brown Bulletin The pre-race release of 18-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 24th annual Toyo Tires Nationals August 14-17, 2008 Maple Grove Raceway Reading, Pa. Antron Brown on Reading “I’m excited to get back to the East Coast near where I grew up. I used to go to Reading and Maple Grove (Raceway) as a kid and I can’t wait to race the Matco Tools dragster there. We’re fired up about the charity softball game on Thursday night, so hopefully we can win the game for a great cause like DRAW and the race on Sunday.” Lee Beard (crew chief) on Reading “Our goal is to continue to work on our consistency as we head towards the Countdown (to the Championship). We want to have the best possible tune-up and combination ready to go when we get to Charlotte next month. We also want to remain second in the points standings and we’ll need to go some rounds at Reading to hold on to the second spot.” Antron Brown Reading NHRA Notebook Last weekend in Brainerd, Minn., Brown qualified the Matco Tools dragster in the top half of the 16-car order for the 14th time in 16 races with an elapsed time of 3.929-seconds. On race day, he was defeated in the opening round of eliminations for just the third time this season. Brown has ranked second in the NHRA POWERade Top Fuel standings since winning the Atlanta NHRA race in April. The first-year Top Fuel racer has two wins (Houston and Atlanta) and three poles. He has advanced to four final rounds in the Matco-backed car. Brown has an average qualifying position of 4.56 this season. He is the only Top Fuel racer other than points-leader Tony Schumacher to win multiple races this season. Last Aug. at the Reading NHRA race, Brown qualified his U.S. Army Suzuki in the No. 8 position with a lap of 6.997 seconds at 190.48 mph. He advanced to the second round before falling to teammate Angelle Sampey. Brown did earn the pole at Maple Grove Raceway in 2004 with a run of 7.057-seconds. He also advanced to the final round that year. In 10 races at Maple Grove Raceway, Brown has an average starting position of 7.1. Brown has qualified for 161 consecutive NHRA events and hasn’t missed the cut since the Gainesville race in 1998. It is the second longest qualifying streak in the professional ranks (Angelle Sampey—176). 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’s lone victory at the Reading NHRA race came in 1990 with Gary Ormsby at the wheel. The Beard-tuned dragster also earned the pole at Maple Grove Raceway that year. 2008 NHRA Top Fuel Standings 1. Tony Schumacher (9) 1,532 - - - 2. ANTRON BROWN (2) 1,051 -481 3. Larry Dixon (1) 988 -544 4. Cory McClenathan (1) 987 -545 5. HOT ROD FULLER (1) 958 -574 6. Brandon Bernstein 922 -610 7. Hillary Will (1) 874 -658 8. Doug Herbert (1) 807 -725 9. Doug Kalitta 701 -831 10. David Grubnic 685 -847 11. Morgan Lucas 672 -860 Antron Brown’s Career Results at Maple Grove Raceway Year Qualified Finish/Winning Driver 1998 No. 11 First round—Steve Johnson 1999 No. 7 First round—Tony Mullen 2000 No. 4 Second round—Tony Mullen 2001 No. 4 Semifinals—Angelle Sampey 2002 No. 11 Semifinals—Angelle Sampey 2003 No. 9 First round—Reggie Showers 2004 No. 1 Runner-up—Angelle Sampey 2005 No. 5 First round—Craig Treble 2006 No. 11 Semifinals—Geno Scali 2007 No. 8 Second round—Angelle Sampey Brown’s Reading Schedule Date & Time Event and Location Thur., Aug. 14, 9 a.m. Matco Tools Truck Ride—Willow Street, Pa. w/Matco Tools DBR Trevor Teaman Thur., Aug. 14, 7 p.m. NHRA Softball Classic—FirstEnergy Stadium 1900 Centre Ave., Reading, PA 19601 Fri., Aug. 15, 3:30/6:30 p.m. TF Qualifying 1/2, Maple Grove Raceway Sat., Aug. 16, Noon/3 p.m. TF Qualifying 3/4, Maple Grove Raceway Sun., Aug. 17, 11 a.m. Final Eliminations, Maple Grove Raceway Brown’s Career-Best Performances Top Fuel E.T.—4.495 seconds Pomona, Calif. Feb. 2008 MPH—331.94 mph Madison, Ill. May 2008 E.T.—3.805 seconds* Sonoma, Calif. July 2008 MPH—316.45 mph* Sonoma, Calif. July 2008 *1,000-foot Pro Stock Motorcycle E.T.—6.930 seconds Gainesville, Fla. March 2007 MPH—193.24 mph Englishtown, N.J. May 2002 Toyo Tires Nationals TV Schedule (ESPN2) Date & Time (ET) Coverage Sat., Aug. 16, 6-8 p.m. Qualifying Highlights Sun., Aug. 17, 11-11:30 a.m. NHRA Race Day Sun., Aug. 17, 10 p.m.-1 a.m. Final Eliminations Coverage www.matcotools.com www.davidpowersmotorsports.com