[coverattach=1]Antron Brown on Pomona
“We’re excited about Pomona . Not only do we have the NHRA Softball Classic on Wednesday, but we can finish second in the points and that would be awesome for our Matco Tools team in our first season together. Both our DPM cars are running strong and we hope to go late into the day on Sunday with the Matco Tools dragster and Hot Rod’s (Fuller) car.”
Lee Beard (crew chief) on Pomona
“We feel like we made some progress with both cars at the last race and we’re just a tick away from (Tony) Schumacher’s car, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel to be on the same level performance-wise. Because of that we’re excited about going to Pomona and running our best E.T.s of the season.”
Antron Brown Pomona NHRA Notebook
Two weeks ago in Las Vegas , Brown raced to his fifth semifinal finish of the season. He qualified his Matco Tools dragster in the No. 2 position for the second time this season ( Joliet , Ill. ) with a pass of 3.812 second at 315.49 mph. Brown advanced to the semifinals before his rail overpowered the track against teammate Hot Rod Fuller. It was Brown’s first defeat in four races against his teammate this season. He also posted his fastest 1,000-foot speed at 317.19 mph during the fall Las Vegas race.
Brown has made a seamless transition from the Pro Stock Motorcycle class to Top Fuel this season. The 18-time NHRA winner became the first racer in NHRA history to win races in both Top Fuel and PSM by winning in his fourth career Top Fuel start ( Houston ). Brown has two wins in five final rounds this season, along with three poles. He also clocked low E.T. of the meet twice and top speed of the meet three times this year.
At the 2008 NHRA season-opener at Auto Club Raceway, Brown paced the field in the Matco Tools dragster earning the pole in his first Top Fuel race with a lap of 4.495 seconds at 331.61 mph. It’s his only pole at the historic Pomona track. He has qualified second four times in the Pro Stock Motorcycle category at Pomona . Brown won the Auto Club Finals in 1999 and is a two-time finalist at NHRA’s annual season-finale in So Cal. Brown’s average starting position in 12 races at Pomona is 5.08.
Brown has qualified for 168 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—182). He has an average qualifying position of 5.21 this season with three poles, including the Winternationals at Pomona in February.
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 five wins and seven poles at the historic Pomona track.
2008 NHRA Top Fuel Standings – Countdown to 1 (23 of 24 races)
1. Tony Schumacher (15) 2,645 - - -
2. Hillary Will (1) 2,369 -276
3. ANTRON BROWN (2) 2,360 -285
4. Cory McClenathan (1) 2,332 -313
5. Larry Dixon (1) 2,328 -317
6. HOT ROD FULLER (1) 2,275 -370
7. Brandon Bernstein 2,273 -372
8. Doug Herbert (1) 2,255 -390
9. Doug Kalitta 2,177 -468
10. David Grubnic 2,162 -483
Antron Brown’s Career Results at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona
Year Qualified Finish/Winning Driver
1998 No. 5 Semifinals—Ron Ayers
1999 No. 2 WINNER—def. Craig Treble
2000 No. 2 Semifinals—Matt Hines
2001 No. 2 Runner-up—Angelle Sampey (foul)
2001 No. 3 First round—Joe DeSantis
2002 No. 10 First round—Michael Phillips
2003 No. 13 First round—Andrew Hines
2004 No. 3 Runner-up—Angelle Sampey
2005 No. 2 Second round—Andrew Hines (foul)
2006 No. 10 Second round—Craig Treble
2007 No. 8 Semifinals—Matt Smith (foul)
2008 No. 1 Second round—Cory McClenathan
Brown’s Pomona 2 NHRA Schedule
Date & Time Event and Location
Wed., Nov. 12, 9 a.m. Matco Tools Truck Ride - Santa Ana
w/Matco Distributor Jeff Peterson
Wed., Nov. 12, 5 p.m. NHRA Softball Classic—San Bernadino
Arrowhead Credit Union Park
Thur., Nov. 13, 2:30 p.m. TF Qualifying 1, Auto Club Raceway
Fri., Nov. 14, 9 a.m. Army Y.E.S. Program, Auto Club Raceway
Fri., Nov. 14, 2:30 p.m. TF Qualifying 2, Auto Club Raceway
Sat., Nov. 15, Noon/3:30 p.m. TF Qualifying 3/4, Auto Club Raceway
Sun., Nov. 16, 11 a.m. Final Eliminations, Auto Club Raceway
Brown’s Career-Best Performances
E.T.—4.495 seconds Pomona , Calif. Feb. 2008
MPH—331.94 mph Madison , Ill. May 2008
E.T.—3.803 seconds* Petersburg , Va. Oct. 2008
MPH—317.19 mph* Las Vegas Nov. 2008
*1,000-foot
“We’re excited about Pomona . Not only do we have the NHRA Softball Classic on Wednesday, but we can finish second in the points and that would be awesome for our Matco Tools team in our first season together. Both our DPM cars are running strong and we hope to go late into the day on Sunday with the Matco Tools dragster and Hot Rod’s (Fuller) car.”
Lee Beard (crew chief) on Pomona
“We feel like we made some progress with both cars at the last race and we’re just a tick away from (Tony) Schumacher’s car, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel to be on the same level performance-wise. Because of that we’re excited about going to Pomona and running our best E.T.s of the season.”
Antron Brown Pomona NHRA Notebook
Two weeks ago in Las Vegas , Brown raced to his fifth semifinal finish of the season. He qualified his Matco Tools dragster in the No. 2 position for the second time this season ( Joliet , Ill. ) with a pass of 3.812 second at 315.49 mph. Brown advanced to the semifinals before his rail overpowered the track against teammate Hot Rod Fuller. It was Brown’s first defeat in four races against his teammate this season. He also posted his fastest 1,000-foot speed at 317.19 mph during the fall Las Vegas race.
Brown has made a seamless transition from the Pro Stock Motorcycle class to Top Fuel this season. The 18-time NHRA winner became the first racer in NHRA history to win races in both Top Fuel and PSM by winning in his fourth career Top Fuel start ( Houston ). Brown has two wins in five final rounds this season, along with three poles. He also clocked low E.T. of the meet twice and top speed of the meet three times this year.
At the 2008 NHRA season-opener at Auto Club Raceway, Brown paced the field in the Matco Tools dragster earning the pole in his first Top Fuel race with a lap of 4.495 seconds at 331.61 mph. It’s his only pole at the historic Pomona track. He has qualified second four times in the Pro Stock Motorcycle category at Pomona . Brown won the Auto Club Finals in 1999 and is a two-time finalist at NHRA’s annual season-finale in So Cal. Brown’s average starting position in 12 races at Pomona is 5.08.
Brown has qualified for 168 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—182). He has an average qualifying position of 5.21 this season with three poles, including the Winternationals at Pomona in February.
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 five wins and seven poles at the historic Pomona track.
2008 NHRA Top Fuel Standings – Countdown to 1 (23 of 24 races)
1. Tony Schumacher (15) 2,645 - - -
2. Hillary Will (1) 2,369 -276
3. ANTRON BROWN (2) 2,360 -285
4. Cory McClenathan (1) 2,332 -313
5. Larry Dixon (1) 2,328 -317
6. HOT ROD FULLER (1) 2,275 -370
7. Brandon Bernstein 2,273 -372
8. Doug Herbert (1) 2,255 -390
9. Doug Kalitta 2,177 -468
10. David Grubnic 2,162 -483
Antron Brown’s Career Results at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona
Year Qualified Finish/Winning Driver
1998 No. 5 Semifinals—Ron Ayers
1999 No. 2 WINNER—def. Craig Treble
2000 No. 2 Semifinals—Matt Hines
2001 No. 2 Runner-up—Angelle Sampey (foul)
2001 No. 3 First round—Joe DeSantis
2002 No. 10 First round—Michael Phillips
2003 No. 13 First round—Andrew Hines
2004 No. 3 Runner-up—Angelle Sampey
2005 No. 2 Second round—Andrew Hines (foul)
2006 No. 10 Second round—Craig Treble
2007 No. 8 Semifinals—Matt Smith (foul)
2008 No. 1 Second round—Cory McClenathan
Brown’s Pomona 2 NHRA Schedule
Date & Time Event and Location
Wed., Nov. 12, 9 a.m. Matco Tools Truck Ride - Santa Ana
w/Matco Distributor Jeff Peterson
Wed., Nov. 12, 5 p.m. NHRA Softball Classic—San Bernadino
Arrowhead Credit Union Park
Thur., Nov. 13, 2:30 p.m. TF Qualifying 1, Auto Club Raceway
Fri., Nov. 14, 9 a.m. Army Y.E.S. Program, Auto Club Raceway
Fri., Nov. 14, 2:30 p.m. TF Qualifying 2, Auto Club Raceway
Sat., Nov. 15, Noon/3:30 p.m. TF Qualifying 3/4, Auto Club Raceway
Sun., Nov. 16, 11 a.m. Final Eliminations, Auto Club Raceway
Brown’s Career-Best Performances
E.T.—4.495 seconds Pomona , Calif. Feb. 2008
MPH—331.94 mph Madison , Ill. May 2008
E.T.—3.803 seconds* Petersburg , Va. Oct. 2008
MPH—317.19 mph* Las Vegas Nov. 2008
*1,000-foot
