[coverattach=1]Antron Brown on Pomona 1
"I'm so excited to get the 2009 season started. Full Throttle is the new series sponsor and our Matco dragster was running on Full Throttle at testing with that 3.78. It's been a crazy off season, but our team is really coming together with Brian (Corradi) and Mark (Oswald) calling the shots. I really think we're going to surprise some people with our race team here at MAR and why not by having a strong first race at Pomona?"
Brian Corradi (crew chief) on Pomona 1
"We're looking forward to getting back in the mix of racing. It's been a long off season and we're ready to race. We'll take things one run at a time. We're still learning how to run this dragster. It's great to be working with Matco Tools and Antron Brown. We know how the motor runs, but we'll have to see how the track conditions are before we make the final call. We're excited to go racing at Pomona."
Antron Brown Pomona 1 NHRA Notebook --Last season, Brown made a seamless transition from the Pro Stock Motorcycle class to Top Fuel. 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 at Houston. He won two races (Houston and Atlanta) in five final round appearances, along with earning three poles, en route to a top five finish in the Countdown to the Championship standings. The Matco Tools dragster also clocked low E.T. of the meet twice and top speed of the meet three times in 2008.
--Last year at the season-opening Winternationals, Brown made his NHRA Top Fuel debut after racing 10 seasons in the Pro Stock Motorcycle category. Brown raced his Matco Tools dragster to the No. 1 qualifying position at the Winternationals with a lap of 4.495 seconds at 331.61 mph. It was his quickest pass of the 2008 season. He advanced to the quarterfinals before smoking the tires against 30-time Top Fuel winner Cory McClenathan. It was the 12th pole of Brown's career and his first No. 1 qualifier at the Pomona track.
--Along with pacing the Top Fuel field at the 2008 Winternationals, Brown is a three-time finalist at the historic Pomona drag strip. The New Jersey native won the 1999 Auto Club Finals by knocking off Craig Treble in the final round. It was Brown's third career
professional win. He earned 16 wins in the two-wheel category.
--Brown and the Matco Tools team clocked the quickest performance of 2009 preseason testing during the National Time Trials at Firebird International Raceway near Phoenix. Using a tune-up from crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald, the 1984 NHRA Funny Car champion, Brown blasted the Matco Tools rail to a lap of 3.781 seconds at 316.45 mph. It was the second quickest 1,000-foot elapsed time ever recorded (3.771 seconds, Tony Schumacher). The quickest time Brown carded last year was 3.803 seconds at the Richmond, Va. race in October.
2008 Final NHRA POWERade Top Fuel Standings
1. Tony Schumacher (15) 2,703 - - -
2. Larry Dixon (2) 2,445 -258
3. Cory McClenathan (1) 2,406 -297
4. Hillary Will (1) 2,405 -298
5. ANTRON BROWN (2) 2,370 -333
6. Hot Rod Fuller (1) 2,368 -335
7. Brandon Bernstein 2,327 -376
8. Doug Herbert (1) 2,307 -396
9. Doug Kalitta 2,209 -494
10. David Grubnic 2,194 -509
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
2008 No. 19 DNQ
Brown's NHRA Winternationals Schedule
Date & Time Event and Location
Wed., Feb. 4, 8:30 a.m. Matco Tools Truck Ride-Fontana, Calif.
w/Matco Distributor Arsen Kalaitzian
Wed., Feb. 4, Noon NHRA Media Luncheon, Auto Club Raceway
Thur., Feb. 5, 2:30 p.m. TF Qualifying 1, Auto Club Raceway
Fri., Feb. 6, 9 a.m. Army Y.E.S. Program, Auto Club Raceway
Fri., Feb. 6, 2:30 p.m. TF Qualifying 2, Auto Club Raceway
Sat., Feb. 7, Noon/3:30 p.m. TF Qualifying 3/4, Auto Club Raceway
Sun., Feb. 8, 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
NHRA Winternationals TV Schedule (ESPN2)
Date & Time (ET) Coverage
Sat., Feb. 7, 10 p.m.-Midnight Qualifying Highlights
Sun., Feb. 8, 11-11:30 a.m. NHRA Race Day
Sun., Feb. 8, 6:30-10 p.m. Final Eliminations Coverage
"I'm so excited to get the 2009 season started. Full Throttle is the new series sponsor and our Matco dragster was running on Full Throttle at testing with that 3.78. It's been a crazy off season, but our team is really coming together with Brian (Corradi) and Mark (Oswald) calling the shots. I really think we're going to surprise some people with our race team here at MAR and why not by having a strong first race at Pomona?"
Brian Corradi (crew chief) on Pomona 1
"We're looking forward to getting back in the mix of racing. It's been a long off season and we're ready to race. We'll take things one run at a time. We're still learning how to run this dragster. It's great to be working with Matco Tools and Antron Brown. We know how the motor runs, but we'll have to see how the track conditions are before we make the final call. We're excited to go racing at Pomona."
Antron Brown Pomona 1 NHRA Notebook --Last season, Brown made a seamless transition from the Pro Stock Motorcycle class to Top Fuel. 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 at Houston. He won two races (Houston and Atlanta) in five final round appearances, along with earning three poles, en route to a top five finish in the Countdown to the Championship standings. The Matco Tools dragster also clocked low E.T. of the meet twice and top speed of the meet three times in 2008.
--Last year at the season-opening Winternationals, Brown made his NHRA Top Fuel debut after racing 10 seasons in the Pro Stock Motorcycle category. Brown raced his Matco Tools dragster to the No. 1 qualifying position at the Winternationals with a lap of 4.495 seconds at 331.61 mph. It was his quickest pass of the 2008 season. He advanced to the quarterfinals before smoking the tires against 30-time Top Fuel winner Cory McClenathan. It was the 12th pole of Brown's career and his first No. 1 qualifier at the Pomona track.
--Along with pacing the Top Fuel field at the 2008 Winternationals, Brown is a three-time finalist at the historic Pomona drag strip. The New Jersey native won the 1999 Auto Club Finals by knocking off Craig Treble in the final round. It was Brown's third career
professional win. He earned 16 wins in the two-wheel category.
--Brown and the Matco Tools team clocked the quickest performance of 2009 preseason testing during the National Time Trials at Firebird International Raceway near Phoenix. Using a tune-up from crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald, the 1984 NHRA Funny Car champion, Brown blasted the Matco Tools rail to a lap of 3.781 seconds at 316.45 mph. It was the second quickest 1,000-foot elapsed time ever recorded (3.771 seconds, Tony Schumacher). The quickest time Brown carded last year was 3.803 seconds at the Richmond, Va. race in October.
2008 Final NHRA POWERade Top Fuel Standings
1. Tony Schumacher (15) 2,703 - - -
2. Larry Dixon (2) 2,445 -258
3. Cory McClenathan (1) 2,406 -297
4. Hillary Will (1) 2,405 -298
5. ANTRON BROWN (2) 2,370 -333
6. Hot Rod Fuller (1) 2,368 -335
7. Brandon Bernstein 2,327 -376
8. Doug Herbert (1) 2,307 -396
9. Doug Kalitta 2,209 -494
10. David Grubnic 2,194 -509
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
2008 No. 19 DNQ
Brown's NHRA Winternationals Schedule
Date & Time Event and Location
Wed., Feb. 4, 8:30 a.m. Matco Tools Truck Ride-Fontana, Calif.
w/Matco Distributor Arsen Kalaitzian
Wed., Feb. 4, Noon NHRA Media Luncheon, Auto Club Raceway
Thur., Feb. 5, 2:30 p.m. TF Qualifying 1, Auto Club Raceway
Fri., Feb. 6, 9 a.m. Army Y.E.S. Program, Auto Club Raceway
Fri., Feb. 6, 2:30 p.m. TF Qualifying 2, Auto Club Raceway
Sat., Feb. 7, Noon/3:30 p.m. TF Qualifying 3/4, Auto Club Raceway
Sun., Feb. 8, 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
NHRA Winternationals TV Schedule (ESPN2)
Date & Time (ET) Coverage
Sat., Feb. 7, 10 p.m.-Midnight Qualifying Highlights
Sun., Feb. 8, 11-11:30 a.m. NHRA Race Day
Sun., Feb. 8, 6:30-10 p.m. Final Eliminations Coverage
