Tue, 29 Sep 2009, 11:26 PM News from Mike Ashley Racing

Courtesy of Ted Yerzyk

MILLINGTON, Tenn. -- 22nd annual O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals Oct. 2-4, 2009 Memphis Motorsports Park Memphis, Tenn.

Antron Brown on Memphis
"We ready to get back to the race track at Memphis and get things going for both Matco Tools and Toyota. We're excited to have the Toyota red and white on the car this weekend and hope to have the same result as we did with the DirecTV car back at St. Louis in May. It's not like we're running bad, we just seem to have some bad luck on our side, but we're going to do our best to change that and get this MAR team back on track starting at Memphis."

Brian Corradi (crew chief) on Memphis
"This is an important race for us. We want to do well for Toyota and Matco Tools and gain some ground in the Countdown (to 1). We just need to tweak a few things so we make the right calls and race day and we should be able to win races again. We're confident we can make the right calls and get things back on track for this Matco (Tools) team."

Antron Brown Memphis NHRA Notebook
Last weekend at Texas Motorplex near Dallas, Brown qualified the Matco Tools rail sixth at 3.878 seconds at 314.61 mph. He has qualified in the top half of the field at 19 of 20 races this season (Seattle) and has an average qualifying position of 3.5 with seven poles. Brown advanced to the quarterfinals where he fell to eventual race winner Tony Schumacher 3.915 to 4.113. Brown is now 4-2 in six races against the U.S. Army team this season.

Last year at Memphis Motorsports Park, Brown qualified the Matco Tools dragster ninth at 3.871 seconds at 310.05 mph. He qualified in the bottom half of the field just five times last season. He was defeated in round one by two-time series champion Larry Dixon, 3.877 to 3.881 . Brown had just four first-round losses in 2008, his first season in Top Fuel. Brown's only win at the Memphis race came in 2004 when he defeated Matt Smith in the final, 7.264 to 7.421, aboard his Suzuki.

This season, Brown has five wins in eight final round appearances, along with seven poles. In July, Brown made NHRA history becoming just the seventh professional driver to sweep the grueling Western Swing (Denver, Seattle and Sonoma, Calif.). Brown also has clocked the two fastest runs in 1,000-foot racing at 319.75 (Bristol) and 319.22 mph (Indianapolis). He is the only driver to surpass 319 mph at 1,000-feet. Brown led the points entering the Countdown to 1 and after 13 races this season. He trails Schumacher by 65 points and ranks fourth in the Countdown to 1 standings, his lowest placing of the season.

Antron Brown... Did You Know?
-Brown was a track star at Mercer Community College in New Jersey competing in the 100 and 200-meters, long jump, and 55-meter indoor. He ran quick enough to qualify for the U.S. Olympic trails in the 100-meters.
-Brown's first race team owner was former NFL star cornerback Troy Vincent.
-Brown is the only driver in NHRA history to hold the points lead and win races in both Top Fuel and Pro Stock Motorcycle (7 TF/16 PSM).
-Brown's team owner, Mike Ashley, is a three-time NHRA Funny Car winner, including the prestigious U.S. Nationals in 2007 -Brown's co-crew chief, Mark Oswald, won the 1984 NHRA Winston Funny Car championship. Oswald is one of 14 drivers in NHRA history to have won races in both Top Fuel and Funny Car.

Brown's Memphis Schedule
Date/Time Event/Location
Thur., Oct. 1, Noon NHRA Media Luncheon, Folk's Folly
551 S. Mendenhall, Memphis, TN 38117 Thur., Oct. 1, 7 p.m. Matco Tools Dinner, Leonard's Pit Barbecue 5465 Fox Plaza Dr., Memphis, TN 38115 Fri., Oct. 2, 3/5:30 p.m. TF Qualifying 1/2, Memphis Motorsports Park Sat., Oct. 3, Noon/3 p.m. TF Qualifying 3/4, Memphis Motorsports Park Sun., Oct. 4, 11 a.m. Final Eliminations, Memphis Motorsports Park

O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals TV Schedule (ESPN2)
Date/Time (ET) Coverage
Sat., Oct. 3, 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Qualifying Highlights Sun., Oct. 4, 11-11:30 a.m. NHRA Race Day
Sun., Oct. 4, 7-10 p.m. Final Eliminations

http://www.toyotaracing.com

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