Antron Brown, a New Jersey native, raced his Mike Ashley-owned Matco Tools dragster to the
provisional No. 5 qualifying position Friday evening at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. Brown has
four No. 1 qualifyng positions this season, including the last two races at Topeka, Kan. and
Joliet, Ill.
The 20-time NHRA winner enters the 11th race on the 2009 NHRA schedule leading the Top Fuel
standings. Following his runner-up finish last Sunday at Joliet, Ill., Brown opened qualifying at
the famed New Jersey drag strip with a tire-spinning lap of 4.970 seconds at 145.88 mph placing the
four-time Top Fuel winner 11th in the order. On Friday's second attempt, Brown used a tune-up from
crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald to power the bright blue Matco Tools/Lend America
dragster to the fifth quickest run of the day at 3.871 at 315.05. Top Fuel's new "King of Speed"
clocked the second fastest run of the day. Brown has carded the three fastest runs in 1,000-foot
racing this season topped by his 319.75-mph blast at Bristol, Tenn. in May.
"That was a nice run," Brown said. "We were early in the session, so we had to get down the track
after we missed it on the first run. It was a good pass and we posted one of those awesome speeds
again. Mark (Oswald) and Brian (Corradi) were on it again. No. 5 is good. If it's overcast like the
weather forecast says, we can run quicker tomorrow. We're happy with the day. It's always fun at
(New) Jersey getting to hang out and race in front of all my family and friends."
Professional nitro qualifying is scheduled for 1 and 4 p.m. (ET) Saturday afternoon at Raceway
Park. Top Fuel will run first followed by Funny Car. Brown earned his second career Top Fuel pole
last June at Raceway Park with a Friday-evening blast of 4.502 seconds at 326.24 mph. Brown has two
career wins and three poles at the United Associaton SuperNationals.
Headquartered in Brownsburg, Ind., Mike Ashley Racing fields the Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster
driven by Antron Brown. MAR proudly represents racing partners Matco Tools, Lend America, DirecTV,
Toyota, Ringer's Gloves, Go Fast! Sports, Goodyear, FRAM, Autolite, Impact! Racing, Connexions
Sports and Entertainment, and Forward Sports Marketing (FSM).
Mike Ashley Racing supports Autism Awareness through their support of the Hyperbaric Therapy
Center. A 2007 Centers for Disease Control report found that 1 in 150 children in America today
have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and an estimated 1.5 million Americans and their families
are now affected. Autism is a national health crisis, and Mike Ashley Racing is working to help
educate the public about ways they can get involved. Visit the Heal Autism Now website for more
information about how you can get involved at http://www.healautismnow.org
