Antron Brown on Norwalk
"I'm looking forward to going back to Norwalk. It's an awesome track. I'm ready for my pound of ice
cream for a dollar. I know my kids are ready for that too. It's real close to Matco's (Tools)
headquarters, so this is a very big race for us her at MAR. The family is jazzed about hitting up
Splash City and Cedar Point and we're ready to win us another race. We've been doing really well
lately, but we're tired of being the bridesmaid. We want another 'Wally' trophy. But the real goal
is to stay atop the points standings."
Brian Corradi (crew chief) on Norwalk
"We won this race a few years ago with Mike (Ashley), so it would be great to win with Antron
(Brown) as well. This is Matco's (Tools) home track, so we want to have another good showing for
all the Matco employees and distributors. Like always, we want to qualify well and take things one
round at a time."
Antron Brown Norwalk NHRA Notebook
Two weeks ago, Brown raced the Matco Tools dragster to his second straight final round and fifth of
the season. Racing at historic Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, 30 minutes from where Brown grew
up, he qualified fifth at 3.871-seconds. On race day, he outpaced Joe Hartley, Morgan Lucas and
Tony Schumacher before fouling in the final round against two-time champion Larry Dixon. It was
Brown's first red light start in Top Fuel.
Brown, a four-time Top Fuel winner, has yet to advance passed the second round of eliminations at
the Norwalk NHRA race. The Matco Tools flagship driver qualified sixth last June in his Top Fuel
debut at Norwalk at 4.652 at 291.51. He fell in round two to 17-time winner Brandon Bernstein,
4.650 to 4.861.
Brown continues to lead the NHRA Top Fuel standings. He leads six-time series champion Tony
Schumacher by 34 points entering the Norwalk race, the 12th of 24 on the 2009 schedule. Brown has
two wins, three runner-up finishes and four No. 1 qualifying awards in 11 races this season. The
Matco Tools dragster has clocked low elapsed time and top speed of the meet five times. Brown also
has recorded the three fastest 1,000-foot speeds. He is the only racer to exceed 318 mph.
Antron Brown... Did You Know?
-Brown was a track star at Mercer 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 (4 TF/16 PSM).
-Brown's team owner Mike Ashley has three career NHRA Funny Car wins, including the 2007 U.S.
Nationals at Indianapolis. Ashley won the Norwalk race in 2007 when he defeated six-time champion
Kenny Bernstein 4.823 to 12.080.
-Ashley will return to competition at the final four races on the 2009 NHRA schedule in Top Fuel as
he attempts to become just the 15th driver in NHRA history to win races in both Top Fuel and Funny
Car.
-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 co-crew chief, Brian Corradi, is from Cleveland.
Brown's Norwalk NHRA Schedule
Date/Time Event/Location
Wed., June 24, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Matco Tools TechEd Appearance
Ohio Technical College, Cleveland
Thur., June 25, 8-10 a.m. Matco Tools Corporate Appearance, Matco Tools, Stow, Ohio
Thur., June 25, 7-9 p.m. Matco Tools Distributor/Customer Dinner Iron Eagle Club, Norwalk
Fri., June 26, 4:30/7:30 p.m. TF Qualifying 1/2, Norwalk
Sat., June 27, 1/3 p.m. TF Qualifying 3/4, Norwalk
Sun., June 28, 11 a.m.
Final Eliminations, Norwalk
