Brian Corradi (crew chief) on Denver
"We're looking forward to getting back at it after the July Fourth weekend. Denver is a beautiful track and we always love racing there. We want to start the second half of the season on a good note and want to continue running as well as we have been. Everyone has the same challenge with the altitude. The elevation is a challenge, but we can overcome that with certain factors in how we tune the race car."

Antron Brown Denver NHRA Notebook
Two weeks ago at Norwalk, Ohio, Brown posted his second semifinal finish of the season (Las Vegas 1). The Matco Tools flagship driver qualified fifth at 3.933 seconds at 305.01 mph. He advanced to the semifinals before the Matco Tools car smoked the tires against two-time Top Fuel champion Larry Dixon. Brown, the fastest 1,000-foot driver at 319.75 mph, earned top speed of the meet honors for the sixth time in 12 races this season. Brown remains the only Top Fuel driver to not have lost in the first round of eliminations this season.

Brown is a four-time finalist at scenic Bandimere Speedway, including last season when he fell to six-time series champion Tony Schumacher, 4.007 to 4.173. Brown clocked the first three-second pass in 1,000-foot racing during Friday night qualifying at Bandimere at 3.998-seconds. The 16-time NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle winner earned the pole at the Denver track in 2001 at 7.641-seconds.

Brown continues to lead the NHRA Top Fuel standings at the midway point on the 2009 NHRA schedule. He leads Dixon by 53 points and Schumacher by 56 points. Brown has two wins, three runner-up finishes and four No. 1 qualifying awards this season. The Matco Tools dragster has also clocked low elapsed time of the meet honors five times. Brown also has recorded the three fastest 1,000-foot speeds. He is the only racer to exceed 318 mph this season.

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).
-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.
-Oswald won the Funny Car title at the Mile-High Nationals in 1986.

Brown's Denver NHRA Schedule
Date/Time Event/Location
Thur., July 9, 6-8 p.m. Matco Tools Customer Dinner
Old Chicago, Lakewood, Colo.
Fri., July 10, 5:30/8 p.m. TF Qualifying 1/2, Bandimere Speedway
Sat., July 11, 4:30/8 p.m. TF Qualifying 3/4, Bandimere Speedway
Sun., July 12, Noon Final Eliminations, Bandimere Speedway

Brown's Career-Best Performances
E.T./Speed Location Date
E.T.-4.495 seconds Pomona, Calif. Feb. 2008
MPH-331.94 mph Madison, Ill. May 2008
E.T.-3.778 seconds* Pomona, Calif. Feb. 2009
MPH-319.75 mph* Bristol, Tenn. May 2009
*1,000-foot

Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals TV Schedule (ESPN2)
Date/Time (ET) Coverage
Sat., June 27, 10 p.m.-Midnight Qualifying Highlights
Sun., June 28, 11-11:30 a.m. NHRA Race Day
Sun., June 28, 7-10 p.m. Final Eliminations Coverage

Courtesy of Ted Yerzyk