After fighting afternoon rain showers on Friday, the 23-time NHRA winner raced his bright blue Matco Tools/Lend America dragster to the provisional No. 3 qualifying position with a lap of 3.895 seconds at 313.07 mph. It was the fastest run of the opening day of qualifying for the 25th annual Toyo Tires Nationals.

On Saturday, the rain stayed away from Maple Grove Raceway and the sun even peaked out of the clouds a few times, but water seeping up from under the track caused a near three-hour delay. When Top Fuel qualifying resumed, Brown and the Matco Tools/Toyota car were the second to last pair of 8,000 horsepower Top Fuel dragsters to speed down the strip at "the Grove." Top Fuel's new "King of Speed" used a tune-up from crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald to race the Matco-backed rail to the quickest run of the session as Brown paced the field with a lap of 3.854 at 315.71. It was again the fastest run of the session.

Saturday's final qualifying attempt was canceled due to a late rain shower. Brown's six No. 1 qualifiers are a Top Fuel-best this season. His average qualifying position is 3.59 in 17 races this year. It is Brown's second career pole at Maple Grove Raceway (2004). He now has earned multiple No. 1 qualifying awards at seven current NHRA tracks.

"That was an awesome run and we didn't change a lot from last night," Brown said. "We made a few minor tweaks to the motor and this MAR Matco Tools car hauled on through there with that 3.85. It's awesome to get the pole here at Maple Grove (Raceway) in front of all the great fans and my family and friends. Grandma (Brown) was in rare form again and we're having an awesome time here despite all the weather issues.

"Tomorrow will be tough. To qualify first and get Brandon (Bernstein) and Rob Flynn and that Budwesier team is no prize, let me tell you. We faced them a bunch this year and I know they're hungry. We have to make a good lap and get down the race track and can't slip up."

Brown will face off against 17-time NHRA winner and second generation star Brandon Bernstein in the first round of elimination at 11 a.m. (ET) on Sunday at Maple Grove Raceway. Brown is 3-2 in five races against Bernstein this season and 5-4 in nine career races against the Budweiser car. Brown is 2-0 in final rounds against Bernstein this season (Phoenix and St. Louis).

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, SpongeTechR Delivery Systerms, 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

Courtesy of Ted Yerzyk