Brainerd: Antron Brown preview

Antron Brown on Brainerd "I can't wait to get back to Brainerd. We've had a lot of success at B.I.R. over the years and coming off of our great run at the Western Swing, you really want to keep racing. This two-week break was great to relax and get ...

Antron Brown on Brainerd
"I can't wait to get back to Brainerd. We've had a lot of success at B.I.R. over the years and coming off of our great run at the Western Swing, you really want to keep racing. This two-week break was great to relax and get caught up after the Swing, but we're ready to race with the MAR Matco Tools team. We're going to try and keep it going and go some rounds. The goal is to qualify well, stay out of 'the Zoo,' and focus on racing."

Brian Corradi (crew chief) on Brainerd
"We ran really well out west and we'd like to keep that going. It's been nice to have a few weeks off, but our entire team is ready to race. Our guys are antsy at the shop and I can tell they're ready to get on the road. The forecast is calling for some temperatures in the 70s, so the fans should get to see some really good racing. We'll go out and try to qualify near the top of the pack and take it one round at a time and try and go some rounds."

Antron Brown Brainerd NHRA Notebook
Brown enters the 16th race on the 2009 NHRA schedule as the hottest driver on tour. Three weeks ago, Brown joined an elite group of NHRA racers becoming just the seventh driver to sweep the grueling three-race Western Swing (Denver, Seattle and Sonoma, Calif.). Brown has a category-best five wins in eight final round appearances through 15 races this season. He also has five No. 1 qualifying awards, the most in Top Fuel. At Infineon Raceway, Brown edged 30-time Top Fuel winner Cory McClenathan in a great final round 3.990 to 4.002 to card his seventh career Top Fuel win.

Brown made his Top Fuel debut at Brainerd last August by racing the Matco Tools dragster to the No. 7 qualifying spot at 3.929 seconds at 303.43 mph. He was defeated in round one by Morgan Lucas. Brown has experienced a great deal of success at B.I.R. The 16-time Pro Stock Motorcycle winner claimed four of his two-wheel wins aboard his Suzuki at the Minnesota race, along with earning two poles at Brainerd. Brown has won races at 14 current NHRA tracks. He has multiple wins at five tracks and multiple poles at six facilities.

With three races remaining before the Countdown to 1 playoff, Brown owns a 199-point advantage over six-time series champion Tony Schumacher. It's Brown's largest lead. He has been atop the standings following the last six races and 10 of 15 races this season. He has never ranked lower than second this year and hasn't trailed by more than 45 points. Brown has a mark of 38-10 through 15 races in 2009. Last year, his first in Top Fuel, he posted a record of 36-21 with two wins and three poles. He has 295 career round wins.