Denver: Antron Brown Friday notes

BROWN MAKES FIRST THREE-SECOND 1,000-FOOT PASS, QUALIFIES FOURTH FRIDAY AT DENVER

MORRISON, Colo. (July 11, 2008) -- Antron Brown clocked the first sub four-second 1,000-foot pass in NHRA history Friday evening at Bandimere Speedway as the two-time Top Fuel winner clocked a run of 3.998-seconds in his David Powers-owned Matco Tools dragster. Brown finished in the provisional No. 4 qualifying position.

The bright blue Matco Tools dragster, which advanced to the final round at the Denver race last July, experienced a mechanical error on Friday's opening attempt as Brown coasted to a pass of 12.020 seconds at 64.86 mph. Crew chief Lee Beard, who scored his first career win as a crew chief at the 1980 Mile-High Nationals (Jerry Ruth), made the necessary adjustments as Brown powered to a run of 3.998 at 287.11 to finish fourth in the 15-car Top Fuel order.

"Like always, my guys made the right call," Brown said. "My Matco team is awesome. To get that first three-second pass was cool. We're happy with that run. We're just going to come out on Saturday and try to stay consistent in the heat."

Professional nitro qualifying resumes Saturday afternoon at Bandimere Speedway with sessions scheduled for 2 and 5 p.m. (MT).

-credit: dpm