Denver: Antron Brown preview

Antron Brown on Denver "We're ready to get back on track at Denver. Last weekend was a disappointing event for us in Sonoma. We qualified well but didn't have the result we had hoped for, so we want to get back on track at Bandimere (Speedway). The ...

Antron Brown on Denver
"We're ready to get back on track at Denver. Last weekend was a disappointing event for us in Sonoma. We qualified well but didn't have the result we had hoped for, so we want to get back on track at Bandimere (Speedway). The Matco Tools car has done well there the past few years going to the final round and that's our goal again this weekend. We want to finish up the (Western) swing on a high note."

Brian Corradi (crew chief) on Denver
"Our car is running really well for Matco Tools and we want to continue that. Our goal is to qualify well and then go some rounds on race day. We had a slip up last weekend at Sonoma (Calif.) and we want to make up for that with a strong performance at Denver."

Antron Brown Denver NHRA Notebook
Last weekend at Sonoma, Calif., Brown qualified his Matco Tools dragster second at 3.863-seconds. It is the third time he qualified in the No. 2 position this season. On race day, Brown's Matco Tools/U.S. Army dragster dropped a cylinder at the hit of the throttle and lost traction in an opening-round loss to upstart Terry McMillen. It was Brown's third first round loss of the season. McMillen moved back into 10th place in the Top Fuel standings with the round win, while Brown remained in the No. 4 position.

Last July at the Denver race, Brown opened the grueling Western Swing by sweeping the event. Brown paced the Top Fuel field with a qualifying blast of 3.862 seconds at 315.05. It was his fifth pole of the season. He advanced to his sixth final round of the season and scored his third win of '09 by outrunning Doug Kalitta 3.944 to 11.363. Brown not only won the Denver race, he also qualified first, and earned low elapsed time (3.862 seconds) and top speed of the meet honors (318.39). In 12 tries at the Denver race, Brown has an average qualifying position of 5.7. He has been to five final rounds at the Denver race. Brown, who won a category-best six races last season, enters the 15th race on the 2010 NHRA schedule ranked fourth in the Top Fuel standings. He trails two-time champion Larry Dixon by 378 points. Brown has six final-round appearances this season (Gainesville, Charlotte 1, Houston, Englishtown, Norwalk and Seattle) and four No. 1 qualifiers (Gainesville, Las Vegas 1, Topeka and Bristol). Last year, Brown had 10 finals and seven poles. His average qualifying position in 14 races this year is 4.7.