Englishtown: Antron Brown preview

Antron Brown on Englishtown

"I am excited to get back to my hometown track where it all started for me. To come back to Englishtown, where I grew up watching the Summernationals, is like a dream come true to race in Top Fuel. There will be a lot of family and friends and Matco distributors rooting us on. I don't feel any extra pressure, I feel less pressure with all the great support our team has."

Lee Beard (crew chief) on Englishtown

"Englishtown is one of the great races on the NHRA tour, it's an old traditional race, it used to be the Summernationals, and I enjoy winning those races. There's a lot of history at the facility and it's been around for many years. There's definitely more value in winning a races like Englishtown and we want Antron (Brown) to do well at his home track."

Antron Brown Englishtown NHRA Notebook

Two weeks ago in Joliet, Ill., Brown, a New Jersey native, qualified his Matco Tools dragster second with a run of 4.516 seconds at 331.53 mph. After smoking the tires, he was defeated in the first round of eliminations by T.J. Zizzo. It was Brown's first opening round loss of the season.

Brown enters the 11th race on the 2008 schedule ranked second in the POWERade Top Fuel standings. He trails five-time series champion Tony Schumacher by 190 points. Brown earned the pole at the season-opener at Pomona, Calif. (4.495 seconds) and advanced to three consecutive final rounds winning at Houston and Atlanta. He has a round record of 18-8 this season.

Brown is a two-time winner at his hometown track. Brown, who grew up attending races at Raceway Park and Atco Raceway, defeated Craig Treble in 2002 and Karen Stoffer in 2005. He earned the pole at the Englishtown race in 2001 and 2005.

Brown has qualified for 155 consecutive NHRA events. He hasn't missed the cut since the Gainesville race in 1998 after being disqualified for bad fuel at his first career race. It is the second longest qualifying streak in the professional ranks (Angelle Sampey--171).

Brown became the eighth different driver that crew chief Lee Beard has tuned to the pole award and 10th different racer Beard has tuned to a win in Top Fuel or Funny Car. Beard has 53 career wins and 58 poles. Beard is a three-time winner at Raceway Park with Gary Ormsby, Whit Bazemore and Rod Fuller.

-credit: dpm