Antron Brown hopes that what worked well for the boss will eventually funnel down to the employee.

In 2007, team owner Mike Ashley won his first national event at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kan.

Brown has yet to win in Topeka but a semi-final finish last year has success so close for the sophomore Top Fuel driver he can taste it.

"I'm excited to get back out there to Topeka. We came up just short last year,” Brown said. “I always like performing at Topeka because one of the guys I looked up to growing up, Gary Ormsby, has a great legacy at Heartland Park. Topeka is a fun little town and we're ready to get back to racing and to keep this Matco Tools dragster up there in the standings."

Brown Aiming One Round Further in Topeka …

Antron Brown hopes that what worked well for the boss will eventually funnel down to the employee.

In 2007, team owner Mike Ashley won his first national event at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kan.

Brown has yet to win in Topeka but a semi-final finish last year has success so close for the sophomore Top Fuel driver he can taste it.

"I'm excited to get back out there to Topeka. We came up just short last year,” Brown said. “I always like performing at Topeka because one of the guys I looked up to growing up, Gary Ormsby, has a great legacy at Heartland Park. Topeka is a fun little town and we're ready to get back to racing and to keep this Matco Tools dragster up there in the standings."

The common denominator for Brown and Ashley is the tuning personnel. Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald tuned Ashley to that monumental Funny Car title.

Topeka marks the second race for the tuning duo that they enter with a win together in previous years. They entered the recently completed NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals as defending Funny Car champion tuners having directed Melanie Troxel to the Bristol title.

"We always look forward to go to Topeka,” Corradi said. “We can make some good power at Topeka and it's always a good race track. We got to run on a hot track at Bristol and that should help us to be more consistent. As always, the goal is to be consistent and go down the track."

Two weeks ago at Bristol Dragway, Brown made NHRA history recording the fastest 1,000-foot speed, 319.75 mph.

The Matco Tools flagship driver qualified his Matco Tools rail seventh at 3.898-seconds. In his opening round match against Troy Buff, Brown blasted to a lap of 3.838 seconds at 319.75. He has clocked the two fastest speeds this season, 318.02 (St. Louis) and 319.75 (Bristol). He was defeated by 17-time winner Brandon Bernstein in round two 3.862 to 3.873.

Brown made his first career start at Heartland Park Topeka last May.

The veteran racer had never competed at the Topeka track as the Pro Stock Motorcycle class doesn't compete at every race. Brown qualified his Matco Tools rail fourth at 4.584 seconds at 292.77 mph. He posted a semifinal finish falling to two-time series champion Larry Dixon.

After eight of 24 races on the 2009 NHRA schedule, Brown ranks second in the Top Fuel standings, trailing six-time series champion Tony Schumacher by 45 points. Brown has not ranked lower than second this season.

The four-time Top Fuel winner has two wins in three final round appearances and two No. 1 qualifying awards this season.
 

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