For the fourth time in less than two seasons, Top Fuel driver Antron Brown will answer to a new boss.

Don Schumacher Racing on Tuesday acquired the racing assets of the Matco Tools Top Fuel from Mike Ashley Racing. The sale was finalized on Tuesday afternoon and continues the longstanding relationship between Matco Tools and DSR.

The Matco Tools team will remain intact with Brown piloting the bright blue Matco-backed rail tuned by Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald. The team will next compete at the ninth annual Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, Oct. 29-Nov. 1, at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

For the fourth time in less than two seasons, Top Fuel driver Antron Brown will answer to a new boss.

Don Schumacher Racing on Tuesday acquired the racing assets of the Matco Tools Top Fuel from Mike Ashley Racing. The sale was finalized on Tuesday afternoon and continues the longstanding relationship between Matco Tools and DSR.

The Matco Tools team will remain intact with Brown piloting the bright blue Matco-backed rail tuned by Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald. The team will next compete at the ninth annual Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, Oct. 29-Nov. 1, at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“The opportunity recently arose to purchase the assets of Mike Ashley Racing and we felt we couldn't pass it up,” said Schumacher. “We at DSR have had a longtime association with Matco Tools and to be able to continue our relationship through a primary sponsorship is invaluable to everyone involved.

“I welcome back Antron to our team as well as Brian Corradi. Antron did a wonderful job riding the U.S. Army motorcycle and he has since developed into an outstanding Top Fuel racer. He has always been a great representative for his sponsors, so I know he will continue to be an excellent spokesperson not only for Matco Tools, but for DSR as well.”

Brown returns to DSR following five years of riding the U.S. Army Pro Stock Motorcycle Suzuki to six wins for Don Schumacher Racing from 2003-07. The former college track star won 16 races and earned 11 poles on his Suzuki during 10 seasons in the Pro Stock Motorcycle ranks before making the jump to Top Fuel in 2008. Corradi also has worked with DSR in the past, as tuner on two nitro teams.

Brown has driven the Matco Tools dragster to five wins in nine final-round appearances this season. In July, he became just the seventh professional driver to sweep the grueling Western Swing (Denver, Seattle and Sonoma, Calif.). Brown also has seven No. 1 qualifying awards and has earned top speed of the meet honors at 13 races this season. Brown clocked the fastest run at 1,000-foot racing at 319.75 mph at Bristol, Tenn., in May and holds the NHRA national speed mark at 319.60 mph. He has 23 career wins and is the only racer in NHRA history to win races and lead the standings in both Top Fuel and Pro Stock Motorcycle.

“This is a great opportunity to make this Matco Tools Top Fuel team even stronger,” Brown said. “I worked at DSR and Don gives his teams everything they need to win championships. It’s great to have some stability for our team and joining DSR is going to give our Matco team even more resources to win this championship this year and for many years to come. We’re excited to get back to racing for Matco and DSR this weekend at (Las) Vegas.”

Tom Abbett, team manager for Mike Ashley Racing, will not be joining the team at their new home. He pointed out that this was not a “sale” but instead a “transfer” of the assets.

“Mike feels that it is in his best interests to concentrate on Lend America at this time and not have the distractions of the race team at this time,” Abbett said on Tuesday morning. “His primary focus is on Lend-America and while he loves drag racing, Lend America is his life and has been that for over 20 years. At the end of the day he needs to focus on his livelihood.”

Abbett added that Ashley hadn’t originally planned to return in 2009. Instead he’d planned to return in 2010.

“It was a heart wrenching decision for him to make,” Abbett said of Ashley's decision to transfer the team. “He needs to concentrate on Lend America and there’s no new government information that I can say is causing this. Mike felt it was in the best interest to transfer the race team to someone who could operate it and fund it like it needs to be so he can move on and concentrate on his family and company and the business, which is in a tough economic environment.

“Maybe he just picked a year too soon to come back into racing. Our intention was to sit out 2009 to return in 2010. Then the opportunity came along to purchase the Buckley team and Roger Burgess shut down operations. We still had the family of our former team to watch out for. We wanted to keep the team together. Unfortunately the unforeseen circumstances with the government dictate that he needs to focus on Lend America for now.”

Ashley, when contacted on Tuesday, offered the following comment.

“This whole thing caught us by surprise,” said Ashley of the Attorney General’s office filing a civil suit against his Lend America company. “Racing has always been my passion but right now my best interests are served in focusing on my company and fighting these allegations. I’m not going to sacrifice my family and this business for my racing passion. I felt it was in my best interest to transfer the team at this point.”

Related Story: Ashley Defends His Name and Company Following Gov't Suit

Advertisement