Antron Brown isn’t conceding anything.

Granted his chances are slim, but as far as the driver of the Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster is concerned, the race for the 2009 NHRA Top Fuel title isn’t over until the final points are tallied.

 "It's all come down to this. We're 80 points out, but we've still got a shot at this Countdown championship,” said Brown, who finished the regular season as the No. 1 seed. “We ran awesome at Pomona in February with getting the pole and running that 3.77 and making it to the final round. Our DSR Matco Tools dragster is running great and there's no reason we can't go out on top a winner at Pomona. We've won there on the bikes a while back and it would be cool to do it in Top Fuel too."

Two weeks ago in Las Vegas, Brown qualified his Matco Tools dragster third at 3.834 seconds at 317.42 mph. It was the 12th time in 23 races that Brown qualified third or better. On race day, Brown bested Denmark driver Stig Neergaard, who made his first NHRA start, in the opening round - 4.012 to 6.954. The Matco Tools car was defeated in the second round by Brandon Bernstein in a close race - 3.882 to 3.894. Brown is 4-4 in eight races against the second generation Top Fuel driver this season.

It was a strong performance considering just days earlier Brown learned Don Schumacher Racing had purchased the Matco Tools team for which he drives; the fourth time the team has changed hands in two years.

Still Brown forges ahead.

This season, Brown has five wins in nine final round appearances, along with seven poles. In July, he made NHRA history becoming just the seventh professional driver to sweep the grueling Western Swing (Denver, Seattle and Sonoma, Calif.).

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