CHATTING WITH ANTRON BROWN

a_brownAntron Brown enters his third season behind the wheel of the Matco Tools dragster in 2010. The only driver in NHRA history to win races and lead the standings in both Top Fuel and Pro Stock Motorcycle, Brown looks to improve upon his third place finish in 2009 and earn his first NHRA championship. The Matco Tools flagship driver has 24 career NHRA wins, including a category-best six Top Fuel wins in 2009. With the 2010 NHRA season just around the corner - Feb. 11-14 at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona - Brown talks about the upcoming 23-race NHRA journey.

tf_winnerAntron Brown enters his third season behind the wheel of the Matco Tools dragster in 2010. The only driver in NHRA history to win races and lead the standings in both Top Fuel and Pro Stock Motorcycle, Brown looks to improve upon his third place finish in 2009 and earn his first NHRA championship. The Matco Tools flagship driver has 24 career NHRA wins, including a category-best six Top Fuel wins in 2009. With the 2010 NHRA season just around the corner - Feb. 11-14 at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona - Brown talks about the upcoming 23-race NHRA journey.

Q: What are you thoughts entering the 2010 NHRA season?

BROWN:
I'm very confident in our DSR Matco Tools race team. I feel that we're going to have a very competitive race car and I think becoming a part of the DSR organization gives us the maximum resources available, along with stability for our race team. I'm very excited to get to Pomona and to get the 2010 season going.

Q: After leading the standings for most of the season and not winning the championship last year, does that make you and the Matco team hungrier to win in 2010?

BROWN:
Yes it does. It makes us hungry from the start and we're focused to improve on our performance last year. We really want to make sure we're on point when the Countdown begins at Indy because the last six races is where it all really counts. Last year showed you can just make the Countdown, but if you peak at the right time you can still win the championship, but we want to be consistent all season long.

Q: You won a category-best six races in 2009. Can you repeat that performance?

BROWN:
Sure we can. We don't just want to repeat though. We want to do better each year. Last year we went to 10 final rounds, which is awesome, but the idea is to improve in 2010. The goal is to win as many races as we can, but it will be tough because the competition is outstanding in Top Fuel.

Q: What's new for the Matco Tools Top Fuel team in 2010?

BROWN:
We've got two brand new race cars that were built in-house here at DSR in Brownsburg (Ind.). And I think the FRAM team showed last season how well the DSR chassis works and with how the (U.S.) Army team ran during testing in Florida. The most important thing is that we have a new start at winning the 2010 NHRA championship.

Q: How has being part of the DSR stable affected the Matco team?

BROWN:
It's a very good thing for us. Now we have teammates that we can work with and bounce ideas off of. We can work and grow together, we're not just a one-car team. We have the benefit of sharing information. And we have a blower dyno and in-house fab shop. Whatever we want to create, the possibilies are endless. It's a good thing to be here at DSR.

Q: Were you surprised about the Four Wide Nationals announcement for the spring Charlotte race, and how do you feel about it after being part of the first four-wide exhibition at zMax Dragway last September?

BROWN:
I wasn't surprised, but I'm very excited. After participating in the exhibition last year, there's nothing like having four nitro cars going down the track at the same time. It's kind of like going four-wide around a Superspeedway. I think it will be great for our sport to have a different sytle race at the Charlotte venue and something fans can look forward to each spring.

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