ANTRON BROWN ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT 4-WIDE RACING

ANXIOUS TO RACE AGAIN AFTER WIN

The combination of coming off a win, a very competitive car and a unique race has Antron Brown very excited about this weekend’s 2nd annual VisitMyrtleBeach.com NHRA 4-Wide Nationals here at zMAX Dragway.

The 35-year-old New Jersey native to victory earlier this month in Las Vegas and into second place of the NHRA Full Throttle Top Fuel championship en route to the second four-wide drag race in recent NHRA history.

“I’m really excited about this race,” said the driver of the Matco Tools Top Fuel Dragster. “I like it; it’s like a slugfest, an all-star contest. I know this has been controversial, but it is good for our sport because it generates a lot of interest, a lot of excitement.

“And I don’t mind the racing conditions with four cars at once. It means you have to be poised, you have to be ready.”

During last year’s initial four-wide event, Brown was ready. He won his first two races and finished third in the final frame. He also put up the best reaction times in his opening and second rounds and was .001-second off the best of the finals.

“Like I said, you have to be ready for this race,” he explained. “It’s different and some of the guys had some issues getting going.”

The Don Schumacher Racing driver understands this race is unique and poses some issues for the drivers, but he said the positives outweigh the negatives.

“This is good for our sport,” he explained. “This race, the 4-Wide, generates a lot of interest, a lot of buzz, some of it beyond the usual drag-racing fans. I understand the issues concerning safety and having to operate out of our normal routine, but overall, I think it is a good thing.”

And good things have been happening for Brown and the Matco Tools team so far in the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, which he foresees continuing.

“We want to be competitive,” he said. “We want to be there at every event; we want to win races!”

The win in Las Vegas was the 26th of his career, 10th piloting a Top Fuel dragster. He won his first 16 NHRA professional races on a Pro Stock Motorcycle, the only driver to win in these two categories.