Hometown Brown seeks third pole of the Mello Yello season while DSR teammate Hagan dips into the 3s at Summernationals

ENGLISHTOWN, NJ – Don Schumacher Racing’s Antron Brown, who spent his formative years at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park where his father and uncle raced, holds the No. 1 Top Fuel qualifying position after the first day of the 46th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals under unseasonably cool temperatures that produced extraordinary performances for the second consecutive NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series race.

Brown and the Matco Tools/U.S. Army team led by crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald earned the provisional pole with a track-record time of 3.725 seconds at 317.57 mph.

“Just a true blessing from the Man above for helping this Matco team pull a number like that for all of our Matco distributors and U.S. Army soldiers,” said Brown, the current points leader heading to Saturday’s final two qualifying sessions scheduled for 2 and 4:30 p.m. that will set the fields for Sunday’s eliminations in the ninth event of the 24-race Mello Yello season.

“I heard Brian and Mark talking on the (two-way) radio and Brian goes ‘you sure you want to run this so hard?’ Oswald said, ‘I think we need all of it.’ This track is so good.

“But we were going for it,” said Brown, who holds the world record with a run of 3.701 at Reading, Pa., in 2012.

Brown is on the cusp of earning his third pole of the year, fourth at Englishtown and 40th of his career. At the New Jersey track, where he attended his first professional drag race, the 39-year old won twice in Pro Stock Motorcycle (2002 and 2005) and is seeking his first at the track in Top Fuel, which would also be the 50th national event title of his career.

Close behind is reigning and eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher, who was in a unique situation with assistant crew chief Neal Strausbaugh filling in for crew chief Mike Green for the second qualifying session. Green returned to Brownsburg, Ind., for his daughter Lexi’s high school graduation on Saturday. Green, whose daughter is going to attend Notre Dame on a full scholarship, will return to Englishtown in time for Sunday’s eliminations.

Strausbaugh helped the U.S. Army team propel Schumacher to the No. 3 spot with a time of 3.736 (323.66).

Spencer Massey (Sandvik Coromant/Red Fuel Powered by Schumacher) was second best in the first session with a 3.765 (320.51) and ended the day ranked seventh.

In Funny Car, Matt Hagan and the Mopar Express Lane/Rocky Boots Dodge Charger R/T team led by crew chief Dickie Venables topped DSR’s entries with a time of 3.999 seconds at 315.05 mph for the provisional No. 3 qualifying position.

“It’s cool to run in the 3s. It’s fast out there and sitting fourth with a 3.999 shows how strong the field is and how much everyone is stepping up.”

Hagan’s eighth run in less than 4 seconds that includes the first ever, was one of four in the 3s in Friday’s night session.

DSR teammate Tommy Johnson Jr. (Make-A-Wish), who was quickest in the first session, ranks fifth with a time of 4.003 at the event’s top speed of 315.27.

Jack Beckman (Infinite Hero), who won the last NHRA Wally trophy two weeks ago at Topeka, Kan., with five 3-second runs, nearly recorded another at Englishtown with a 4.004 (313.73) for the No. 7 position. Ron Capps (NAPA AUTO PARTS) is ninth with time of 4.015 (313.58.)