Qualified: No. 12 (3.849 E.T. at 322.58 MPH)
The Results:
E1: 4.648 E.T. at 162.18 MPH defeated by Billy Torrence 3.685 E.T. at 328.22 MPH
Race Recap:
By qualifying 12th, Antron Brown and the Matco Tools Toyota team set up a first-round meeting with Billy Torrence on Sunday morning. Brown was seeking redemption for last year’s Brainerd final round where Torrence came out on top, forcing Brown to settle for a runner-up finish. During the rematch, Brown earned a slight starting line advantage over the elder Torrence, but his dragster was up in smoke early, dashing any hopes to settle the score and capture his first Wally trophy of 2019.
Quotable:
“We’ve got to get to work. This wasn’t the weekend we were looking for, but we’re not going to hold our heads down. We’ve got some testing to do, and we’ll get our car ready for Indy. This isn’t the position we wanted to be in heading into the Countdown. We wanted to be peaking at the right time, and it’s no secret, we’re struggling right now. We’re going to work hard and work smart and get our whole package back to where it needs to be. We’ve got a lot to prove. We’re a championship-contending team, we’ve been there before, we know what to do, and we just need to get it done. We’re going to build and get ready for Indy.”