Qualified: No. 7 (3.868 E.T. at 311.41 MPH)
The Results:
E1: 3.800 E.T. at 324.59 MPH defeated by Justin Ashley 3.799 E.T. at 318.24 MPH
Race Recap:
Antron Brown and the Matco Tools/Global Electronic Technology/Toyota/Hangsterfers team kicked off the third consecutive Indy event with a solid qualifying performance that placed them in the top half of the field for the second race day in a row. Starting from seventh, Brown drew Justin Ashley as his first-round challenger. He piloted his 11,000-horsepower machine down the track in a quick, clean pass of 3.800-seconds but his opponent got the holeshot advantage off the tree and maintained his narrow lead through the finish line for the win.
Quotable:
“It’s definitely not the race day we were looking for, but at the end of the day, we made some great strides this weekend. We’re going in the right direction. The more laps we get, the better we get. We just raced the wrong opponent that first round. Credit to them. That’s a good, young team with Justin (Ashley) and (his crew chief) Aaron Brooks. They got us off the line and ran a thou (of-a-second) quicker and popped the win light off on us. That being said, as a team we’re going to work harder and get better. The better we get, the more confidence we gain, the stronger we become. We’re focused on the U.S. Nationals here in three weeks and I believe our race win is right around the corner and I’m really ready to get after it.”