Compiled from team press releases by Kay Burk
Photos by Ron Lewis

The rarified air at the Mile-High Nationals pose special problems for racecar tuners. Nowhere else are the conditions even remotely the same, so the lessons learned for the tune up can’t be applied to any other race on the NHRA Full Throttle series. The strain on the engines, parts and even the drivers themselves is unique to this venue.

TOP FUEL

The fifth time was the charm for Antron Brown as the second-year Top Fuel racer earned his third win of the season Sunday at Bandimere Speedway near Denver. Brown drove his Mike Ashley-owned Matco Tools dragster to his first win on "Thunder Mountain" after four runner-up finishes at the Denver race.

One day after earning his fifth No. 1 qualifying award of the season and 19th career pole at 3.862-seconds, Brown earned his third win of the season, fifth in Top Fuel and 21st in his career. Brown extended his points lead and holds a 116-point margin over two-time series champion Larry Dixon after 13 of 24 races on the 2009 NHRA schedule. Bandimere Speedway is the 12th different track at which Brown has won.

Squaring off against Rob Passey, a part-time race from Salt Lake City, Brown advanced past the opening round of eliminations for the 13th time this season. Brown used a tune-up from crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald to score the wire-to-wire win in the right lane at Bandimere Speedway. The former college track star sped the bright blue Matco Tools/GoFast! car to a lap of 4.096 seconds at 268.01 mph to earn his 27th round win of the season. Brown remains the only Top Fuel driver to not have lost in the first round this year.