Hey everyone, it’s the Brothaman back on the blog. I know I’ve been slacking. My boy T.Y. or PR Ted has been on me since after Sonoma to do a blog and my wife got on me on the phone last night, so I guess it’s time to update. Got to keep a happy home. We just got done warming-up our MAR Matco Tools dragster here at B.I.R., so it’s time for me to chill out and say hello to all my online Nitrohaulics.

All of a sudden, it’s cloudy and overcast here in Brainerd. It looks like it wants to rain, but we’re hoping the weather Gods hold off because we should be able to run pretty good today with the cloud cover. We’re currently qualified fifth at 3.947 that we ran on Friday evening. Cory Mac was low in the FRAM car at 3.910, so it’s a nice, tight field. Let me tell you, Todd and Phil have that FRAM car hauling. What an awesome final-round we had with them at Sonoma a few weeks back.

The entire Western Swing was and still feels so surreal. It’s really hard to comprehend and believe that we accomplished, not only the sweep, but so much already this season. With everything we went through in the off season with Mike Ashley coming in and Brian and Mark, it’s been an unbelievable ride. It’s very much been a storybook season for our MAR Matco team and we’re going to do our best and work our hardest to keep it going.

We really have an awesome team. Mark and Brian work so well together and Rob Wendland has added a lot and our veteran crew members like Mike D. and Robb Hauser and Brad Mason do such an awesome job. Our guys do not make mistakes.

And we have to thank everyone for sticking by our entire team. It was a tumultuous off season and we didn’t know what to expect, but I think we showed early on at testing that we had a strong car that could compete for the title. Everyone at Matco from Tom and Becky Willis and John Torok to all 1,500 Matco Tools distributors, thank you so much for all the great support and for sticking by us here at MAR. Also, Toyota, my boys Don and Andre and Ed, they’ve had our backs for a few years now and we love our Sequoia and Tundra. Oh, what a feeling! Also, GoFast Sports! and the new players like DirecTV and SpongeTech. Also, Lucas Oil for the great oil and additives. Without a core group of sponsors, we wouldn’t be able to do this and win races. So, thanks!

Also, the fans. We’ve gotten so many e-mails and hits on Facebook and I just want to thank everyone for all the kind words to me and our race team. Let me tell you, winning races is great, but getting to celebrate with our Matco family is an awesome feeling. The Matco group at Seattle and Sonoma was awesome. I need to give a shout out to Dave Weber and Steve Stinson, who had his 60th birthday with us at the track, and at Sonoma, Dixon Cheal and DeWayne Herbert, for all the great support. Those were some fun winner’s circles. I just hope we can do it a few more times this season.

I haven’t been doing much since the swing. The first week back, my wife was in Louisiana with the kids, so the brothaman got to chill out and catch up. It took a few days for me to get back to normal. I spent some time paying bills and doing the things of everyday life that we miss by being on the road for almost three weeks.

Last Thursday we all had a good time. Brian was in Indy, so a group of us played hooky one afternoon and went dirt bike riding. Brian loves riding dirt bikes even though he keeps getting hurt. Rob Wendland went over the handles bars and it looked ugly, but Rob, our class clown, got up and walked away. We call Rob “Rascal” like Rascal Flatts and he’s always making us laugh Those two have a long way to go before they can ride with Brad (Mason) and me. Brad is our supercharger and ignition guru on the Matco car and we call him “Car Chief Brad.”

We got into Brainerd on Thursday morning and drove up from Minneapolis. On Thursday night, me, T.Y. and the Corradi Kid, Nick, who is Brian’s oldest son, all went over to Madden’s to play some basketball with the ESPN crew. We had an awesome time. It was the Matco boys versus ESPN. ESPN had the producer Eric Swaringen and my boy Trevor Towle, who produces our Getting’ Down With Brown segment on ESPN2. Those boys had the height, but it didn’t matter. They got us in the first game 11-5, but we came back strong winning 15-13 and then 11-3. Little Nick’s got some game and my by T.Y. can shoot. For three guys 5’10” and under we’re not bad. I think we need to let them win the next game so we can get some TV time. LOL

Alright everyone, it’s about time to get some grub before Q3 at B.I.R. Like always, a little love, peace and Lucas Oil grease at the Lucas Oil Nationals, and I’m out like shout. The ESPN boys want a rematch, so we might hoop it up again tonight, and they say that Mike Dunn might even play along with my New Jersey homey “Stat Guy” Lewis Bloom.

One last thing, remember, you too can be part of the MAR Matco Tools team. We have apparel online at www.nitromall.com and at www.antronbrown.com. We have awesome replica crew shirts at my online store. If you buy one and bring it to the track, I’ll even sign it for you.

See ya,