Toyota NHRA Carolina Nationals Preview

TOP SEED BROWN EYES THIRD TITLE IN FIVE YEARS – After reaching their first goal of securing the top seed for the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, Antron Brown and his Matco Tools Toyota team have now set their sights on a third NHRA Top Fuel world championship in the last five years.

Brown has won two titles and finished second once over the past four years. Beginning with the 2012 campaign, he’s won 27 races – 12 more than the next highest driver (Tony Schumacher) and led the series in wins in three of those four seasons. He will enter this year’s Countdown as the series leader in victories again this season (four – Las Vegas, Epping, Chicago, Seattle) and enters the Countdown having reached the final round in four of the last six races.

WORSHAM PEAKING AT RIGHT TIME…AGAIN – Del Worsham won last year’s Funny Car world championship on a late roll that saw him register all four of his 2015 victories during the Countdown to the Championship. The DHL Toyota Camry driver again appears to be peaking at the right time and arrives in Charlotte as the hottest driver in Funny Car racing. Worsham has advanced to the final round in each of the last three races (winning Brainerd) and advanced to the semi-finals or beyond in five consecutive races. He has qualified in the top two three times in the last four races.

SEVEN TOYOTA DRIVERS VIE FOR NHRA TITLES – All five full-time Toyota-sponsored Top Fuel drivers, as well as two Toyota Camry Funny Car drivers qualified for the 2016 NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs. Antron Brown, Doug Kalitta, J.R. Todd, Shawn Langdon and Richie Crampton begin their quest for the Top Fuel title this weekend, while Del Worsham and Alexis DeJoria will vie for the Funny Car title.

BROWN, WORSHAM LOOK FOR CHARLOTTE REPEATS – Del Worsham drove his DHL Toyota Camry to victory in Funny Car, while Antron Brown took his Matco Tools Toyota dragster to the win in Top Fuel as Toyota drivers swept the 2015 NHRA Carolina Nationals. After qualifying second, Worsham beat Dave Richards in the opening round and then ran the gauntlet in defeating Matt Hagan, John Force and eventually Tommy Johnson in the finals. Brown edged J.R. Todd in the final after earlier knocking off Terry McMillen, Steve Torrence and Tony Schumacher.