BROWNSBURG, IN – NHRA team owner/driver Antron Brown has appointed veteran partnership specialist Kevin Contardo to lead sponsor relations for his AB Motorsports team for the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. As Director of Business Operations, Contardo will oversee ABM’s existing partnership programs while pursuing new relationships with both endemic and non-endemic brands. He will also collaborate closely with ABM’s hospitality, merchandising, and machine shop departments as he builds upon the strong foundation Brown has successfully established through his first four years of NHRA team ownership.

Contardo brings more than a decade of sponsorship development experience to AB Motorsports. His previous roles include serving as Director of Strategic Partnerships for John Force Racing and JCM Racing. He also held the position of Director of Global Partnerships at Oak View Group, a global sports and live entertainment venue management company, and served as Director of Strategic Partnerships for the Nashville Zoo. His in-depth partnership management experience, paired with his extensive motorsports background, uniquely positions him to support ABM’s continued growth.

“I’m ready to hit the ground running with Antron and his AB Motorsports team,” said Contardo, who will work from the team’s Brownsburg, Ind., headquarters. “I’m a lifelong drag racing fan and have had the privilege of working in the NHRA space previously. I was thrilled to get the call from Antron and have the opportunity to rejoin the NHRA circuit with his AB Motorsports team. Continue reading →

BROWNSBURG, IN – AB Motorsports crew chief Brian Corradi and team owner/driver Antron Brown will be busy this off-season, splitting their time between the ABM headquarters in Brownsburg, Ind., and Bradenton Motorsports Park in Bradenton, Fla., where they will participate in the three-race Drag Illustrated Winter Series thanks to a new partnership with Robots Done Right.

Brown and Corradi were first introduced to the Winter Series three years ago by Pro Mod racer Manny Buginga, and according to Corradi, have been hooked ever since. Their enthusiasm ultimately led the Matco Tools Top Fuel crew chief to purchase a Pro Mod car, which he will field during the 2025 – 2026 Winter Series with support from Robots Done Right, a leading buyer and seller of previously-owned industrial robots and robotic equipment. The Robots Done Right Pro Modified Camaro will make its debut with multi-time NHRA champion Bo Butner behind the wheel when the series gets underway with this weekend’s Snowbird Outlaw Nationals presented by Motion Raceworks, Dec. 5 – 7. Continue reading →

POMONA, CA – Antron Brown’s fourth title defense season wrapped up in an unceremonious fashion Sunday as NHRA officials were forced to cancel the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip due to persistent rain and unsafe track conditions. Brown ended the year eighth in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series standings, highlighted by one victory and two runner-up finishes in the Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster. After winning the Pomona finale and securing his fourth world championship just one year ago, Brown had hoped for another strong showing at the historic Southern California dragstrip, but he now shifts his focus to regrouping and building toward another championship run in 2026.

Brown and his team led by Brian Corradi and Brad Mason kicked off the 2025 season with a clean sweep of the NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, qualifying No. 1 and winning the season opener. Later in the spring, he raced to the final quad at the back-to-back Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas and Charlotte. Brown added another runner-up finish at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway over the summer. Continue reading →

Pomona, CA – Returning as the defending event champion, Brown made history by becoming the first Black team owner to win a major auto racing championship when he claimed his fourth NHRA Top Fuel title en route to the 2024 NHRA Finals winner’s circle.

Last month, Matco Tools announced the nationwide rollout of the Eagle Experience, a dynamic mobile showroom tour designed to bring cutting-edge tool storage and diagnostic technology directly to technicians, technical education students, and motorsports fans across the country.

Having launched this fall and continuing through 2026, the Eagle Experience will make stops at automotive repair centers, tech-ed campuses, and major events, including this weekend’s NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., where Brown will sport a Matco Tools Eagle Experience wrap on his 12,000-horsepower dragster. Continue reading →

LAS VEGAS – Antron Brown will need to wait until the next race to put his new-look Matco Tools Eagle Experience Top Fuel dragster in the winner’s circle, as the debut weekend for the striking new scheme ended in the opening round of the NHRA Nevada Nationals. Brown came up just short in a marquee first-round matchup Sunday morning at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, leading the four-time and defending NHRA Top Fuel world champion to look onward to the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season finale in Pomona and beyond.

When Brown rolled to the starting line for the first qualifying session on Friday, he showed off the new look on his AB Motorsports dragster. The special livery commemorates the recent launch of the Matco Tools Eagle Experience, a dynamic mobile showroom tour designed to bring cutting-edge tool storage and diagnostic technology directly to technicians, technical education students, and motorsports fans across the country. Brown lost traction early in the first qualifying session, but he stepped up to a 3.750 E.T. at 333.16 mph in the second session to end the day in the No. 7 spot. He didn’t improve in either of Saturday’s two sessions, and locked in the No. 7 position for race day.

Sunday eliminations kicked off with a highly anticipated pairing, as Brown lined up against Clay Millican in NHRA’s Marquee Matchup to lead off Top Fuel round one after the national anthem. Brown hit the throttle first, but Millican edged past him to reach the finish line first. Brown posted a 3.791-second pass at 333.58 mph to Millican’s 3.750 E.T. Continue reading →

Las Vegas – Earlier this month, Matco Tools announced the nationwide rollout of the Eagle Experience, a dynamic mobile showroom tour designed to bring cutting-edge tool storage and diagnostic technology directly to technicians, technical education students, and motorsports fans across the country.

Having launched this fall and continuing through 2026, the Eagle Experience will make stops at automotive repair centers, tech-ed campuses, and major events, including this weekend’s NHRA Nevada Nationals and the upcoming NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif. To commemorate the occasion, Brown will sport a Matco Tools Eagle Experience wrap on his 12,000-horsepower dragster.

Brown on Las Vegas, “Ready to go into Vegas with the Matco Eagle Experience Top Fuel car. It’s really cool that Matco is utilizing our partnership to help promote this new initiative. The Eagle Experience is such a great way for people to see what Matco Tools is all about. It’s interactive, innovative, and it gives our fans a chance to see how Matco’s diagnostic tools help streamline the repair process. That being said, while we’re eager to get to Vegas, we’ll be racing with heavy hearts this weekend after the passing of Angelle’s (Sampey) father.” Continue reading →

ENNIS, TX – After a consistently solid performance in qualifying during the Texas NHRA FallNationals, Antron Brown, the driver of the bright pink Matco ‘Tools for the Cause’ Top Fuel dragster, experienced an early first-round exit today at the Texas Motorplex near Dallas.

Brown opened his weekend at the event known as the ‘Stampede of Speed’ with an excellent pass right out of the box on Friday afternoon, laying down a solid run of 3.825 seconds at 330.25 mph to place him in the top five after the first qualifying session. On Friday evening, Brown stepped it up even more, taking his 12,000-horsepower machine on a blistering run of 3.695 seconds at 336.70 mph to move him up one position to fourth.

The Matco Tools team, led by crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Brad Mason, continued making great runs through qualifying on Saturday, as Brown made two impressive passes in the heat of the afternoon in the third and fourth sessions, a 3.817 at 331.74 mph followed by a 3.920 at 304.96. All of his qualifying attempts resulted in sub-four-second runs, but it was his hot lick on Friday evening that landed him in the fourth position on the ladder heading into race day. Continue reading →

Ennis, TX – Brown, will continue to run the pink ‘Tools for the Cause’ livery benefitting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation this weekend. Each year, the Matco Tools team campaigns a pink ‘Tools for the Cause’ scheme in October.  Throughout the month, 15% of the sales from select TFC items sold will be donated directly to BCRF.

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to achieving prevention and a cure for breast cancer. They provide critical funding for cancer research worldwide to fuel advances in tumor biology, genetics, prevention, treatment, metastasis, and survivorship.

Antron was named a Texas Motorplex Legend in 2023, and was recognized and presented with one-of-a-kind ‘Legend spurs’ during the race weekend.  Brown is among a handful of drivers who have won at the Motorplex in two different pro categories but is the only one to have done so in Pro Stock Motorcycle and Top Fuel.

Three-time NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion Angelle Sampey made her Top Alcohol Dragster debut at the 2023 Texas NHRA Fall Nationals as part of Brown’s AB Motorsports Accelerate Program. Continue reading →

MADISON, IL – As a five-time winner at the NHRA Midwest Nationals, four-time and reigning Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown knows how to turn on win lights at World Wide Technology Raceway. Though Brown in his Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel dragster came up a couple win lights short Sunday afternoon at the St. Louis area facility, he did jump up two spots in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series points standings with his semifinal appearance at the third of six Countdown to the Championship events. Now seventh, Brown is heading in the right direction as he looks to keep the No. 1 on the wing of his race car.

When qualifying began on Friday, Brown unveiled a special pink ‘Tools for the Cause’ livery on his AB Motorsports dragster. A longstanding tradition for Brown and the Matco Tools team, it’s a part of Matco’s initiative to raise funds and awareness for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation each year throughout the month of October. Brown opened qualifying with a 3.830 E.T. at 317.49 mph run to sit 10th, then powered to a 3.688-second pass at 337.41 mph in the second session to move all the way up to No. 2. The performance also came with two bonus points as the second-quickest pass of the session. Though he didn’t improve in the following two sessions on Saturday, Brown held on to the No. 2 position. Continue reading →

Madison, IL – With five Midwest Nationals trophies, Brown returns to St. Louis as the winningest nitro-class driver in the track’s history.  Antron will debut his pink ‘Tools for the Cause’ livery to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation at the St. Louis event. Each year, the Matco Tools team campaigns a pink ‘Tools for the Cause’ scheme throughout the month of October.

“We made some moves in Charlotte and want to continue on that same trend this weekend in St. Louis. The Midwest Nats has always been a great race for us. Last year, we lost to Tony Schumacher second round. We had a failsafe shut our car off and lost a really close race, so looking to get back there and rebound. I feel confident in the direction we’re going, and we’re ready to get charged up. Our goal is to get after it in qualifying and then take it one round at a time on race day. We have to make moves forward this weekend; the pressure is at an all-time high. It’s going to be intense, but I know what our team is capable of and I know we’re up for the challenge,” explained Antron.

Countdown to the Championship Ranking: 9th

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