Topeka, KS – Brown scored his first win as an NHRA team owner at the 2022 event. He powered past Steve Torrence in the final round to record victory No. 1 for his AB Motorsports team during its rookie season.

The 2022 Topeka event was considered a turning point in Brown’s season. Brown entered the 2022 Topeka race in 11th place after a string of nine first-round losses and a DNQ. After winning Topeka, Brown and the ABM team went on to race to victory at the U.S. Nationals two races later before recording a Charlotte win, a runner-up at the season finale in Pomona, Calif., and a pair of semifinal appearances during the Countdown to the Championship to finish the season in second place.

Antron is tied with Cory McLenathan for number of Top Fuel poles at Topeka (four).  Brown enters the weekend after having raced to a runner-up finish at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals, the most recent race on tour.

By advancing beyond the quarterfinals in Sonoma, Brown secured a spot in the Topeka #2Fast2Tasty Challenge presented by Mission Foods.

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SONOMA, CA – Four-time NHRA Sonoma Nationals winner Antron Brown came up just .001 seconds short of another Sonoma Raceway victory Sunday afternoon when he lost in the Top Fuel final round to technical alliance teammate Justin Ashley. It was the second-year team owner-driver’s third final round of the season, and the first for his new Matco Tools ‘Test Drive’ dragster. The runner-up finish moved Brown up to fourth in points as the NHRA regular season starts to wind down.

Brown’s best effort in qualifying came in the second session when he recorded a 3.721-second pass to qualify third. He also earned one bonus point for making the third-quickest run of the session. It was Brown’s fourth qualifying pass that made the highlight reels, though. A wing strut came loose as Brown approached the finish line, so the rear wing was sideways as he crossed the finish line at over 300 MPH. Brown was able to keep the Matco dragster under control, and the Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald-led team made the necessary repairs for race day.

Eliminations started with a marquee matchup against Mike Salinas. Brown was first off the starting line and ran a 3.744 E.T., quick enough to beat Salinas’ 3.717 E.T. on a holeshot by just .007 seconds. He then left first against reigning world champion Brittany Force, who smoked the tires while Brown pedaled to the round win. That also locked up Brown’s spot in the next Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. Again, Brown picked up a starting line advantage over Toyota teammate Steve Torrence in the semifinals, where Brown won with a 3.794 E.T. to Torrence’s 3.810-second effort.

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Sonoma, CA – As a many time champ at Sonoma, Abtron understand the dynamics of the track and how to make the car work.  The team is hungry for a win as they enter the last race in the western swing.

Brown’s car will see the addition of a Russian River Brewing Co. decal during the Sonoma Nationals. Located in nearby Windsor, Calif.   Brown’s team will be hosting guests from the brewery throughout the weekend as part of a one-race collaboration.

“We’re looking forward to getting to Sonoma, especially with our new Matco Tools red, white and blue ‘Test Drive’ livery. We’re trying to spread the word that people can come on board and test drive a Matco franchise so that they can put some change in their pocket, and for me, that’s our goal going into the race weekend. We’re going to make some changes to our race program. We’re really pumped up, we know we can run fast. It’s going to get hot during the day, it’s going to get cool at night, it’s going to give us all the different weather conditions that Mother Nature will throw at us but that’s what makes Sonoma so special.

“We’re collaborating with the great folks from Russian River Brewing Co. this weekend. We’re going to be running a Russian River Brewery sticker on our car, and hosting a lot of their guests, and we love going up there with their IPAs. Hopefully, we can finish our Swing in the winner’s circle and celebrate like rock stars with a Pliny the Elder.”  explain Antron.

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KENT, WA – Four-time NHRA Northwest Nationals event champion Antron Brown began his weekend at Pacific Raceways eager to return to the winner’s circle for the second time in 2023 as he continues his campaign for a fourth Top Fuel title. Despite making quick and consistent runs during qualifying, Brown’s race day was cut short, ending early in the opening round of eliminations.

Brown, a six-time finalist in Seattle and owner of the Pacific Raceways track E.T. record (3.685 seconds), posted two solid laps during the weekend’s three qualifying sessions, placing seventh on the Top Fuel ladder. He drew fellow world champion and Toyota teammate Shawn Langdon as his round-one opponent.

On Sunday, Brown staged his Matco Tools ‘Test Drive’ dragster opposite Langdon, ready to begin his march through the Top Fuel field, but was forced to spend the rest of the day as a spectator when his machine went up in smoke early while Langdon made his quickest pass of the weekend to advance.

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Kent, WA – Antron Brown has visited the NHRA Northwest Nationals winner’s circle at three out of the last five NHRA Camping World Series events contested at Pacific Raceways. Brown holds the track E.T. record (3.685 seconds), which he set at the 2016 event

As a member of the Toyota Gazoo Racing team, Brown is vying to win Toyota’s 200th NHRA trophy (current Toyota NHRA win count: 199).
He recently debuted the new Matco Tools ‘Test Drive’ livery which he will campaign until the team switches to its annual pink Breast Cancer Awareness wrap in October.

Matco’s Test Drive program allows prospective Matco franchise owners to take a six-month ‘test drive’ with minimal risk to see if franchise ownership is for them.

“We’re so looking forward to getting to Seattle and Pacific Raceways. We’ve always ran well there with a few race wins and even though we’re back to sea level, it’s another challenging race that brings out the best in you. It can be cool or hot like it was last summer, and that track surface keeps you on your A-game. We’re gonna get after it. We tested well at Indy before The Swing and we’re looking forward to getting back to sea level and applying what we learned a few weeks ago. We have great Matco and FVP support in the Pacific Northwest. We’re coming in hungry, and it’s not for king salmon.” explained Brown.

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MORRISON, CO – While Antron Brown was hoping to turn on a few more win lights at the final NHRA Mile-High Nationals, the second-year Top Fuel owner/driver found positives in the bittersweet weekend at Bandimere Speedway near Denver. He rubbed shoulders with a drag racing legend and personal hero, he put on a show for a sold-out crowd all weekend, and his new-look Matco Tools ‘Test Drive’ dragster made consistent passes to start off the three-race Western Swing.

Brown’s weekend began with a special moment on Friday afternoon when NHRA nitro icon Kenny Bernstein hopped in the AB Motorsports Matco/Lucas Oil entry for the warmup before the first qualifying session. Later that evening, Brown lit up the scoreboard with a 3.783 E.T. at 327.90 MPH to earn the provisional No. 1 spot, as well as three bonus points. He made another two clean passes in the heat on Saturday, ultimately settling into the No. 3 spot going into Sunday’s eliminations.

In the first round of eliminations, Brown started with a reaction time advantage over Buddy Hull and continued to lead through the 1,000-foot finish line. He won with his third-quickest pass of the event, a 3.823 E.T., which was also the second-quickest pass of the round. Brown was first off the line again when he raced Steve Torrence in the second round. Both drivers dropped cylinders past the half-track mark, though, and Brown’s 3.943-second effort came up short.

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MORRISON, CO – Antron Brown powered to the provisional pole under the Bandimere Speedway lights on Friday night when he took the Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster on a 3.783-second at 327.90 MPH ride. Brown clocked the run during the second qualifying session at the NHRA Mile-High Nationals near Denver and was awarded three bonus points for his efforts. The three-time Top Fuel world champion was one of only two drivers to record a sub-3.8-second pass in the challenging mile-high elevation during day one of qualifying.

“Everything is different up here on the mountain,” said Brown, a three-time winner at Bandimere Speedway. “When you leave the starting line, you know that you don’t have the power that you do at all of the other tracks on tour. The car will take off smooth but then you know if you’ve got power because the car will either start marching or just labor flat, and if it labors flat, you know, it’s not going to be a good run. The first qualifying run today, we had the car tuned up the same and it had a little fast shake and didn’t make it down, but we knew the conditions the next session would be better so (crew chiefs) Mark (Oswald) and Brian (Corradi) left it alone and just gave it a little more here and there. Once (the car) got through halftrack and it was hitting on all eight, I felt it arch up, and I knew we were on a run. I looked up and saw that 3.78 on the scoreboard, and I knew that was the run we were looking for.

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Morrison, CO – The Mile-High Nationals serves as the kick-off to the three-race Western SwingBrown is an 11-time winner on the Swing, with three Denver triumphs, four wins in Seattle, and four in Sonoma.

In 2023, Brown will be looking to ‘Sweep the Swing’ for the second time in his career. No other Camping World Series driver has been successful in winning all three Western Swing events since Brown accomplished the challenging feat in 2009.  Brown is one of only seven Camping World Series drivers to have swept the Swing.
As a member of the Toyota Gazoo Racing team, Brown is vying to win Toyota’s 200th NHRA trophy (current Toyota NHRA win count: 199).

Brown talks about Denver, “Denver is always one of the toughest races on the circuit. I’ve had great success there in the past. Our Matco Tools team has been hard at work on our combination, we’ve been testing and we’ve been making some good power so I’m anxious to see what we can do with that power up there on the mountain.

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NORWALK, OH – A runner-up finish at the most recent NHRA Camping World Series event in Bristol, Tenn. had Antron Brown and his Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster primed for a successful homecoming at a track with many local ties.

Brown, the 2014 Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals event winner, was looking forward to putting on a show for Matco Tools, Summit, and Race Winning Brands, all located in Ohio, but loss of traction in the opening round of eliminations hampered the Matco team’s attempt to advance to their second consecutive final round.

Brown’s crew chiefs, Ohio natives Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald, tuned his 11,000-horsepower machine to a 3.730-second pass in the third and final qualifying session of the weekend on Saturday to place him ninth on the Top Fuel ladder. Rain on Friday limited the racers to only one pass during the day, taking away valuable data.

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Norwalk, OH – Norwalk is considered a homecoming race for the Matco Tools Top Fuel team.  Matco’s corporate headquarters are located approximately 75 miles east of the track in Stow, Ohio, and Summit’s headquarters are located in Tallmadge, Ohio.  Crew chief Brian Corradi is an Ohio native, and is the owner of the popular Master’s Pizza restaurant with multiple locations in the Cleveland area, and asst. crew chief Mark Oswald originally hails from Cincinnati.

Add the teams runner-up finish at the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn., the most recent event on tour and the gang is primed for victory.

Brown will participate in the Norwalk #2Fast2Tasty Challenge presented by Mission Foods on Saturday.  He enters the weekend ranked fifth (tied) in the Top Fuel standings, and is within one round-win of the two drivers ranked ahead of him.

Recently achieved two significant milestones: Won his 800th competition round during the Bristol event, and is one of only six drivers in NHRA history to have as many round wins.  Brown captured his 50th No. 1 qualifier in Epping, N.H.

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