Sonoma, CA – Brown returns as the defending event champion fopr this weekends race.  Sonoma marks Brown’s 75th race as an NHRA team owner.  He is ranked sixth in the Top Fuel point standings with three races remaining before a regular season champion is crowned

“Sonoma is one of those races that really stands out. We’ve historically done well there and it’s a place where the weather can change quickly and it might be hot during the day but then you also get that cool night run in prime conditions. Looking at this weekend, it seems like the conditions will be stellar, pretty similar to what we just saw in Seattle,” explained Brown.

“We’ll start the weekend with an appearance at the Russian River Brewing Company on Wednesday, they’ll be on board with us for the weekend. They’re great supporters of ours when we come to town and we also have a lot of great Matco support that will come out as well. The Brooks family always brings a great group. We’re looking forward to a good time and the plan remains the same – start off qualifying well, capitalize on that night run so we’re high up in the field, and then focus on one round at a time on Sunday. Hopefully this will be our breakout race this weekend.” Continue reading →

KENT, WA – Four-time and reigning NHRA Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown powered his Matco Tools/Toyota Top Fuel dragster to a strong opening-round victory and a quarterfinal finish Sunday at the Muckleshoot Casino & Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals, the 11th event of the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Brown, a four-time winner at Pacific Raceways, entered the event ranked fifth in points and broke out of a first-round rut as the chase for the regular season championship heats up.

Brown struggled to get down the track on Friday, but he bounced back on Saturday by making the third-quickest pass of the third session, a 3.835 E.T. at 319.82 mph, to move up to seventh and earn one bonus point. Despite dropping a cylinder in the final qualifying session, he improved to a 3.828-second pass at 321.27 mph and settled into the No. 9 spot for race day.

On Sunday morning, Brown lined up for a marquee first-round matchup against veteran Clay Millican. Brown was first off the line and never trailed, clocking a 3.712 E.T. at 335.23 mph to outrun Millican’s 3.739 at 293.09 mph. The win snapped a string of three consecutive first-round exits and sent Brown into the quarterfinals. Continue reading →

Kent, WA – The four-time and defending Top Fuel world champ enters the second half of the 2025 season ranked fifth in the standings. There are only 218 points separating him from the No. 1 ranked driver with four races remaining until playoff positions are locked in.

Brown holds the track E.T. record (3.685 seconds), which he set at the 2016 event.  Antron won his 50th Top Fuel race during the 2018 Northwest Nationals and became the fourth driver in NHRA history to achieve that feat.

“Seattle has always been a great track for us, but our hearts are heavy going into this weekend’s race with the recent passing of Jerry Ruth, aka the ‘King of the Northwest,’ so just a lot of emotions going into it,” explained Brown. “We’ve won there four times, and it feels like just yesterday I won my 50th Top Fuel race in 2018. We’ve got a lot riding on this weekend and we’re looking for it to be a breakout race. The weather is looking cool and crisp, so we’re excited to get out there with our Matco Tools/Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster and get to work.” Continue reading →

NORWALK, OH – Four-time and current NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown experienced a bit of déjà vu in the opening round of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals today as he faced Doug Kalitta in the first round of eliminations for the second consecutive time. The two Top Fuel titans gave fans an exciting side-by-side drag race, but it was Kalitta who crossed the finish line first for the early round victory.

The Matco Tools team, led by tuner Brian Corradi, started qualifying off on a strong note, laying down a solid run of 3.864 seconds at 328.30 mph on Friday afternoon. Later that evening, in front of packed grandstands at Summit Motorsports Park, Brown launched his 12,000-horsepower dragster into the night with header flames blazing as he raced to the finish line, recording an impressive run of 3.755 at 333.33 mph. It was the second-quickest lap of the session, earning the team owner and driver two valuable bonus points. While Saturday’s qualifying sessions didn’t get any traction for the two-time event winner, that blistering pass from Friday night kept Brown in the No. 2 qualifier position on the ladder.

Facing fellow Top Fuel world champion Kalitta in the first round of eliminations, all eyes were on the two competitors as they faced off against each other. It was a brilliant Top Fuel showdown nearly all the way to the stripe with Kalitta ultimately outpacing Brown to turn on the round one win-light. Continue reading →

Norwalk, OH – Antron returns as the defending event champion.  Norwalk is considered a homecoming race for Brown and the Matco Tools Top Fuel team: Matco’s corporate headquarters are located approximately 75 miles east of the track in Stow, Ohio, and Summit Racing Equipment’s headquarters is located in Tallmadge, Ohio

Crew chief Brian Corradi is an Ohio native and is the owner of the popular Master Pizza restaurant with multiple locations in the Cleveland area.

Brown on Norwalk, “We had success there last year with the win so looking to the Norwalk race to really turn our season around. It’s Matco Tools headquarters and Race Winning Brands, and just ready to go rounds and show out. We know it’s going to be tricky and it’s going to be warm, but we’re looking forward to a successful outing this weekend to close out this June stretch of races on a high note.”

Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals Event Highlights: Two-time event champion (2014, 2024), Two-time runner-up (2010, 2015) Continue reading →

NORTH DINWIDDIE, VA – It’s not often that the two most recent NHRA Top Fuel world champions square off in the first round of eliminations, but a hot day of qualifying led to such a matchup at the American Rebel Light Beer Virginia NHRA Nationals Sunday morning at Virginia Motorsports Park. Antron Brown, the four-time and reigning world champion, left on 2023 world champion Doug Kalitta in their opening-round match, but Brown came up short by the time the two reached the finish line. Brown’s Matco Tools Toyota dragster made a clean run in tricky conditions, though, providing a bright side as more hot races are in the near future on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series tour.

Qualifying, which saw a departure from the typical NHRA event schedule by running three sessions in one day, presented its challenges for Brown and crew chief Brian Corradi. After shutting off early on the first qualifying attempt, Brown posted a 3.948-second pass at 312.50 mph in the second session to sit seventh. A consistent 3.944 E.T. at 302.55 mph followed in the final session. Brown ended up No. 8 going into eliminations.

The Brown vs. Kalitta matchup is a familiar one, as the two have now faced off 77 times, the fourth-most meetings between any two drivers in the class. Brown charged out of the gate first and raced to his quickest pass of the weekend, a 3.933 E.T. at 302.41 mph, but Kalitta got around him with a 3.877-second effort. Continue reading →

North Dinwiddie, VA – Virginia Motorsports Park is one of only two facilities (incl. Bristol Dragway) on the current NHRA tour where Brown has yet to race to the winner’s circle.  He’s hungry and ready!  Especially since he’s currently ranked third in the NHRA Top Fuel point standings.

“Richmond is another one of those tracks that has eluded me over the years,” explained Brown. “We’ve come close a few times but hopefully we can get the job done this weekend and have better luck than we did trying to conquer Bristol.

“Richmond is one of those tracks that makes me feel close to home, being from New Jersey. I always look forward to getting back out to the East Coast and getting back after it, especially after our outing in Bristol. Our Matco Tools team is hungry and eager to get back out to the race track.”

Richmond Event Highlights: Two-time runner-up (2009, 2019)
2024 Richmond Recap: Qualified fifth; Semifinal finish (defeated Billy Torrence in E1, Tony Schumacher in E2; defeated by Shawn Langdon in E3) Continue reading →

BRISTOL, TN – The Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented numerous challenges for Antron Brown and his Matco Tools Top Fuel team, and while a first-round exit left him disappointed, the four-time and reigning world champion is already looking at how he’ll rebound. Qualifying was anything but routine for Brown, who ended up in the unfavorable lane for his Sunday first-round matchup with Justin Ashley. Brown gave it his all, but he was one of several drivers to end up on the losing end due to traction issues in the right lane. Still, Brown leaves Bristol Dragway ranked No. 3 in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel points standings.

Brown started qualifying out with a solid pass despite dropping a few cylinders early on. However, his 4.002-second, 266.53 mph run was disqualified due to an issue with the angle on the back wing of his car. The Top Fuel category did not get another qualifying opportunity on Friday due to heavy rain. On Saturday, he went down the track without incident, getting his Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster into the show with a run of 4.699 seconds at 164.37 mph to snag the No. 13 rung on the eliminations ladder. Continue reading →

Bristol, TN – Antron Brown has won at every track on the current NHRA tour with the exception of Bristol Dragway and Virginia Motorsports Park near Richmond.  He’d like to change that reality starting this weekend.  The four-time and reigning world champ currently occupies the No. 3 position in the Top Fuel point standings and is within one competition round of the No. 2 ranked driver.

By advancing to the semifinals at the most recent event in Epping, N.H., Brown secured a spot in the Bristol running of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge.  He also claimed his 800th round win during the 2023 Bristol event, becoming only the sixth driver in NHRA history to hit that milestone.

“I think when we come out in Bristol, our Matco Tools/Lucas Oil/FVP Toyota is going to be on mean, so we’re looking forward to it and looking forward to getting out next weekend. The next 4-5 weeks, our main deal is to qualify well and get to the semifinals or finals to get where we need to be. Consistency is going to be a big factor, and I think we’re onto some really good stuff. We have to race smart and concentrate on doing things strategically and smart”, explained Brown Continue reading →

EPPING, NH – A strong qualifying performance turned into a semifinal finish for four-time and reigning NHRA Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown at the NHRA New England Nationals. Brown, the 2016 event winner at New England Dragway, drove his Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel dragster to the No. 3 seed in qualifying before turning on the first two win-lights on race day Sunday. It was a promising start to a busy stretch of four races in five weeks for Brown as he chases the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series regular season championship from the No. 3 spot.

After a mechanical issue prevented Brown from making a representative run in the first qualifying session, he came back in Friday’s second session and threw down a 3.715-second pass at 335.40 mph to end the day as the provisional No. 4 qualifier, also earning one bonus point for making the third-quickest pass of the session. He scored another three bonus points for making the quickest run of the third session, a 3.697 E.T. at 337.07 mph. That allowed Brown to take the provisional No. 1 qualifier spot from Doug Kalitta by speed. In the final session, Brown went into tire smoke early and coasted to the finish line.

Qualified third, Brown lined up against Mike Bucher in the opening round of eliminations on Sunday morning. Brown moved first and started to lose traction, but he pedaled the Matco Tools machine and charged to the finish line, winning with a 4.229 E.T. at 259.56 mph. Continue reading →