CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 21, 2025) – Antron Brown and his Matco Tools/Lucas Oil Top Fuel team showed flashes of their championship-caliber form at the NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway, the second of six Countdown to the Championship events. Brown, the winningest Top Fuel driver at the Charlotte-area track, qualified solidly in the No. 7 spot and recorded five clean runs over the course of the weekend. On race day, the defending world champion advanced out of the first round before narrowly coming up short in a tight second-round battle.
Brown, who went into the weekend having visited the final elimination quad at seven of the last 10 four-wide events contested between Las Vegas and Charlotte, laid down a smooth 3.822-second pass at 328.70 mph in the first qualifying session to establish himself in the No. 7 spot on the qualifying order. He maintained that position with a 3.750 E.T. at 329.75 mph in the second session to wrap up Friday qualifying. Brown then made it down the track in the third session on Saturday with a 3.853 E.T. at 322.88 mph before losing traction early in the final session. He locked in the No. 7 spot.
On race day, Brown advanced through his first-round trio with a 3.780-second pass at 330.31 mph to finish behind Doug Kalitta and ahead of Josh Hart. He was off to a strong start in a championship-loaded quad in the second round, but his 3.844 E.T. at 326.79 mph wasn’t enough to get past Kalitta and Clay Millican.
“We lost a really close battle in the second round, by two thousandths (of-a-second),” said Brown, who has seven victories at zMAX. “Our Matco Tools team is definitely on the mend. We had five of six successful runs down the racetrack this weekend and we’re slowly building to be where we want to be. We’ve had so much success at this racetrack. We really wanted to get back to that final round here at zMAX. It’s just not our time right now.”
Brown, who won at Charlotte last fall on the way to his fourth NHRA Top Fuel world championship, slipped to the No. 9 spot in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series points standings, but he’s confident his AB Motorsports team can climb the list at the next stop in St. Louis.
“We need to go to St. Louis next weekend and build on the momentum we started this weekend and to get better,” Brown said. “We’re in that ditch and we’re digging our way out of it. Both of our crew chiefs, Brian (Corradi) and Brad (Mason), and all the guys on the Matco/Lucas Oil team share the passion. We’re going to St. Louis with our heads down and we’ll get back up on the horse in five days and get after it.”
Brown is a five-time event champion at the upcoming NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals, Sept. 26-28, at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill.
Qualified: No. 7 (3.750 E.T. at 329.75 MPH)
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.780 E.T. at 330.31 MPH defeated Josh Hart 3.820 E.T. at 331.20 MPH
E2: 3.844 E.T. at 326.79 MPH defeated by Doug Kalitta 3.797 E.T. at 326.48 MPH, Clay Millican 3.821 E.T. at 327.74 MPH
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel Point Standings (Unofficial):
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Brown, who went into the weekend having visited the final elimination quad at seven of the last 10 four-wide events contested between Las Vegas and Charlotte, laid down a smooth 3.822-second pass at 328.70 mph in the first qualifying session to establish himself in the No. 7 spot on the qualifying order. He maintained that position with a 3.750 E.T. at 329.75 mph in the second session to wrap up Friday qualifying. Brown then made it down the track in the third session on Saturday with a 3.853 E.T. at 322.88 mph before losing traction early in the final session. He locked in the No. 7 spot.
On race day, Brown advanced through his first-round trio with a 3.780-second pass at 330.31 mph to finish behind Doug Kalitta and ahead of Josh Hart. He was off to a strong start in a championship-loaded quad in the second round, but his 3.844 E.T. at 326.79 mph wasn’t enough to get past Kalitta and Clay Millican.
“We lost a really close battle in the second round, by two thousandths (of-a-second),” said Brown, who has seven victories at zMAX. “Our Matco Tools team is definitely on the mend. We had five of six successful runs down the racetrack this weekend and we’re slowly building to be where we want to be. We’ve had so much success at this racetrack. We really wanted to get back to that final round here at zMAX. It’s just not our time right now.”
Brown, who won at Charlotte last fall on the way to his fourth NHRA Top Fuel world championship, slipped to the No. 9 spot in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series points standings, but he’s confident his AB Motorsports team can climb the list at the next stop in St. Louis.
“We need to go to St. Louis next weekend and build on the momentum we started this weekend and to get better,” Brown said. “We’re in that ditch and we’re digging our way out of it. Both of our crew chiefs, Brian (Corradi) and Brad (Mason), and all the guys on the Matco/Lucas Oil team share the passion. We’re going to St. Louis with our heads down and we’ll get back up on the horse in five days and get after it.”
Brown is a five-time event champion at the upcoming NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals, Sept. 26-28, at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill.
Qualified: No. 7 (3.750 E.T. at 329.75 MPH)
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.780 E.T. at 330.31 MPH defeated Josh Hart 3.820 E.T. at 331.20 MPH
E2: 3.844 E.T. at 326.79 MPH defeated by Doug Kalitta 3.797 E.T. at 326.48 MPH, Clay Millican 3.821 E.T. at 327.74 MPH
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel Point Standings (Unofficial):
| 1 | Doug Kalitta | 2287 | |
| 2 | Justin Ashley | 2249 | |
| 3 | Shawn Langdon | 2228 | |
| 4 | Tony Stewart | 2219 | |
| 5 | Clay Millican | 2192 | |
| 6 | Brittany Force | 2179 | |
| 7 | Shawn Reed | 2156 | |
| 8 | Steve Torrence | 2151 | |
| 9 | Antron Brown | 2128 | |
| 10 | Josh Hart | 2085 |
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