Antron Brown Takes Tough First-Round Loss at U.S. Nationals

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 1, 2025) – Antron Brown’s bid for a sixth NHRA U.S. Nationals victory came to an early end on Labor Day Monday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, as the four-time and defending Top Fuel world champion bowed out in the opening round to eventual race winner Justin Ashley. Brown in his Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel dragster tied for the second-quickest pass of the round, however, proving that Brown leaves Indy and rolls into the Countdown to the Championship with a car that can carry him to another world title.

Brown’s U.S. Nationals campaign started strong with a 3.702-second pass at 332.75 mph in the critical Friday evening qualifying session, putting Brown in the provisional No. 5 spot. Like many other Top Fuel contestants, Brown’s Friday pass was his best effort. He made a pair of runs in the 3.80-second range across four more sessions on Saturday and Sunday. The qualifying order didn’t change much from Friday to Sunday, locking Brown into the No. 5 position for Monday eliminations.

Brown met up with the class leader in reaction times, Justin Ashley, in the opening round of eliminations Monday morning. The five-time Indy winner cut a respectable .062 reaction time, but Ashley moved first with a .036 light. Though the Matco Tools dragster ran quicker to the 1,000-foot finish line with a 3.706 E.T. at 333.66 mph, it wasn’t quick enough to get around Ashley and his 3.721 E.T.

“We qualified well and had a really tough first-round matchup,” said Brown, whose AB Motorsports team is based just two miles from the track. “It was a really, really close drag race and we just fell a little bit short, but that’s what you get at the U.S. Nationals. We’ll suck it up. We’re going to stay after the race and put some test laps in and get ready for Reading coming up. All in all, it wasn’t a bad weekend. We just wanted to put it in the winner’s circle. It’s a bummer we lost first round, but we’re going to work hard and get better.”

Brown enters the Countdown to the Championship ranked sixth in the standings, just one spot lower than he started last season. He went on to win his fourth world championship and his first as a team owner.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series will take a weekend off before heading east to the 40th NHRA Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish, Sept. 12-14, at Maple Grove Raceway near Reading, Pa. Brown is the three-time and defending event champion, and each time he won at Maple Grove, he went on to win the world championship.

Qualified: No. 5 (3.702 E.T. at 332.75 MPH

Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.706 E.T. at 333.66 MPH defeated by Justin Ashley 3.721 E.T. at 328.46 MPH

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel Point Standings (Unofficial):


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