Defending Event Champ Antron Brown Bows Out Early at NHRA Countdown Opener in Reading

READING, Pa. (Sept. 14, 2025) – Every time reigning NHRA Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown powers to the winner’s circle at the Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish, he has gone on to win the series title later that year. Brown, a four-time world champ and the defending event champ, was looking to continue that trend this weekend at Maple Grove Raceway during the first race of the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship, but a loss of traction in the first round of eliminations thwarted his chances at a fourth Reading triumph.

Antron Brown and the Matco Tools Top Fuel team started race day from the No. 14 position after a challenging qualifying outing, which saw the team struggle to put together a clean pass. Brown’s machine was up in smoke early during Friday’s two sessions, placing him 15th heading into Saturday. During the third qualifying round, the AB Motorsports dragster started to haze the tires just past halftrack, providing the team only one additional shot at moving up the Top Fuel ladder. Brown made his quickest pass of qualifying in the final session, despite dropping cylinders, and his 3.930 E.T. allowed him to move up one spot.

As the No. 14 qualifier, Brown, a Reading winner in 2015, ’16, and ’24, drew No. 3 qualifier Doug Kalitta as his round-one opponent on Sunday morning. In a battle declared NHRA’s ‘marquee matchup,’ Brown moved first to score the early lead over his fellow championship contender but encountered traction issues around halftrack, allowing Kalitta to chase him down for the win as the two cars approached the finish line.

“We definitely wanted a better qualifying effort, but I commend my guys for not giving up and sticking with it,” Brown said. “We threw out a really good first run this morning. The car was probably on a 3.73 or .74, and it was just a little bit too much, but we’re going to work on our mid-track combination where it comes together. Brian (Corradi, crew chief) is working on that and we’re going to get ready for Charlotte. The good thing is, we made some strides this weekend, and we know we can run with the best of them, so looking forward to getting to the Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte and rebounding and working our way back into the top five in points.

Brown and the Matco Tools team will leave Reading, Pa., occupying the No. 9 spot in the Top Fuel standings. They won’t have to wait long to get another crack at adding more points to their total as the NHRA Mission Foods Series heads south to zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C., in just a few days for the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, the second of six Countdown events. This year’s Charlotte-area playoff event will feature the series’ first four-wide style Countdown race. Brown was victorious at last year’s Charlotte race and has a strong track record in four-wide events, having advanced to the final quad at each four-across race earlier this season. The NHRA Four-Wide Carolina Nationals gets underway Friday, Sept. 19, at 4:45 p.m. ET.

Qualified: No. 14 (3.930 E.T. at 317.05 MPH)

Elimination Round Results:
E1: 3.839 E.T. at 299.93 MPH defeated by Doug Kalitta 3.779 E.T. at 336.40 MPH

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


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