Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals
Event 9 of 21
Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park
Norwalk, Ohio
June 23 - 25, 2023
Brown Looks Ahead After Early Exit at Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk
Qualified: No. 9 (3.730 E.T. at 331.28 MPH)
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 5.182 E.T. at 144.98 MPH defeated by Mike Salinas 3.760 E.T. at 330.96 MPH
Qualified: No. 9 (3.730 E.T. at 331.28 MPH)
Elimination Round Results:
E1: 5.182 E.T. at 144.98 MPH defeated by Mike Salinas 3.760 E.T. at 330.96 MPH
NORWALK, Ohio (June 25, 2023) – 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.
On race day, the three-time Top Fuel world champ faced Mike Salinas in eliminations and were the last pair to take to the track in the opening round. Brown launched first and grabbed an early advantage but quickly lost traction and Salinas posted a winning run of 3.760 seconds at 330.96 mph to Brown’s 5.182-second effort.
“Not the day we were looking for but all in all, we’re still learning and growing,” said Brown following eliminations. “We were really close first round. We were just trying to repeat what we ran in Q3 and it didn’t hold but that being said, we’re going to make some adjustments, get ready for Denver and come out swinging.
“We made some big strides here in qualifying after Q1 on Friday night and we’re definitely getting to where we need to be and we’re looking forward to our future races.”
Brown departs Summit Motorsports Park occupying the No. 6 position in the Top Fuel point standings and will look to rebound from his early exit when the NHRA returns to action with the start of the Western Swing at the Mile-High Nationals in Denver, July 14-16. Brown has three career wins at the historic facility, the last coming in 2017, and was the last Camping World Series competitor to ‘Sweep the Swing,’ winning the trio of West Coast races in 2009.
NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Fuel Point Standings (Unofficial):
| 1 | Justin Ashley | 726 | |
| 2 | Steve Torrence | 629 | |
| 3 | Leah Pruett | 620 | |
| 4 | Brittany Force | 590 | |
| 5 | Austin Prock | 588 | |
| 6 | Antron Brown | 531 | |
| 7 | Mike Salinas | 504 | |
| 8 | Josh Hart | 487 | |
| 9 | Doug Kalitta | 442 | |
| 10 | Shawn Langdon | 398 |
About AB Motorsports
Established in 2019, AB Motorsports is a single-car NHRA Top Fuel team owned and operated by three-time world champion Antron Brown. The team competes on the 21-race NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series circuit thanks to the support of Matco Tools, Lucas Oil, Toyota, SiriusXM, Factory Motor Parts and its FVP brand, Hangsterfer’s Metal Working Lubricants, and Summit Racing Equipment.Headquartered in Brownsburg, Ind., AB Motorsports made its on-track debut in 2022, racing to three wins in four final rounds to finish second in the standings in its rookie season.
Brown, who serves as both the driver and owner of the AB Motorsports Top Fuel dragster, is the only competitor in NHRA history to have won races in both the Top Fuel and Pro Stock Motorcycle categories. Brown is a 72-time NHRA national event winner and became the first Black driver to win a major U.S. auto racing championship when he captured the 2012 NHRA Top Fuel series title.
For more information, visit www.antronbrown.com or @antronbrown on Twitter, and @antronbrowntf on Instagram and Facebook.
