NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals
Event 8 of 21
Bristol Dragway
Bristol, Tenn.
June 9 – 11, 2023
Event Note:
Due to persistent rain, last weekend’s NHRA New England Nationals from Epping, N.H. were postponed following Saturday qualifying. Eliminations will be contested this weekend during qualifying for the Thunder Valley Nationals as follows:
FRIDAY
Bristol Q2/Epping E1
SATURDAY
Bristol Q3/Epping E2
Epping E3 (#2Fast2Tasty E1)
Bristol Q4/Epping finals (#2Fast2Tasty E2)
Brown will start from the No. 1 seed and will have a Bye run in E1
Due to persistent rain, last weekend’s NHRA New England Nationals from Epping, N.H. were postponed following Saturday qualifying. Eliminations will be contested this weekend during qualifying for the Thunder Valley Nationals as follows:
FRIDAY
Bristol Q2/Epping E1
SATURDAY
Bristol Q3/Epping E2
Epping E3 (#2Fast2Tasty E1)
Bristol Q4/Epping finals (#2Fast2Tasty E2)
Brown will start from the No. 1 seed and will have a Bye run in E1
ANTRON BROWN: Driver of the Matco Tools Top Fuel Dragster
NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals Event Highlights:
2011 event runner-up
2010 No. 1 qualifier
2022 NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals Event Recap:
Qualified fourth; Semifinal finish (defeated Tony Schumacher in E1, Brittany Force in E2; defeated by Shawn Langdon in E3)
Last Event (Epping):
Qualified No. 1; Eliminations to be contested in Bristol
2023 Statistics:
Seven races; one win, one No. 1 qualifier (includes Epping)
Career Statistics:
490 races; 72 wins, 50 No. 1 qualifiers (includes Epping)
Noteworthy:
Brown, a three-time Top Fuel world champion, has won at every track along the current NHRA tour with the exception of Bristol, and the second-year team owner is hoping to capture that elusive first Thunder Valley Nationals victory in 2023
Captured his 50th No. 1 qualifier (39th in Top Fuel) at the Epping, N.H. event
Enters the weekend with 796 round wins and is seeking to become only the sixth driver in NHRA history to achieve 800 round wins
Fan Events:
Saturday, 11:30 a.m. – noon, Team Toyota autograph session – Toyota midway display
Quotable:2011 event runner-up
2010 No. 1 qualifier
2022 NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals Event Recap:
Qualified fourth; Semifinal finish (defeated Tony Schumacher in E1, Brittany Force in E2; defeated by Shawn Langdon in E3)
Last Event (Epping):
Qualified No. 1; Eliminations to be contested in Bristol
2023 Statistics:
Seven races; one win, one No. 1 qualifier (includes Epping)
Career Statistics:
490 races; 72 wins, 50 No. 1 qualifiers (includes Epping)
Noteworthy:
Brown, a three-time Top Fuel world champion, has won at every track along the current NHRA tour with the exception of Bristol, and the second-year team owner is hoping to capture that elusive first Thunder Valley Nationals victory in 2023
Captured his 50th No. 1 qualifier (39th in Top Fuel) at the Epping, N.H. event
Enters the weekend with 796 round wins and is seeking to become only the sixth driver in NHRA history to achieve 800 round wins
Fan Events:
Saturday, 11:30 a.m. – noon, Team Toyota autograph session – Toyota midway display
“The weather is looking good this weekend, which is important because we have a lot of racing to get through. We were No. 1 qualifiers in Epping and we’ll start eliminations for that on Friday night. Teams will get one run down the track, and then it’s right into racing but for us, we have the added bonus of starting our eliminations on a Bye run, so we’ll actually get two shakedown runs during qualifying. I like the momentum we’re carrying from Epping into this race weekend. We had two tough qualifying runs up there in New Hampshire but we managed to get down both of them; from the hot round to the super cold, damp round where the track was hard like plastic. Our team is very versatile, we’re in a very good place and we like how everything is shaping up for this weekend in Bristol.”
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.
