Reading Pre-Race Report
Pep Boys NHRA Nationals
Event 17 of 22
Countdown Event 1 of 6
Maple Grove Raceway
Reading, Pa.
Sept. 16-18, 2022
Event 17 of 22
Countdown Event 1 of 6
Maple Grove Raceway
Reading, Pa.
Sept. 16-18, 2022
ANTRON BROWN: Driver of the Matco Tools Top Fuel Dragster
Countdown to the Championship Ranking: 6th
Pep Boys NHRA Nationals Event Highlights:
Two-time event champion (2015, 2016)
Three-time runner-up
Top Fuel (2012, 2013)
Pro Stock Motorcycle (2004)
Three-time No. 1 qualifier
Top Fuel (2009, 2011)
Pro Stock Motorcycle (2004)
2021 Reading Recap:
Qualified seventh; First round exit (defeated by Leah Pruett in E1)
Last Event (Indianapolis):
Qualified sixth; Event champion (defeated Tripp Tatum in E1, Steve Torrence in E2, Justin Ashley in E3, Brittany Force in E4)
2022 Statistics:
16 races; two wins
Career Statistics:
477 races; 70 wins (16 Pro Stock Motorcycle); 49 No. 1 qualifiers (11 PSM)
Noteworthy:Countdown to the Championship Ranking: 6th
Pep Boys NHRA Nationals Event Highlights:
Two-time event champion (2015, 2016)
Three-time runner-up
Top Fuel (2012, 2013)
Pro Stock Motorcycle (2004)
Three-time No. 1 qualifier
Top Fuel (2009, 2011)
Pro Stock Motorcycle (2004)
2021 Reading Recap:
Qualified seventh; First round exit (defeated by Leah Pruett in E1)
Last Event (Indianapolis):
Qualified sixth; Event champion (defeated Tripp Tatum in E1, Steve Torrence in E2, Justin Ashley in E3, Brittany Force in E4)
2022 Statistics:
16 races; two wins
Career Statistics:
477 races; 70 wins (16 Pro Stock Motorcycle); 49 No. 1 qualifiers (11 PSM)
Brown is a 14-time Countdown event winner, the most of any Top Fuel or Funny Car driver
The new team owner is pursuing a fourth series title, and his first for AB Motorsports, as he begins his 2022 playoff run
After struggling throughout the first half of the season, Brown and the Matco Tools team have enjoyed a recent hot streak that has seen them race to victory at two of the last three events (Topeka, Kan.; Indianapolis)
Brown raced to the Reading winner’s circle in 2015 and 2016, and both of those seasons ended with Brown and the Matco Tools team being crowned the series champions
The Reading event is a hometown race for both the New Jersey native, and longtime AB Motorsports supporter, Hangsterfer’s, which is headquartered in Mantua Township, N.J.
Quotable:
“Reading is a hometown race for me, being from New Jersey. I always enjoy going back there and I’m super pumped to return to Maple Grove Raceway and can’t wait to see all of the improvements the Koretsky family has made to the facility. We always have a good turnout of family and friends at this race, which I love, but this event also plays a major role in the Countdown to the Championship. It’s the start of the playoffs and a lot is at stake so we’re looking to go in there with our heads down, give it all we got, and see if we can qualify well, take it one round at a time and end up in that winner’s circle for the third time this year.”
About AB Motorsports
Established in 2019 and making its on-track debut in 2022, AB Motorsports is a single-car NHRA Top Fuel team owned and operated by three-time world champion Antron Brown. Headquartered in Brownsburg, Ind., the team competes on the 22-race NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series circuit thanks to the support of Matco Tools, Lucas Oil, Toyota, SiriusXM, Hangsterfer’s Metal Working Lubricants, and Summit Racing Equipment.Brown, who serves as both the owner and driver 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 70-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.
