BROWNSBURG, Ind. (June 13, 2017) – In the 10 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events contested this season, Antron Brown and the Matco Tools team led by crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald with assistant Brad Mason have reached the finals five times.
After reaching the last three consecutive final rounds, the three-time and reigning Top Fuel world championship team took over the top spot in Top Fuel standings with eight races remaining until the points are reset for the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
“That tells you how strong this team is right now,” said Brown, who has won the past two world titles. “We only have two wins right now and could have had more but some finals didn’t go our way. The key is we’re going rounds and that’s what wins championships. We’re heading in the right direction and we’re improving every weekend.”
Brown keeps his focus on each and every run rather than chasing his fourth championship. NHRA teams were challenged last weekend in Englishtown, N.J., with the hottest conditions of the year.
“It was hilarious because people were making comments that we’re a consistent car, but we’re not the quickest car, so this weekend it was good to come out here and qualify number one and go some rounds and take over the points lead,” Brown said after the final round at the Summernationals. “So we’ll just keep doing what we’re doing and let the results speak for itself.”
The Mello Yello series heads to Bristol Dragway in Bristol, Tenn., this weekend for the Thunder Valley Nationals, which is the third stop of the Eastern Swing that includes four events in four week. It is the only track on the NHRA tour where Brown has not won an event title.
“I don’t even think about that,” Brown said. “We treat this race like any other. We want to win them all. We learned a lot about our hot weather tune-up last weekend in Englishtown and that’ll help us this weekend in Bristol. All we’re focused on is one round at time and attacking the racetrack each lap.”
ANTRON BROWN, Matco Tools/U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster – 3X world champion, points leader
Last event (June 11), Englishtown, N.J.: Qualified No. 1, lost in championship round to Steve Torrence
A year ago at Bristol: Qualified No. 2, lost in second round to Tony Schumacher
Career at Bristol: Wins 0; Runner-ups 1 (2011); Poles 1 (2010)
Pts Events Wins Rup Semi Qtr 1st rd Poles DNQ W/L
2017 1st 10 2 3 2 3 0 1 0 24-8
CAREER 368 63* 50 76 96 80 48 3 647-302
* 47 TF/16 PSB
Best time, speed: 3.667 (2017, Phoenix); 333.16 mph (2017, Topeka)
2017 NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES TOP FUEL STANDINGS
(Official after Englishtown, N.J.; 10th of 24 events; wins in parenthesis; DSR drivers in CAPS)
- ANTRON BROWN (2) 878 —–
- Steve Torrence (3) 871 -7
- LEAH PRITCHETT (3) 842 -36
- TONY SCHUMACHER (1) 766 -102
- Doug Kalitta 648 -230
- Brittany Force (1) 609 -269
- Clay Millican 520 -358
- Troy Coughlin Jr. 412 -466
- Terry McMillen 392 -486
- Scott Palmer 380 -498