AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals
Event 22 of 24 (Dallas)
Countdown Event 4 of 6
Texas Motorplex
Ennis, Texas
Oct. 18-20, 2019
Qualified: No. 8 (3.717 E.T. at 327.82 MPH)
The Results:
E1: 3.743 E.T. at 329.58 MPH defeated Richie Crampton 4.330 E.T. at 186.61 MPH
E2: 4.113 E.T. at 230.72 MPH defeated by Brittany Force 3.815 E.T. at 319.60 MPH
Race Recap:
Decked out with a ‘Tools for the Cause’ livery to raise awareness for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Antron Brown was looking to pick up his first event win of the season by putting his ‘pinked out’ Matco Tools Toyota in the Texas Motorplex winner’s circle.
Brown began his campaign by qualifying his machine eighth to draw fellow Countdown contender Richie Crampton in round one of eliminations. The three-time Top Fuel world champion grabbed the immediate lead when he stood on the throttle first and never trailed for the win over a tire-hazing Crampton. In round two, Brown faced another championship hopeful in Brittany Force. Once again, Brown’s ultra-quick reflexes earned him the starting line advantage, and he held the lead until just before the 330-foot mark when he started hazing the tires. Force was able to pull ahead just as Brown suffered an explosion near the eighth-mile, ending his chances at picking up a win at the site of his first NHRA triumph, which occurred in 1999 while Brown was competing in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Quotable:
“All of our guys have been working so hard, and the plus is that our Matco Tools Toyota is responding to what (crew chiefs) Mark (Oswald) and Brad (Mason) are wanting it to do. When you go in, and you see the confidence on their faces, that’s huge. It’s great to be able to go out there on race day and have the confidence that the car is going to leave the line and do everything it’s supposed to do. They have a new (tuning) combination they’re working with, and we’re just going to keep getting better and stronger, and we’re looking forward to getting to Vegas. We’re going to come out swinging. Our goal is to qualify in the top five and put ourselves in the right position to win the race on Sunday. The points are definitely tight, and we just need to go out there and do what we do and have fun. We have our car back, and we’re confident.”