Qualified: No. 13 (4.572 E.T. at 172.45 MPH)
The Results:
E1: 4.381 E.T. at 189.47 MPH defeated by Mike Salinas 3.672 E.T. at 334.32 MPH
Race Recap:
Antron Brown has won at every track on the current NHRA tour with the exception of Bristol, and he was hoping 2021 would be the year he would finally capture that elusive first Thunder Valley victory. After struggling to get down the track during qualifying, Brown and the pinked-out Matco Tools ‘Tools for the Cause’ dragster benefitting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, started race day from the No. 13 spot and facing Mike Salinas in E1. In six previous attempts, Salinas had never been able to stop Brown in the first round but when the Matco machine dropped a cylinder early into the run, Salinas seized the opportunity and posted a clean run for the round win, ending Brown’s chances at a first Bristol triumph.
Brown heads to the penultimate event of the 2021 NHRA season ranked eighth in the Top Fuel standings.
Quotable:
“Definitely not the weekend we wanted, but we’ll lick our wounds and get to the bottom of it. We’ve got a gremlin that’s been plaguing us and we’ve just got to find it. We’re looking forward to going to Vegas after this. We have a week off, we’ll regroup, and comb through our car and finish off the season as strong as we can.”