NHRA Midwest Nationals
Event 18 of 21
Countdown Event 3 of 6
World Wide Technology Raceway
Madison, Ill.
Sept. 29 – Oct. 1, 2023
Countdown to the Championship Ranking: 5th
NHRA Midwest Nationals Event Highlights:
- Five-time event champion (2009, 2012-2015)
- 2005 runner-up (Pro Stock Motorcycle)
- Two-time No. 1 qualifier
- Pro Stock Motorcycle (2001, 2004)
2022 NHRA Midwest Nationals Event Recap:
Qualified ninth; First round exit (defeated by Clay Millican in E1)
Last Event (Charlotte 2):
Qualified second; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Spencer Massey in E1; defeated by Leah Pruett in E2)
2023 Statistics:
17 races; three wins, two runner-up finishes, one No. 1 qualifier
Career Statistics:
500 races; 74 wins, 50 No. 1 qualifiers
Noteworthy:
- With five Midwest Nationals trophies, Brown returns to St. Louis as the winningest nitro-class driver in the track’s history
- After racing to back-to-back victories in Brainerd, Minn. and Indianapolis to close out the NHRA’s regular-season, Brown brought his total win count up to 74 national event victories. He will be seeking a milestone 75th victory this weekend in St. Louis
- The No. 5 ranked second-year team owner is pursuing a fourth series title and the first for AB Motorsports
- Brown is a 15-time Countdown event winner, the most of any Top Fuel or Funny Car driver
- Brown is campaigning a pink ‘Tools for the Cause’ livery during the month of October to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF):
- Throughout October, 15% of the sales from select TFC items sold will be donated directly to BCRF
- Since ‘Tools for the Cause’ began in 2012, Matco has donated over two million dollars to breast cancer research
- The Breast Cancer Research Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to achieving prevention and a cure for breast cancer. They provide critical funding for cancer research worldwide to fuel advances in tumor biology, genetics, prevention, treatment, metastasis, and survivorship.
Fan Events:
Thursday, 10:30 a.m. – Student car show and appearance at Ranken Tech College (4431 Finney Ave, St. Louis, MO 63113) This event is free and open to the public
Quotable:
“The gameplan right now at this point in the Countdown is to take it one round at a time. We’re not going to go into St. Louis putting a lot of pressure on ourselves. We know what we need to do. We qualified well in Charlotte and that’s what we want to continue to do in St. Louis so we can put ourselves in the right position heading into race day. We’ll take it one lap at a time, not get ahead of ourselves. We can race with anybody. I feel really comfortable with where we’re at and I can see the eagerness and that hungry look on all of our Matco Tools/Toyota guys. With that being said, we’re feeling good and ready to go in St. Louis.”