Texas NHRA Fall Nationals
Event 19 of 21
Countdown Event 4 of 6
Texas Motorplex
Ennis, Texas
Oct. 13 – 15, 2023
Note:
- Three-time NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion Angelle Sampey will make her Top Alcohol Dragster debut this weekend at the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals as part of Antron Brown’s new AB Motorsports Accelerate Program
- Sampey will campaign the Mission Foods A/Fuel Dragster, owned and operated by Michalek Brothers Racing
Countdown to the Championship Ranking: 5th
Texas NHRA Fall Nationals Event Highlights:
- Two-time event champion (2012, 2016)
- 2016 No. 1 qualifier
2022 Texas NHRA Fall Nationals Event Recap:
Qualified fourth; Semifinal finish (defeated Tony Schumacher in E1, Spencer Massey in E2; defeated by Austin Prock in E3)
Last Event (St. Louis):
Qualified third; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Kyle Wurtzel in E1; defeated by Tony Schumacher in E2)
2023 Statistics:
18 races; three wins, two runner-up finishes, one No. 1 qualifier
Career Statistics:
501 races; 74 wins, 50 No. 1 qualifiers
Noteworthy:
- For the second time in three races, Brown will campaign the pink ‘Tools for the Cause’ livery. This October paint scheme helps to support Matco’s ‘Tools for the Cause’ initiative with 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.
- Brown, who was recently named a Texas Motorplex Legend, will be recognized and presented with one-of-a-kind ‘Legend spurs’ on Friday night ahead of the weekend’s first nitro qualifying session
- Brown is one of five drivers to have won at the Motorplex in two different pro categories but is the only one of the five to have done so in Pro Stock Motorcycle and Top Fuel
- Brown claimed his first NHRA national event win in 1999 at the Texas Motorplex while competing in the Pro Stock Motorcycle category
- Brown defeated AB Motorsports Accelerate Program athlete Angelle Sampey in the final round
- The event win occurred at the discontinued 1999 Dallas I event
- 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 Dallas
- 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
Fan Events:
- Thursday, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., Stampede of Speed Pre-Stage FanFest driver autograph session at Railyard Park in Waxahachie
- Saturday, 11:30 a.m. – noon, Team Toyota autograph session at Toyota midway display
- Saturday, 3:15 – 3:25 p.m., Texas Motorplex Legend autograph session with Darrell Gwynn at Welcome Center (located near the Nitro Mall)
Quotable:
“I’m especially looking forward to returning to Dallas this year. I’m being inducted into their Legends of Texas Motorplex Hall of Fame, which is really exciting. My first win ever was at that racetrack in 1999 when I was competing in Pro Stock Motorcycle, and I actually beat Angelle (Sampey) in the final. Now, fast forward more than 20 years and we’re coming back there to kick butt and take names.
“Our Matco Tools team is hoping that Dallas could be our pivotal turning point in the Countdown. We’ve been performing well lately, it’s just time now for us to put it all together on race day. We’ve been qualifying well, top five, top two, top three, dropping low E.T. of the round; I’m just really proud of the performance of our team. We’ve been putting the hard work in, we just need to put all of the right puzzle pieces together on race day.”