MECHANICSVILLE, Md. (May 31, 2026) – Four-time Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown’s weekend at the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS came to an end in the opening round of eliminations Sunday at Maryland International Dragway.
Brown and the Matco Tools team opened qualifying with a solid 3.950-second pass at 312.21 mph despite dropping a cylinder near the finish line. The run placed the Matco Tools Eagle Experience Top Fuel dragster in the provisional No. 9 position.
The team improved during the Friday evening qualifying, posting a 3.823-second pass at 329.42 mph to move up to the No. 7 spot.
Saturday’s first session also served as the opening round of the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, where Brown faced Leah Pruett in a rematch of their Chicago matchup. Brown held the starting-line advantage with a .073 reaction time to Pruett’s .085, but Pruett drove around him at the finish line with a 3.811-second run to Brown’s 3.848.
In the final qualifying session, Brown’s dragster encountered tire smoke around half-track, preventing any improvement on the leaderboard. The NHRA Top 75 driver ultimately secured the No. 9 qualifying position and a first-round matchup against Justin Ashley.
Prior to eliminations, Brown and Ashley were featured as the NHRA’s marquee matchup. Both drivers are widely regarded as among the best on the starting line, and Brown jokingly noted during pre-race festivities that while Ashley’s sponsor, Scag Power Equipment, is known for mowing grass, “I’m one tough weed.”
The two standout leavers delivered another competitive race in the opening round. Ashley gained the starting-line advantage with a .036 reaction time to Brown’s .057. Brown’s Matco Tools machine began losing traction around half-track, forcing him to pedal the car, while Ashley encountered tire spin near the finish line. Despite Brown’s efforts, Ashley reached the stripe first with a 3.995-second pass at 276.52 mph to Brown’s 4.030 at 283.85 mph.
“The race track did a great job. It showed out. The fans came out, and I’ll tell you what, this is a close thing for a hometown race, so this race is real special,” Brown said. “I’m just really bummed that we went out first round, but we’ll be back next year, and we’ll get after it.
“I loved the feel of it, and can’t wait to come back. We’ve got Epping next week, and we will get back on that saddle.”
Brown and the Matco Tools team will now turn their attention to the NHRA New England Nationals presented by bproauto, June 5-7 at New England Dragway in Epping, N.H.
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel Point Standings (Unofficial):
|
1 |
Shawn Langdon |
722 |
|
2 |
Doug Kalitta |
646 |
|
3 |
Leah Pruett |
506 |
|
4 |
Tony Stewart |
424 |
|
5 |
Josh Hart |
409 |
|
6 |
Maddi Gordon |
395 |
|
7 |
Justin Ashley |
364 |
|
8 |
Billy Torrence |
356 |
|
9 |
Antron Brown |
345 |
|
10 |
Clay Millican |
299 |
Strong Run Ends in Narrow First-Round Defeat for Sampey
MECHANICSVILLE, Md. (May 31, 2026) – Angelle Sampey continued to build momentum in her Top Alcohol Dragster career at the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS, overcoming a challenging start to qualifying before narrowly missing a first-round victory at Maryland International Dragway.
Driving the Hangsterfer’s/FVP A/Fuel Dragster for Michalek Brothers Racing, Sampey and her team faced a challenging start to qualifying. In the opening session, Sampey encountered tire smoke immediately off the starting line and was forced to shut the car off early, resulting in a 9.140-second pass at 35.22 mph.
The team rebounded during the second qualifying session despite dropping a cylinder right at the hit. Sampey stayed with the run and posted a 5.543-second pass at 265.01 mph, moving into the No. 5 position.
Sampey continued to improve during the final qualifying session, clocking a 5.353-second run at 273.05 mph. The effort locked the Hangsterfer’s/FVP A/Fuel Dragster into the No. 8 qualifying position and set up a first-round matchup with Gary Pritchett.
In eliminations, Sampey was first off the starting line, gaining the advantage with a .050 reaction time to Pritchett’s .075. However, Pritchett’s dragster made up the difference by the 330-foot mark and never relinquished the lead.
Pritchett crossed the finish line with a 5.270-second pass at 271.95 mph while Sampey was right behind with a 5.293 at 271.90 mph.
“This track was unbelievable. It was just a fantastic weekend,” Sampey said. “I really enjoyed myself and the fans. But as far as my racing goes this weekend, we didn’t do what we wanted. We struggled a bit with qualifying and we were down on the ladder. Then first round, we came up short. I had my worst light of the weekend in the first round.
“We’re growing a lot. The main thing is that we can go to a race and qualify number one, number two, or number three. We can run with the best of them. We just have to work on our packaging to be more consistent. I was disappointed for my Michalek Brothers Racing team because I know how bad they want to win just as much as I do, and they work so hard.
“We’re close to Hangsterfer’s home, so I was hoping we could do well for them. But we are learning. Just like the saying goes, sometimes you win, and sometimes you learn. We just continue to learn, and I know my Hangsterfer’s A/Fuel Dragster is just on the cusp of a win.”
Sampey will return to competition June 25-28 at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.