Antron Brown endures in Top Fuel

NORWALK — When it comes to endurance, Antron Brown is the ultimate example. The NHRA driver is in his 18th season as a full-time Top Fuel competitor. He transitioned to owning his own race team prior to 2022 while still going in the cockpit behind the wheel of his Matco Tools dragster. Still just 49 years old, Brown also just went eight years between winning season championships in 2024, when he won his fourth Top Fuel world championship. But Brown is still finding his prime of his racing career, which will include this weekend in the Maple City. Brown returned to Norwalk — where he also won a year ago — at the 19th annual Summit Racing Equipment Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park. Brown took two passes down the track Friday and will do the same on Saturday before the 11 a.m. eliminations on Sunday. "This whole field is so competitive, and you just have to stay on it," Brown said before Friday's qualifying rounds. "Eight years we didn't win a title, but we came close three or four times from winning it again. That's just how tough it is. But for us, we've been on our own since 2022, and we've been building every year to get stronger and stronger. "Now we know we're capable, and we have the parts and personnel," he added. "We have the pieces to compete for a championship, which is key because all these other teams are getting stronger and stronger." With Norwalk serving as the halfway point of the season with as the 10th of the 20 races on the schedule, Brown's team is in fifth place behind Tony Stewart, Shawn Langdon, Justin Ashley and Doug Kalitta. The veteran driver knows his team just has to stay consistent prior to the Countdown to the Championship begins. The top 10 drivers qualify for the playoff races, which are the last six of the season. Those start after the big U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis over Labor Day weekend. "We have to keep our heads down and keep spinning the wheel, polishing the parts and polishing us to make ourselves better," Brown said. "We've been trying some new things, and we just have to keep pushing forward. "When Indy hits, when we get to that point, that's our main focus. We have to go from there with everything we've got, and hopefully everything we've got is enough to bring that championship home again." Brown also remains a beacon for the NHRA when it comes to diversity. He long ago broke racial barriers, but has far from been along in a sport that has featured many women who have also won championships. Brown grew up a sprinter who was once fast enough to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials. Now, he's at his peak driving the fastest cars in the world down a different track. "That's what's so unique about it," he said. "Even though I was a quick kid, my dad and uncle grew up in drag racing. I'm the second generation of it, and when you come out here, you see it. When I've come to the track, there's never been a diversity issue. You see men, women, and every different culture in America here in drag racing." Brown attributed the diversity to the ability to drive regular cars down the drag strip at places such as Summit Motorsports Park. "A lot of it is accessibility, because it doesn't cost a lot to do it," he said. "You can drag race at all different levels, even if it's a three-wheeler or four-wheeler as a kid, to motorcycles and cars … it's what makes our sport what it is today. "The accessibility, and that if you love the need for speed, you come out here to cure it. Our sport has always been rich for that." Brown and all the drivers also faced a challenging weekend in Norwalk. Temperatures were in the low 90s on Friday, which meant track temperatures were well over 100 degrees. The forecast shows 86 degrees and the potential for storms on Saturday, and a high of 90 on Sunday for eliminations. "The heat, it's always the culprit," Brown said. "The hotter it is, the tougher it is on the car. When it gets like this, the track gets gooey. And when it does, it's hard to keep these cars hooked up with 12,000 horsepower behind them. "The cooler, the better, so the heat is always a challenge to put on a show for the fans." Speaking of a show for the fans, Brown said there is no better place than that across all 50 states than this weekend. "Norwalk is America's race," he said. "When you come here, you see the workers in the white pants and the red, white, and blue shirts. You get the ice cream, and you get the burgers and hot dogs. The Bill Bader family at Summit and what they do for the customer remains incredible. "They roll out the red carpet so they can come out here and enjoy themselves. They go all out for the fans, and for us drivers, it's the same. We need to put on a great show and have some fun with them."