His dream first came true in 1998 aboard a powerful 190 mph Suzuki when he competed in NHRA’s Pro Stock Motorcycle category. Brown raced to emotional victories at Raceway Park in the two-wheel category, claiming titles in 2002 and 2005.
As his driving career has transitioned to the sport’s most powerful class – the 8,000 horsepower Top Fuel dragster – Brown remains that kid at heart every time he returns to his home track. The only thing that would make his visit more enjoyable this time around would be to grab a Top Fuel victory at the tradition-rich event.
Brown will certainly be one of the favorites to win the Toyota NHRA Summernationals, May 30-June 2 at Raceway Park. Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), Johnny Gray (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are the defending winners of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event, which will be televised nationally on ESPN2HD.
Brown, who won the NHRA Top Fuel world championship last season and in the process became the first African-American to win a major auto racing championship in the United States, has emerged as one of the biggest stars in the world of NHRA racing. He has two victories this season as he works to defend his championship title.
He is focused and determined to make his hometown race the site of a third season victory.
“I’ve never won in Top Fuel at Englishtown,” Brown said. “That would be an awesome feeling to take home that Wally from Raceway Park with all my family and friends there to celebrate.”
He says there is just a magical quality to Raceway Park, the multi-purpose motorsports facility which has been hosting NHRA national events since 1971.
“There is so much drag racing history at that place,” Brown said. “When you consider all of the records that have been set there over the years, the great night racing, and it was the place where you could always go out and see all of the greats in the sport. Today I am that same kid at heart heading out to Raceway Park with the same love and passion for the sport.”
Brown’s most recent victory came in Atlanta. However, that win is sandwiched between two uncharacteristic first round losses, in Houston and Topeka.
“It looks like we have an electrical problem right now,” Brown said. “We just have to figure out where and what. The motor parts looked fine, but it just wasn’t hitting on all cylinders [in Topeka], so we have to go back and find out what happened. We’re going to replace some things on the car like the ignition wires and make it all brand new for Englishtown.”
U.S. Army dragster driver Tony Schumacher leads the points standings and the circuit’s most recent winner, Shawn Langdon, has been hitting his stride in the Al-Anabi Racing dragster. In addition to those two, Brown has many other top challengers in the category, including Brandon Bernstein, Doug Kalitta, Spencer Massey, Morgan Lucas, Bob Vandergriff and Clay Millican to name a few.
At this point in the regular season, Brown is comfortably confident in his third place position.
“You want to win every race and always be No. 1, but that only really matters after the last race at Pomona (Calif.) in November,” Brown has said. “If you settle down, focus, relax and quit worrying about it, it comes to you.”
In Funny Car, Johnny Gray and Cruz Pedregon are the early leading championship contenders, with each claiming multiple wins early in the season. Matt Hagan is showing renewed success and defending champ Jack Beckman, Robert Hight and Courtney Force will try to add their names to the NHRA history book as Englishtown winners. Four-time E-Town winner John Force, 2006 winner Ron Capps, two-time winner Del Worsham and 2008 winner Tim Wilkerson will all be working to get another victory at the legendary track.
The Pro Stock category is once again proving to be one of the toughest categories in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series with winners and losers separated by only hundredths of a second during many of the elimination rounds. Mike Edwards has the points lead in the category on the strength of two wins with Jeg Coughlin and Allen Johnson breathing down his neck in second and third in points. Jason Line, Erica Enders-Stevens and Greg Anderson, who has the most Pro Stock wins at the track with five, will all be competing for the coveted NHRA Wally on Sunday.
The Pro Stock Motorcycle season has been dominated by Hector Arana Jr. on his Lucas Oil Buell but the Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson tandem of Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec will be looking to put an end to that streak. Surging Scotty Pollacheck, Suzuki rider Steve Johnson, Hector Arana Sr. and John Hall are all among the top contenders for the NHRA Wally in the two-wheel category at the event.
As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as every ticket is an exclusive pit pass, allowing them firsthand to see the highly skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds. While visiting the pits, interactive NHRA Nitro Alley and the NHRA Manufacturers Midway are two popular areas fans won’t want to miss.
The race also will feature exciting side-by-side racing action in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and the NHRA Pro Mod Series.
• SCHEDULE: NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 4 and 6:15 p.m. Friday, May 31, and will continue Saturday, June 1 18, at noon and 2:15 p.m. Final eliminations will begin at 11 a.m. Sunday, June 2.
• TICKETS: For tickets, call Old Bridge Township Raceway Park at (732) 446-7800. Tickets also are available online at www.racewaypark.com.
• TELEVISION: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at 5 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, June 1, and two and a half hours of eliminations coverage at 4:30 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, June 2.
• ON THE WEB: Get instant results, access to photos, video and audio clips and the latest news updates from every NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event on the Internet at www.NHRA.com.
TOYOTA NHRA SUMMERNATIONALS FACT SHEET
WHAT: 44th annual Toyota NHRA Summernationals, the ninth of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Drivers in four categories – Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle – earn points leading to 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series world championships.
WHERE: Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, Englishtown, N.J. From the North, take N.J. Turnpike South to Exit 9, follow the signs to Rt. 18 South. Go six miles to the Englishtown exit. Take Rt. 527 South five miles. Make a left onto Pension Rd. Go ¼ mile, track entrance on left.
WHEN: Thursday through Sunday, May 30 - June 2
SCHEDULE:
THURSDAY, May 30 – LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying
FRIDAY, May 31 - LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations
PRO MOD DRAG RACING SERIES qualifying at 3:30 and 5:45 p.m.
MELLO YELLO SERIES qualifying at 4 and 6:15 p.m.
SATURDAY, June 1 - LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations
PRO MOD DRAG RACING SERIES qualifying at 1:45p.m.; First round of eliminations at 4 p.m.
MELLO YELLO SERIES qualifying at noon and 2:15 p.m.
SUNDAY, June 2 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m.
MELLO YELLO SERIES eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, June 1, ESPN and ESPNHD will televise one hour of qualifying highlights at 5 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, June 2, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise one hour of qualifying highlights at 1 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, June 2, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours and 30 minutes of coverage starting at 4:30 p.m. (ET).
2012 EVENT WINNERS: Steve Torrence, Top Fuel; Johnny Gray, Funny Car; Greg Anderson, Pro Stock; Eddie Krawiec, Pro Stock Motorcycle.
MOST VICTORIES: Kenny Bernstein, 7, (4 FC, 3 TF); Joe Amato, 6, TF; Larry Dixon, 6, TF; Don Prudhomme, 6, FC; John Force, 4, FC; Greg Anderson,5, PS; Bob Glidden, 4, PS; Warren Johnson, 4, PS; Dave Schultz, 4, PSM; John Myers, 4, PSM.
TRACK RECORDS:
Top Fuel - 3.728 seconds by Spencer Massey, June ’12; 329.91 mph by Massey, June ’12.
Funny Car - 3.964 seconds by Ron Capps, June ’12; 320.89 mph by Capps, June ’12.
Pro Stock - 6.508 seconds by Jason Line, June ’11; 213.03 mph by Ron Krisher, June ’11.
PS Motorcycle - 6.782 seconds by Eddie Krawiec, June ’12; 197.48 mph by Krawiec, June ’12.
NATIONAL RECORDS:
Top Fuel - 3.701 sec. by Antron Brown, Oct. ’12, Reading, Pa.; 332.18 mph by Spencer Massey, April ’12, Charlotte, N.C.
Funny Car - 3.986 sec. by Jack Beckman, Oct. ’12, Reading, Pa.; 320.58 mph by Beckman, Oct. ’12, Reading, Pa.
Pro Stock - 6.471 sec. by Mike Edwards, April ’13, Charlotte, N.C.; 214.35 mph by Jason Line, Oct. ’12, Reading, Pa.
PS Motorcycle - 6.728 sec. by Andrew Hines, Oct. ’12, Reading, Pa.; 199.26 mph by Eddie Krawiec, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.
TICKETS: For tickets call Old Bridge Township Raceway Park at (732) 446-7800. Tickets also are available online at www.racewaypark.com.
NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS
GLENDORA, Calif. -- Point standings (top 10) following the eighth of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel: 1. Tony Schumacher, 665; 2. Shawn Langdon, 631; 3. Antron Brown, 593; 4. Spencer Massey, 541; 5. Doug Kalitta, 470; 6. Khalid alBalooshi, 442; 7. Brandon Bernstein, 414; 8. Morgan Lucas, 409; 9. Bob Vandergriff, 358; 10. Clay Millican, 332.
Funny Car: 1. Johnny Gray, 591; 2. Cruz Pedregon, 581; 3. Matt Hagan, 568; 4. Ron Capps, 512; 5. Courtney Force, 485; 6. Tim Wilkerson, 457; 7. Robert Hight, 447; 8. Jack Beckman, 444; 9. Del Worsham, 397; 10. John Force, 385.
Pro Stock: 1. Mike Edwards, 723; 2. Jeg Coughlin, 647; 3. Allen Johnson, 602; 4. Erica Enders-Stevens, 526; 5. Jason Line, 505; 6. Vincent Nobile, 465; 7. Shane Gray, 456; 8. Greg Anderson, 424; 9. V. Gaines, 403; 10. Greg Stanfield, 353.
Pro Stock Motorcycle: 1. Hector Arana Jr, 375; 2. Scotty Pollacheck, 256; 3. John Hall, 187; 4. (tie) Hector Arana, 174; Eddie Krawiec, 174; 6. Steve Johnson, 159; 7. Andrew Hines, 144; 8. Michael Ray, 141; 9. Jim Underdahl, 136; 10. Matt Smith, 133.
