Four-time and reigning NHRA Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown picked up where he left off in 2024 by powering to victory at the season-opening NHRA Gatornationals on Sunday evening. Paired up with fellow past world champion Shawn Langdon, Brown in the Matco Tools dragster scored the holeshot advantage and crossed the finish line first in a side-by-side final round at Gainesville Raceway. Brown, who also qualified No. 1 for the 51st time in his career, won for the 65th time in Top Fuel and the 81st time in his career.
Brown’s rain-shortened Gatornationals qualifying effort started on a rocky note when he coasted across the finish line to a 10.569 E.T. at 51.82 in the first qualifying session on Friday. Brown and crew chief Brian Corradi bounced back in a big way in the second session with a 3.682-second pass at 334.24 mph that moved him all the way up to the No. 1 spot. Numerous other drivers also stepped up in the session, but no one went quicker than Brown. Tripp Tatum matched his 3.685 E.T., but Brown’s faster speed gave him his 51st career No. 1 qualifier award. Brown also picked up three bonus points for making the quickest pass of the session.
Brown and first-round opponent Krista Baldwin hit the track early Sunday morning before rain caused a lengthy break in on-track action. Brown was quicker off the starting line, and when both drivers lost traction, it was the reigning world champion who pedaled his way to a round win. After the rain delay, Brown and second-round opponent Clay Millican launched with nearly identical reaction times, then the Matco Tools machine pulled ahead to win with a 3.721 E.T. at 333.25 mph ahead of Millican’s 3.772 E.T. A stout .032-second reaction time put Brown ahead of four-time world champion Steve Torrence in the semifinals, and a 3.754 E.T. at 324.36 mph kept him ahead at the finish line.
Brown was on his game yet again in the final round against Langdon. Known as two of the quickest leavers in the class, Brown cut a .036 light to Langdon’s .046 reaction time. The Matco Tools dragster never let up, recording a 3.673-second pass at 333.99 mph to get the win light over Langdon and his 3.684-second effort.
“These drivers are incredible,” said Brown, who made his NHRA debut in Pro Stock Motorcycle at the 1998 Gatornationals. “All the teams are doing their homework, but hats off to our Matco Tools team because we kept on digging deep and getting better. We knew that’s a monster matchup over there, and Langdon is no joke driving. Being here at the Gatornationals and starting the year off like this is a true blessing. All the praise and glory goes to God, but I’m proud of this incredible team. Brian, Brad (Mason), all of our Matco/Lucas Oil/Toyota/Hangsterfer’s boys, great job and how about that. Gator time!”
The Gatornationals was Brown’s first race of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season, but it wasn’t his first time racing since the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals where he secured the 2024 NHRA Top Fuel world championship last November. He spent the winter driving a Pro Modified entry for friend Manny Buginga, then he brought out a brand-new AB Motorsports car at the PRO Superstar Shootout pre-season event in February. Brown believes all of that – staying in ‘race mode’ – helped him pull off the Gatornationals win.
“I’m just super proud of the work that these guys put in,” said Brown, now in his fourth season as a team owner. “The offseason was short with all the extracurricular activities we were doing. We just kept our heads down and we just kept racing. The good part is we came right back in race mode and, for me, doing all the racing offseason, I think really, really helped me. It kept me focused and kept me sharp. I came out here, and as the day was going on, I was able to stay focused. With Brian and Brad and I all working together with the Pro Mod deal, I think we were always family, but it brought us so much closer together this offseason. We spent a lot of time with each other, and that’s what it takes. It takes a strong nucleus like that to do what we do. I think it’s showing on the racetrack right now.”
With the championship No. 1 decal on his rear wing and the points lead in hand, Brown will move on to the NHRA Arizona Nationals, March 21-23, at Firebird Motorsports Park.
This story was originally published on March 10, 2025. 
