Antron Brown, the three-time Top Fuel world champion, is gearing up for the upcoming Thunder Valley Nationals with one goal in mind: to claim his first victory at Bristol Dragway. As the owner of a second-year team, Brown is determined to add Bristol to his list of victories along the NHRA tour. With his recent milestone of capturing his 50th No. 1 qualifier at the Epping, New Hampshire event, Brown’s confidence is up as he eyes the Thunder Valley trophy.
Having triumphed at every track on the current NHRA tour, with the exception of Bristol, Brown is ready to conquer the Thunder Valley Nationals in 2023. With a staggering 796 round wins under his belt, Brown is on the cusp of joining an elite club of NHRA drivers who have achieved 800 round wins. Should he accomplish this feat, he will become only the sixth driver in the sport’s history to do so.
Recalling his performance at the 2022 NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Brown had a remarkable showing, qualifying fourth and reaching the semifinals. In his path to the semifinal, Brown eliminated powerhouse drivers Tony Schumacher and Brittany Force before ultimately being defeated by Shawn Langdon. Eager to build on his previous success, Brown is determined to take it a step further this year.
With favorable weather conditions forecasted for the weekend, Brown and his team are gearing up for a thrilling battle on the track. The race schedule presents a demanding lineup, with teams needing to navigate a series of eliminations. However, Brown’s team holds an advantageous position, as they secured a bye run in qualifying. This allows them to have two shakedown runs during the qualification process, giving them extra track time to fine-tune their performance.
“The weather is looking good this weekend, which is important because we have a lot of racing to get through,” said Antron Brown. “I like the momentum we’re carrying from Epping into this race weekend. We had two tough qualifying runs up there in New Hampshire, but we managed to get down both of them; from the hot round to the super cold, damp round where the track was hard like plastic. Our team is very versatile, we’re in a very good place, and we like how everything is shaping up for this weekend in Bristol.”
As anticipation builds for the Thunder Valley Nationals, Antron Brown’s ambitions are higher than ever. With his eye on the prize and a team firing on all cylinders, Brown aims to etch his name in Thunder Valley history by capturing his first victory at Bristol Dragway.
This story was originally published on June 8, 2023. 
