Four-time Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown raced to his first career victory at Bristol Dragway Sunday, earning his first win of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season to collect a 75th anniversary diamond Wally at the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
Qualifying opened with a challenging run when Brown’s dragster overpowered the racetrack and went into tire smoke, resulting in a 4.732-second pass at 166.79 mph.
The team quickly rebounded in the second qualifying session, posting a strong 3.801-second run at 329.50 mph to move into the No. 2 position.
A dropped cylinder slowed Brown to a 4.047-second pass at 264.55 mph in the third qualifying session, but the AB Motorsports team closed qualifying on a high note. In the heat of the day, Brown recorded one of the quickest runs of the final session, a 3.949-second pass at 311.92 mph, securing the No. 2 qualifying position heading into eliminations.
On race day, Brown and the Eagle Experience Matco Tools Top Fuel team battled changing track conditions due to the forecast. The NHRA Top 75 driver opened race day against Will Smith and advanced with a 3.805-second pass at 328.78 mph, defeating Smith’s 3.871-second effort at 324.67 mph.
In the quarterfinals, Brown squared off against Shawn Reed and delivered an even quicker run, clocking a 3.799 at 336.67 mph while Reed slowed to a 4.549 at 206.26 mph.
The semifinal matchup featured a showdown with reigningworld champion Doug Kalitta. Brown used a strong reaction time to seize the advantage early and never looked back.
Kalitta encountered tire smoke near half-track and coasted to a 5.164-second pass at 139.37 mph, while Brown continued to improve, posting a 3.798 at 330.88 mph to advance to the final round.
Facing Shawn Langdon in an all-star final round matchup, Brown delivered his quickest run of eliminations for a winning performance. The two Top Fuel contenders raced side-by-side down the Bristol Dragway surface before Brown edged ahead at the finish line with a winning 3.788-second pass at 331.61 mph. Langdon crossed the stripe in 3.801 seconds at 334.07 mph.
“It was pretty awesome how the whole weekend started off. We’ve been struggling at the beginning of the year, but we just kept our heads down, kept on grinding,” Brown said. “We started off great with qualifying in the top five like we wanted to, and then our runs kept getting better and better. I got more laps in, and I got better on the tree as the day went on, too. That said, it feels good to be in that ballpark and go out there competing on this high level at this stage right now.”
Brown checked several items off his list Sunday, capturing his first career Bristol victory, earning the coveted Diamond Wally, and collecting the 82nd win of his NHRA career.
“I’ve been wanting one of these diamond Wallys ever since they brought them out, so winning one was huge,” he added. “The thing about it is, that when you see these special things that come out and then to be mentioned as an NHRA Top 75 driver, is a dream come true, and to get this for 75 years and be a part of it and say you got one, they can never take it away.”
Next up for Brown and the AB Motorsports team is the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, June 25-28. The event carries special significance for the team, as crew chief Brian Corradi hails from Ohio. Brown will also spend time visiting longtime partners Matco Tools and Summit Racing Equipment at their respective headquarters during the race week.
