Antron Brown advanced to the semifinals Sunday at the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, earning a pair of close wins before his day ended against Leah Pruett.
Brown qualified No. 10 in the Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster. He opened qualifying with a 3.772-second pass at 331.61 mph, then improved to a 3.741 at 325.77 to move into the No. 10 position. Saturday, Brown ran a 3.753 at 326.16 and a 3.738 at 324.90 to secure his place in the field.
Saturday’s qualifying sessions followed the announcement that Matco Tools is extending its partnership with Brown and AB Motorsports.
In the opening round of eliminations, Brown faced Maddi Gordon in a rematch of the Texas NHRA FallNationals final round. Brown won with a 3.690 at 336.74, narrowly edging Gordon’s 3.693 at 340.82.
Brown then earned a holeshot victory over Tony Stewart in the second round. Stewart ran quicker, posting a 3.678 at 336.32 to Brown’s 3.683 at 336.32, but Brown’s starting-line advantage secured the win by 0.0066 seconds, or approximately three feet.
In the semifinals, Brown’s dragster went into tire smoke at the hit, and he tried to pedal it to regain traction. Pruett also had trouble getting off the starting line, but recovered with help from the newly allowed throttle-control device. Brown recorded an 8.902 at 84.38, while Pruett advanced with a 4.871 at 223.76.
“This weekend was a good weekend. It got us off kilter early, but we got back on track. The crew chiefs – Brian[Corradi], Brad [Mason], John [Medlen] and all those guys – did a really good job figuring it out and getting us back on track,” Brown said.
“Vegas was definitely a good race, and we learned a lot at this racetrack. The Matco Tools AB Motorsports team is on the rise, and we’re building toward having a really competitive car next year. The main goal is to run for a championship.”
The 2026 Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series season concludes Nov. 12-15 at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Pomona, Calif.
