Antron Brown returned to the track where he earned his first NHRA national event victory and added another milestone Sunday, winning the Top Fuel final at the Texas NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex.
The four-time world champion drove his Matco Tools dragster to a 3.706-second pass at 335.75 mph in the final round. Rookie Maddi Gordon left early and red-lighted, giving Brown his second victory of the 2026 season, 83rd career win and fourth career victory at Texas Motorplex. Brown’s first national event win came at the track in 1999 in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Brown qualified fourth, opening with a 3.737-second run at 335.35 mph before improving to a 3.677 at 335.32 mph in the second session. He then recorded a personal-best speed of 340.03 mph with a 3.693-second pass and closed qualifying with a 3.731 to hold the No. 4 spot.
In the first round, Dan Mercier got off the starting line first, but Brown drove around him for a 3.715 at 337.99 mph to Mercier’s 3.789. Brown then defeated Leah Pruett in round two, running 3.696 at 338.40 mph to her 3.735. Brown’s run included a 301.22-mph clocking to the eighth-mile mark.
In the semifinals, Brown ended points leader Shawn Langdon’s 18-round winning streak. Langdon had a .029-second reaction time, but Brown was quicker at .026 and won with a 3.720 to Langdon’s 3.738.
The Texas victory moved Brown to third in the Top Fuel standings.
“This class is really intense right now, and we know we’ve got our work cut out for us,” Brown said. “The class was dropping bombs out there today, but that Matco Tools horsepower came through, and we went 301 mph to half-track in round two, so we’re definitely getting the combination figured out.
“I like where we are, I like where we’re heading, and we’ve got to keep going. Our main focus is that we go into these races with confidence, and we know that we can compete, and we know we can win. Once this team gets a little motivation and drive and gets some confidence, we’re a tough competitor to compete with.”
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns Oct. 29-Nov. 1 for the Mopar NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
