Houston Pre-Race Report
NHRA SpringNationals
Event 5 of 22
Houston Raceway Park
Baytown, Texas
April 22 – 24, 2022
Event 5 of 22
Houston Raceway Park
Baytown, Texas
April 22 – 24, 2022
ANTRON BROWN: Driver of the Matco Tools Top Fuel Dragster
Houston Highlights:
Two-time event champion (2008, 2014)
Raced to his career-first Top Fuel victory in 2008
Four-time runner-up
Top Fuel (2010, 2012, 2019)
Pro Stock Motorcycle (2004)
Two-time No. 1 qualifier
Top Fuel (2009)
Pro Stock Motorcycle (2001)
2021 Houston Recap:
Qualified third; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Lee Callaway in E1; defeated by Doug Kalitta in E2)
Last Event (Las Vegas 1):
Qualified eighth; Semifinal finish (defeated Tony Schumacher, Bye in E1, Austin Prock, Clay Millican in E2; defeated by Brittany Force, Steve Torrence in E3)
Career Statistics:
465 races; 68 wins (16 Pro Stock Motorcycle); 49 No. 1 Qualifiers (11 PSM)
Houston Highlights:
Two-time event champion (2008, 2014)
Raced to his career-first Top Fuel victory in 2008
Four-time runner-up
Top Fuel (2010, 2012, 2019)
Pro Stock Motorcycle (2004)
Two-time No. 1 qualifier
Top Fuel (2009)
Pro Stock Motorcycle (2001)
2021 Houston Recap:
Qualified third; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Lee Callaway in E1; defeated by Doug Kalitta in E2)
Last Event (Las Vegas 1):
Qualified eighth; Semifinal finish (defeated Tony Schumacher, Bye in E1, Austin Prock, Clay Millican in E2; defeated by Brittany Force, Steve Torrence in E3)
Career Statistics:
465 races; 68 wins (16 Pro Stock Motorcycle); 49 No. 1 Qualifiers (11 PSM)
Noteworthy:
This weekend’s race marks the final NHRA Camping World Series event at Houston Raceway Park
The Baytown facility always invokes fond memories for Brown, who won his first Top Fuel Wally trophy during the 2008 event
Brown and the Matco Tools team enter the race weekend following a successful outing in Las Vegas which saw the team advance to the final elimination quad
Brown recently renewed his longstanding partnership with El Paso, Texas-based Western Technical College, and the AB Motorsports team will be hosting its first group of 2022 Western Tech interns beginning with this weekend’s race
Quotable:
“I’m really excited to get to Houston, although it’s bittersweet since this may very well be the last time we will race there. The Houston track has always been a special one for me being that it was where I got my first Top Fuel win back in 2008 when I was racing with David Powers.
“We’re looking for big things this weekend at the SpringNats. We’re coming off of a final quad appearance from Vegas, and we want to get the weekend off to a good start on Friday night. We want to qualify well out of the gate, take it one round at a time, and hopefully, we will put this Matco Tools/Lucas Oil car in the winner’s circle for the first time this year. We’re going to Houston amped up and ready to race, and we want to close out our chapter there with a win.”
About AB Motorsports
Established in 2019 and making its on-track debut in 2022, AB Motorsports is a single-car NHRA Top Fuel team owned and operated by three-time world champion Antron Brown. Headquartered in Brownsburg, Ind., the team competes on the 22-race NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series circuit thanks to the support of Matco Tools, Lucas Oil, Toyota, SiriusXM, Hangsterfer’s Metal Working Lubricants, and Summit Racing Equipment.Brown, who serves as both the owner and driver of the AB Motorsports Top Fuel dragster, is the only competitor in NHRA history to have won races in both the Top Fuel and Pro Stock Motorcycle. categories. Brown is a 68-time NHRA national event winner and became the first Black driver to win a major U.S. auto racing championship when he captured the 2012 NHRA Top Fuel series title.
