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Brown Can Light Up a Room and Light Up a Track10/20/2006By Bill Stephens, ESPN.com: "He's the happiest person I've ever known." That's how three-time POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Angelle Sampey describes U.S. Army/Schumacher Racing teammate Antron Brown. In a sport where long faces abound and hissy fits are an almost constant occurrence within the hurly-burly of professional competition, Sampey's words might seem a little out of place.
But anyone who has spent even a fraction of a moment interacting with Brown would corroborate Sampey's observation. After debuting in the NHRA's Pro Stock Motorcycle class in 1998 (with a DNQ in Gainesville), Brown has gained an enormous following of fans, both in the grandstands and in the bike pits, thanks to his positive personality and genuine cordiality.
And now, he finds himself on the brink of capturing the biggest prize of his career -- the 2006 POWERade title -- with only two races remaining on the schedule.
The native of Chesterfield, N.J., who turned 30, in March holds a 27-point lead over defending two-time category champion Andrew Hines and a 64-point cushion over his teammate and cousin-in-law, Sampey. Having already won the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis in 2000, the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle that same year, and finishing a career-best second in the championship points in 2001, Brown now looks at adding a PSM crown to his impressive racing résumé. But he knows he's not there yet. |
