Antron Brown reaches quarterfinals in Gainesville

March 12

Antron Brown drove the Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster into today’s second round of the 42^nd annual Tire Kingdom Gatornationals here at Gainesville Raceway.

The 35-year-old New Jersey native and former Pro Stock Motorcycle driver fought through issues all day, succeeding in the opening round, but not the second.

"The track was there but we're just having a few issues right now and we're going to work them out,” he said. “The track got a little bit warmer and we'll get it figured out. We're struggling a little bit but that's racing.”

Brown pedaled to a first-round 4.190-second at 209.92-mile-per-hour pass and victory not knowing Dom Lagana had red-lit in the other lane. His luck ended in round two where Brown’s 5.614/126.14 was well off Del Worsham’s 3.867/320.05.

“It just wasn't our race weekend,” said the fourth-place finisher in the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Top Fuel championship. “That's just the way it crumbles sometimes.”

“We know what we have to do and we'll just get to the next one and get this Matco Tools car going,” he added. “We'll come back and regroup and we'll hit it hard in Vegas.”

Brown and the Matco Tools/U.S. Army team for Don Schumacher Racing next head to the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway April 1-3 for the 12^th annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals.

He carries 141 points into the next race and sixth place in the championship.