A Heartfelt, Meaningful Victory For The Boss

For any drag racer, there are certain victories that seem to stay with you for quite sometime. On July 1 2012 at the 15th Annual O'Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 Nationals Presented By Super Start Batteries at Route 66 Dragway, Antron Brown experienced that feeling in winning on the very weekend his team owner, Don Schumacher was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. In an interview with Antron from his home in Indiana on July 4th, I asked him what that victory meant to him and his Matco Tools team:

Photo Courtesy of Toyota Racing

"That was very heartfelt, very meaningful for our 2 crew chiefs Mark Oswald & Brian Coradi, myself and the whole Matco Tools Team". Antron  excitedly stated "It was one of those days where if you wanted to win a race for your boss, that'd be the way to do it. "It was one of those signature days & we really had to weather the storm" Antron then added "It was a day where you had to go fight for your money, we were fighting for our money. Incredible day the way it happened"


As most of the spectators knew on that hot July1st afternoon, the weather changed dramatically. From hot & humid to raining, thundering & lightening & windy conditions; crew chiefs were sent scrambling to adapt. But Antron credits The Matco Tools Team and their clutch guys:

"You have to give credit to Mark and Brian (co crew chiefs) making the right calls each and every round. Our Clutch guy Tony came up a couple times & Brad our assistant crew chief; they were plotting to try and get all they could out of that race track" However, Brown gives a tremendous amount of credit to the @NHRA safety safari: "Tip your hat to the NHRA Safety Safari crew. Track Temp was over 120 degrees and we're running low 3.80's and thats just phenomenal

Photo Courtesy of The Drag Racing News

Antron gives additional credit to DSR Track guru Tommy Johnson jr as well: 

"The thing about rain when it washes off the track, it would make it tighter, but the hard part was when the sun came out full force, and it would bubble up the rubber, but the track stayed tight" Antron confidently stated "Our track guru Tommy Johnson Jr. came up and said the track hasn't fallen off, it's still good. So we have lots of confidence in Tommy out there & we just put our pedal to the metal"

Top fuel this season has more competitive than ever, with races being decided by thousandths of a second. The evolution of Top Fuel racing has not changed much in the last few seasons and Antron feels that is one of the main reasons for the class being so close:

 Brown wins a close race over Shawn Langdon(Courtesy of Toyota Racing)

"Everyone's working with the same parts & pieces. AJ (in reference to Alan Johnson) left our DSR stable a few years back formed his own team with 2 competitive cars" The DSR Top Fuel Pilot states " Then on top of that, you have Morgan Lucas hiring Aaron Brooks & Rod Centorbi (assistant crew chiefs for Al Anabi) and his team mate Brandon Bernstein, both are running well." Antron went on to add this about his good friend Steve Torrence " He went out and built a whole new race team, hiring guys that were available from other teams and adding Richard Hogan a phenomenal crew chief. I think everyone did do their homework, doing the necessary things to win. All three of our DSR cars are pushing each other as well"

Safety is of utmost importance in racing especially in the volatile world of Nitro Drag Racing. In the 1st round of eliminations at Route 66 Dragway, Antron's teammate Tony Schumacher suffered a catastrophic engine explosion with fire engulfing the cockpit . DSR has been developing a canopy system to reduce the risk of fire. Antron offered his take on when he hopes the canopy will be approved:

"Trust me, if it were up to me, we'd have the cockpit on our car.  I think it's getting very close, we're waiting for testing results to come back & They're (NHRA) are looking at everything" Says the ever excited Brown "They're not only looking at the performance advantage, they want to make the inside of the structure (cockpit) is even better" He added  "Don (Team Owner) and Crew Chief Mike Green have been full speed ahead on it's development. I think you'll definitely see the cockpit before the end of the year . I hope to we can use it on our cars this year, if not definitely next year" Antron told me known that the view of the driver is the same if not better after winter testing:


"When I got in Tony's car, it was definitely perfect for me, I could see everything. You see just as much as you would see without a cockpit on a race car" Brown excitedly said "You can see your front wheels, see the front of your car. All the stuff you'd normally see" Antron also described the comforts of the cockpit "It's quiet, very comfortable & blocks the glaring sunlight that comes over the top of the car that blinds your eyes & blocks out your dashboard. It doesn't damper your vision at all"


Experiencing the Force of nearly 5g's of pull at the hit of the throttle, unleashing 8.000 plus horsepower, the importance being physically fit is great. It helps the body and the mind prepare for the blast down the 1,000 ft. track run after run. Brown, the Indiana resident spoke of the importance of being fit and ready for the entire full throttle season:

Photo Courtesy of Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-Ledger

"When the competition is where it's at, you have to take every advantage that you can get. In every class, you can;t have a bad race especially when the countdown begins" Said the energetic Matco Tools  Driver "You have 6 races to win the title. So when it comes to NHRA racing, your mindset has to be at  top level. You have to bring your A+ game every round and I try to go with that mindset every round & every event. Antron then added "That's why I stay as physically fit as possible week in and week out. The more rounds you win, thats your champion"


The Don Schumacher Racing Team in both Top Fuel and Funny Car has been at or near the top of the class for the last few seasons. But as the competition heats up going into the countdown, momentum can change in an instant. Coming off the win at Route 66 Dragway, Antron and the entire DSR stable must stay focused even as the teams currently holds the top three positions in points:

"It feels good but we just gotta keep our heads down & stay focused" Said the humble NJ native " Honestly can't let the stuff that happened to us at the beginning of this year to affect us, those races are gone. Honestly, when your running the countdown like this, what you do during the season means nothing. It sends a statement that your team is strong, but you have to be strong for 6 races" Antron added "That's the way our series is shaping up to be. Ive been there before. Our DSR team knows how to pick it up at the right time"

Photo Courtesy of Toyota Racing and Mark J. Rebilas

Antron Brown is a family man first and foremost when he travels the NHRA circuit. With a wonderful wife and three children, he makes the most of his time with his family. They travel with him during the season. Many racers always wonder of their children will follow in their footsteps. Antron states he supports his children in whatever profession they choose:

"I'll be fully supportive" says the proud father "My biggest deal when I was growing up was, without the support of my parent's; I wouldn't be where i'm at. I want to support my kids in whatever they want to do. I don't push them to do anything. I don't push them to race, or push my daughter to dance or singer whatever she does" The Proud father of three finished by saying "I just want them to do what they are happy doing. If they put their full force behind what they're doing, they can be successful at it"

Thanks Antron (Photo: Jay Selig)

Faith Works Wonders

July 1, 2012 might seem like any normal day to the average american, but to the drag racing fan it means everything. In the lives of those who were at Route 66 Dragway in Joliet Illinois for the O'Reilly AutoParts Nationals or watching on espn2, they wont forget the sight of Erica Enders doing something that has never been done in drag racing history , that is becoming the 1st woman in history to win a national event in pro stock.

Photo courtesy of the NHRA
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

From the time she began her career in Jr. Dragsters to now in Pro Stock, Erica had a determination to make her dreams come true. It was truly an awesome sight to see her clutching that Golden Wally trophy, holding it high above her head after defeating her nemesis Greg Anderson whom she wanted to beat so badly. In victory circle, Enders let loose the pent up emotions that had dogged her for years of when she would win her first national event. What we witnessed on TV was a young lady who had dreams of victory from the very beginning of her career in drag racing had finally been realized


  

Photo Courtesy of Associated Press     

Lessons in life can take us to a place most of us might never get to on our own. If one is to learn from Erica's victory is this: No matter how long it may take, or how much work one has to put in, or the sacrifices one meakes to make their dreams come true; no one should give up on their dreams. Not only did It take a lot of faith by her team owner Victor Cagnazzi and team sponsors ZaZa Energy as well as the crew, but it was her faith in God that helped propel her and the team to victory proving once again that indeed faith does work wonders