Interview with Three-Time Top Fuel World Champion Antron Brown

After making a debut in NHRA Mello Yello Series Drag Racing in 2002, Toyota expanded its program in 2008 to include both Funny Car and Top Fuel thereby garnering a substantial amount of success with its sponsored entries. The automotive manufacturer is particularly proud of the diverse group of individuals who make up their robust racing team of top-ranked drivers and championship winners.

One of the most well-know faces on the NHRA circuit is three-time Top Fuel World Champion Antron Brown, a former top collegiate sprinter who has become the first African-American driver to win a major U.S. auto racing championship. After capturing 16 victories in Pro Stock Motorcycles, the New Jersey native started competing in the Top Fuel category in 2008 and began racking up a list of achievements which includes passing Joe Amato on the all-time Top Fuel wins list by capturing a 53rd career victory. We spoke with Antron at the Texas Motorplex drag racing facility during the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals hosted by Toyota and the NHRA where he discussed four generations of racing, the discipline it takes to win, aaaand etching his mark into a brand new set of Centerlines.

TFL: You're a third-generation racer; what was the genesis of that?

AB: Well, my grandpop started racing, then he got my dad and uncle into racing at an early age, and then I just graduated into it. This is my 11th year of racing in top fuel, but I raced motorcycles for 10 years before that, so this is my 21st season.

TFL: Who did you start racing motorcycles with?

AB: Troy Vincent. He used to play for the Philadelphia Eagles, and he's now Vice President of the NFL [Player Engagement]. He actually married my cousin. I grew up racing motocross dirt bikes. I started riding motocross when I was four years old and started racing when I was six. Then I started doing street bikes. Instead of racing dirt bikes, I started drag racing street bikes when my dad went to the track; and then I met Troy at the race track. We hit it off and we wanted to start a professional race team, so I started racing for him back in 1998.

TFL: How old were you when you first went to see full NHRA racing?

AB: When I was 10 years old, I got my first love for racing. I grew up around it. We went to the track every Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. I went to my first national event when I was 10, and I saw top fuel dragsters. And they fired it up and I was like this: [drops mouth and stares wide-eyed]. I was like, What is that? I'd found my first love.

TFL: Many successful people give credit to their fathers. What about your dad was so impactful for you?

AB: I think what was impactful for me was that it was my dad and my uncle. I spent so much time with both of them because they have such a strong bond. Whenever I was around them, I took so much from them. And I think the bond that we have is the willingness to work on things together. That was our bond. My dad and I didn't have the normal father-son relationship. Like taking me out to the baseball field and teaching me how to swing a bat – my dad didn't do that. He didn't take me out to learn how to shoot a basketball. My little brother and I did all that stuff together. But when it came to being disciplined, functional, and working on things, I did all that stuff with my dad. My dad would say, Come on, grab that wrench. And it was so funny because at an early age, I used to mimic him. I'll never forget, my mom got my dad a brand new set of Centerline rear rims for his race car and put them underneath the Christmas tree. I took one of their screwdrivers, and was imitating him like I was working on it, and I was chiseling the rim. I was three years old, and my mom said to my dad, You can't be upset at him, he's just trying to imitate you working on it. My Dad was like, Those are my brand new rims! He wanted to whip my tail, but he couldn't because he realized, My son's trying to work on something.

TFL: How does that transition into your kids, now that you're the dad?

AB: I got my kids into it at an early age. My son wanted to get into it, then my daughter who was older got in after him, then my youngest wanted to do it because they were doing it. I like it because they learn life lessons. The coolest part about life lessons is that they find out real quick that they want to win. And winning depends upon the work that you put in. They ask me, Dad, how does your team win all the time? and I say, Well, our teams work hard. We work hard Monday through Thursday. Then on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, we get to showcase the work that we put in Monday through Thursday. We don't just show up and think that we're going to win or hope that we're going to win. What's going to win is the work that we put in beforehand. That's what I explained to them. And they started to understand that because when they started losing, they wanted to find out how they could win. They found out real quick that this ain't like little league baseball where, at the end of the year, everybody gets a trophy. They found out real quick, Man, there's only one winner out of all of these cars; and I want to be that winner. I want to hold that check up. I want to hold that Big Daddy trophy up. Once they saw that, and once Anson [Brown] won his first race, he just took off because he found that formula. And that's the same formula they need to be successful in life. They learn by putting the work in (putting oil in their car, wiping their cars down, prepping their tires and the air pressure, helping me load it, and ratcheting the car down to the trailer); and each year, I put more and more on their plate. The coolest part about racing is that you learn so much through this process. Basically, it's everyday life summed up in this form of motorsport. And if they can take that same formula that they've learned and that I learned at an early age, they're going to find out stuff that they can do in life because they can take that same formula and adapt it to whatever they're doing and it works the same. And that's the most amazing part about what motorsports has done, not just for me, but for my kids.

For more information or to keep up with Antron Brown, view the video below or visit online for current racing stats, event dates, and more.

Antron Brown

Toyota Racing | Drivers