“I’ve been around the highest team owner this sport’s ever seen. Just being a part of Don Schumacher Racing and being around Don for all these years, it’s a school that you can’t pay to go to,” Brown said. “Just being around him and learning from him and how he runs his race organization.”
Schumacher said, “This is something that Antron and I have been working on for more than three years on a planned basis. Antron has had the dream probably 10 years before that. But the reality is that sharing intimate information that has been done over the last three years is to hopefully help Antron make all of the right decisions.”
And Brown has soaked up the advice. But, he said, “On the business side of it, a lot of people forget that I was a business major. I’ve got a business administration degree. I’ve been part of doing business on the marketing side and putting all of our campaigns together with all of our partners. I’m the one that does the work from Monday through Friday between races to help my partners get their return on investment and find out what they are really trying to capture and what they’re really trying to do.
“And I just try to implement that to help them get there. That’s what’s been very instrumental for me in being successful where I’m going, all the work that I do off the race track — not just winning on the race track but winning off the race track for all our partners to help them be where they want to be and help being a part of their brand.”
DSR colleague Ron Capps has made a habit of that with his longtime Funny Car sponsor, NAPA.
“Ron’s been very instrumental in that,” Brown said. “I’ve learned from so many people in this sport by being around them. I’ve been around Ron for so long. I’ve been around, just watching John Force do his craft, what I’ve learned is how hard he works off the race track. He’s a hard worker. That’s why he’s always had big sponsors.
“I learned from watching Kenny Bernstein for all those years. I always called him the true professional,” Brown added. “Plain and simple, he always worked hard. He always gave his partners and his sponsors the most return and value that anybody can ever give to them. He kept his operation clean, professional. It was always top-notch. And the way he carried himself, everybody loved Kenny Bernstein. Everybody loved him — except the people he raced against.”
Brown has plenty of role models, but his best, perhaps, is himself.
“I’m a self-motivator. I motivate and push myself. I’ve never needed somebody to tap me on the back and say, ‘Hey, Antron, you’re good. You’re doing great,’” he said. “It’s always been one goal to the next goal.”
If he hears one of his DSR team members say, “AB, we did great this weekend,” he replies, à la the Army drill instructor, “That was last weekend. What are we going to do this next weekend?”
With Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald tuning the dragster, Brad Mason overseeing the car prep, and crew members such as Top Fuel-licensed cylinder-head specialist Matt Sackman entrenched in their jobs, Brown knows they’ll meet his expectations.
“We’re going to keep on putting in the same work and growing and do what we do. Nothing changes. People ask, ‘What’s going to change?’ What needs to change? I’m not going to change. I’m always going to be the same,” Brown said. “I’m the same person people met when I was a rookie, racing a Pro Stock Motorcycle. I’m still a big fan of the sport. I still love the sport. And I love what the sport’s all about. I’m going to give everything I have to help the sport grow to where it needs to be. This ain’t for me — this is for the future. And this is for all my guys involved. I’m going to take care of my team. I’m going to take care of the fans the way I want to take care of them: give them an experience they won’t forget.”
And they all can thank the U.S. Army for that.