Antron Brown picked up the victory in the Pep Boys NHRA Top Fuel All-Star Callout on Saturday at Gainesville Raceway, knocking off Brittany Force in the final round of the specialty race.
The $80,000-to-win event was part of this weekend’s 55th Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals.
Brown went 3.709 seconds at 332.43 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Matco Tools Toyota dragster, taking down Force’s 3.730 at 328.70. It gave Brown, who defeated Shawn Langdon and Steve Torrence earlier in the day, his first Pep Boys All-Star Callout victory.
It was also a stellar way for the Top Fuel veteran to kick off the 2024 season.
Langdon, Prock & Enders Qualify No. 1 At Gatornationals
“Our guys had a chance to keep picking at it, and keep picking at it, and we knew it was going to be a tough round against Brittany, another world champion,” Brown said. “Everyone we raced today was a world champion. We knew we had to step it up against her, but we had the added pressure of qualifying.
“So, to go out there and do what we did and run that 3.709 and move up to fourth on the ladder and get this Pep Boys All-Star Callout win is pretty special. It’s going to be tough competition tomorrow on race day. The field is tight, but hopefully we can parlay that and get better tomorrow.
“We’ve been getting better and better with each lap, and that’s when you get dangerous. I’m focused, and my boys are giving me a hot rod that can do the job, and that’s what it takes. We have an incredible team and we’re looking forward to this 2024 season.”