NHRA Top Fuel driver Antron Brown talks embracing being a role model as new team owner

Top fuel drag racing champion Antron Brown just might work harder than anyone else in the game he loves. Whether he is working on his NHRA dragster or his own reaction time, the man is relentless. That work ethic has allowed the 45-year-old driver to launch his own racing team, AB Motorsports, after years of driving for Don Schumacher Racing.

“For me, this is definitely a dream come true for my family and everybody there,” Brown said on a recent February afternoon as he stood beside one of his top fuel cars in his well-appointed Brownsburg garage.

Brown isn’t just happy for those close to him, he sees his racing team backed by a host of top sponsors including Matco Tools and Lucas Oil as a vehicle for young people eager to become a part of motorsports.

“We can open the door up and say hey, come here and we can bring them along the way and give them the necessary means they need to be successful!” Brown said with a smile.

Brown takes the notion of giving back seriously. As Black History Month got underway in February, the nation’s first African-American Top Fuel champion spoke about the importance of being a role model. It is a position Brown embraces as he considers young fans looking up to him.

“They’re able to see somebody like me that’s African-American and say AB’s doing it. I can do it!”

He’d like young people of all backgrounds to understand they have competitive options beyond the stick and ball games that dominate American sports culture.