Monday, February 18, 2013
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The driver of the national-record-setting Matco Tools dragster will try to make it two in a row and three wins overall at the popular desert multi-motorsports facility at the 29th annual
NHRA Arizona Nationals, Feb. 22-24.
Brown, who clinched his first world championship title in dramatic fashion in November 2012 in Pomona, became the first African-American to win a major auto racing championship in the United States. He is excited to open defense of his title and begin the quest to earn his second series crown in the highly competitive 8,000-horsepower Top Fuel category.
Backing up his win from last year at FIR would be a great start. Brown held off Tony Schumacher for the victory here last February in a close final-round race. Then at the season finale, Schumacher lost in the final round, giving Brown the championship by a very thin two-point margin.
“We want to contend for a championship again, and we want to defend our title,” Brown said. “We saw a bunch of other teams step up at [preseason] testing; Brandon [Bernstein's] car was running exceptionally well, our teammate Tony Schumacher and Morgan Lucas, and the Kalitta cars were running good, and both Al-Anabi cars were running good. You have a lot of people coming out there this year, and they want to win. This is going to be another year where the competition level is going to be at an all-time high.”
Speaking of tough competition, Brown will need to hold off a host of strong challengers if he’s going to be successful in his attempt to repeat, including seven-time world champ Schumacher, a three-time winner at FIR; national speed record holder Spencer Massey; Al-Anabi Racing’s Shawn Langdon, who just won the season opener in Pomona; Mac Tools driver Doug Kalitta; GEICO driver Lucas; and Top Fuel rookie Brittany Force in the Castrol Edge dragster.
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