A season marred by tragedy and disappointment could turn around this weekend for the talented Top Fuel racer.
"We've had some things that set us back a long ways," says Top Fuel driver Antron Brown entering Sunday's finals of the NHRA's Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, and we've been digging ourselves out ever since." • NHRA SUMMITT RACING NATIONALS
When: Sunday. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m.; Where: Summit Motorsports Park, Norwalk, Ohio; TV: Same-day coverage of final eliminations, 7 p.m., ESPN2; Tickets: $12-$55; Track opens: 8:30 a.m.; Tickets, more info: Summitmotorsportspark.com
NORWALK, Ohio -- Dealing with the unexpected is one of the toughest things for a man to deal with. Such is the life this season for Top Fuel driver Antron Brown as he began the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park.
Joining the powerful Don Schumacher race team was expected to be the impetus for Brown to turn a dominant 2009 season into a championship campaign for 2010. But only recently has Brown, 33, started putting together strong weekends.
"We've had some things that set us back a long ways, and we've been digging ourselves out ever since," Brown said.
"Last year we were in a groove. Our team peaked and we were winning races and taking care of business. We had a stretch when we were unstoppable. This year, it's a struggle, but our car is coming around and being more consistent."
Brown began Saturday's third round in Top Fuel posting a second-best speed of 318.99 mph. He followed that with a 313.29 mph afternoon performance, which marked the seventh time in the past 12 events he has qualified first or second. Yet Brown, who won six times in 2009, is still looking for win No.1 for 2010.
The low point came Feb. 21 in Phoenix. During a run, one of his rear tires exploded, sending the car into the wall in a blaze. The tire snapped free and bounced into the stands where it hit a spectator, Sue Zimmerman, 52, from Wisconsin, who later died.
A race official climbs over a barrier with a fire extinguisher to aid Antron Brown after he crashed his dragster during the NHRA Arizona Nationals auto race on Feb. 21 in Chandler, Ariz. The missing tire from Brown's dragster struck a fan, who later died from the injuries."Going through that deal it really makes you wonder, like, 'OK Lord, what's in store for us?'" Brown said. "You start questioning yourself ... what's the real reason I'm doing this? You start looking at yourself, and start evaluating everything around you. That was huge. That's the first time in my life ... I questioned what I was doing. Why did that happen? How did that happen? I had to do some soul searching. Not just me, our whole team had to."
Keeping a missile traveling at better than 300 mph in a straight line is tough enough. Any small thing can become a big thing in a split second. Brown and his NHRA peers understand that. But when their world leaps the fence and affects others, it's tough to continue on.
"When something like that happens to any spectator at a sporting event, it's particularly hard on everyone," Brown said. "Never once have I thought that a spectator is in harm's way. The last thing I want to see is anybody get hurt. I know I put myself in harm's way. I know I take that risk. But never do I want to see anybody else get hurt on the outside of that fence. They didn't sign up for that.
"That's something you can't put aside. That's something that will sit with our race team for quite a while. That hit home. I think I'll be thinking about this until the day I die."
Still, Brown knows he has to keep moving forward.
"What happened in Phoenix, nothing could prepare you or help you through something like that," Brown said. "I saw my life flash in front of my eyes. Right then and there, I knew God had a hand on me. The one thing that really woke me up is, an accident like that, it's very easy for you not to be here. For me not to open my eyes back up again.
"But I didn't have a scratch on me. Lord had mercy on me. Strange as it sounds, that has made our team relax more, take a step back. What made us great last year is we didn't put pressure on ourselves, and maybe this year we were putting on too much."
Still, winning is the objective. Brown says Norwalk is as good a place as any to get his first win of 2010.
"I've been close here several times," he said. "I think this year, this race could be our breakout race. Our team is due, and Norwalk could be where it happens. I think we're on the verge of doing that."
If it does happen, that could put Brown on his way to the top of Top Fuel.
In the money: The pro stock $50,000 K&N Horsepower Challenge went to Greg Anderson with an impressive holeshot that was too much for Mike Edwards to overcome. It marked the third time Anderson has won the challenge, but only the first time in 26 years of the event it has been won with a holeshot.
"I still don't know how it happened," Anderson said. "Sometimes, the timing is just right. I haven't been brimming with confidence lately, but timing is everything and we had a great day today."
Early birds: Eliminations begin at 11 a.m. Sunday morning, and the Force will be with you. Icon John Force qualified 16th and last in Funny Cars, which means his first elimination will be versus his daughter, Ashley, who qualified first in Funny Cars.