Antron Brown doesn’t have to be sold on the importance of catching prostate cancer early. He’s lost friends and family members who didn’t get that chance.
The four-time NHRA Top Fuel world champion and AB Motorsports team owner now wants to make sure the subject gets talked about in racing circles.
Brown has been named the Founding Motorsports Ambassador for Prostate Cancer Connection, a Colorado-based nonprofit providing prostate cancer education, awareness and support.
“I’ve lost close friends and family members who found out too late, so this is personal for me,” Brown said. “Early detection is key. I want to use my platform to spread awareness and encourage men to get tested and talk with their doctors. If sharing this message helps one person take that step sooner, then we’re making a difference.”
That puts Brown in front of an audience he already knows well. Race fans, crew members and people throughout the industry are among those PCC hopes to reach through the partnership.
The American Cancer Society estimates 333,830 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United States in 2026, with 36,320 deaths. Other than skin cancer, it is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer among American men and the second-leading cause of cancer death among men.
The numbers are worse for Black men. They are nearly 70% more likely than White men to be diagnosed and twice as likely to die from the disease.
The ACS recommends men at average risk begin discussing screening with their health care provider at age 50. Those at higher risk should have that conversation earlier.
Lee Beard knew all about prostate cancer before there was a Prostate Cancer Connection.
Beard was Gary Ormsby’s crew chief.
Together they won six NHRA national events and the 1989 Top Fuel world championship. They came back with six more victories in 1990, narrowly missing a second consecutive title.
By 1991, they were looking ahead. Plans were being made for a second car.
Then Ormsby was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
He died in August 1991. He was 49.
Beard never forgot it.
“Antron is a world champion on the track and a world-class leader away from it,” Beard said. “I’ve known him for a long time, and I’ve had the privilege of watching him grow from a tremendously talented racer into a champion, team owner and someone people genuinely look up to. Having him step forward now to help PCC reach men and families means a great deal to me personally.”
PCC founder Kelly Fedorowich Beard’s involvement also grew from her family’s experience with prostate cancer. Brown now gives the organization an established voice inside a racing community that Lee Beard has known for decades.
“Antron brings far more than visibility to PCC. He brings credibility, trust and an authentic connection to the motorsports community,” Fedorowich Beard said. “We believe his voice can help us reach men and their loved ones in places where conversations about prostate cancer don’t always happen.”
For Brown, that’s where this starts.
“Early detection is key,” Brown said.
