Antron Brown clinched his fourth Top Fuel title, marking his first championship as a team owner, following his semifinal round win at the NHRA Finals on Sunday.
Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also secured championships at the event, capping off the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.
Brown, who qualified 12th in his Matco Tools/Toyota dragster, defeated Justin Ashley in the opening round with a run of 3.696 seconds at 331.53 mph. He then faced Shawn Langdon, overcoming challenges to advance to the semifinals against Brittany Force.
In the pivotal semifinal round, Brown achieved a career milestone with a winning time of 3.693 seconds at 330.88 mph, claiming his fourth career title. He followed with a final-round victory over Doug Kalitta, further solidifying his season with a sixth win.
“This is super special,” Brown said. “I’ve been dreaming about this day since I shared my vision with [late team owner] Don Schumacher about being a team owner. This team has been resilient.”
Anderson faced teammate Dallas Glenn in a winner-take-all Pro Stock final, narrowly winning with a time of 6.501 at 211.13 mph compared to Glenn’s 6.516. This victory earned Anderson his sixth world championship, tying him for the second-most in Pro Stock history.
Anderson’s win was his 106th career victory and came after struggles in the preceding months. “We struggled the last three or four months,” Anderson said. “I knew I had to figure it out, and today we did. Today was like a dream.”
Herrera secured his second straight Pro Stock Motorcycle championship after winning his first round on Sunday, entering eliminations with a 119-point lead. The RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki rider set an NHRA record, achieving 21 wins in his first two seasons.
“This is very special,” Herrera said. “When I won the title in 2023, it didn’t seem real… but this year, we had to fight for it every weekend. I have to hand it to Matt [Smith] for all his hard work.”
Herrera finished with an impressive 50-5 record this season and 100-8 over the last two years. He reflected on his journey in the sport, saying, “At the time I thought it was a one-race deal. Now, here we are two years and two championships later.”
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series will return March 6-9, 2025, for the NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.
