Antron Brown still has plenty of swagger.

Brown, the time NHRA Top Fuel world champion, in his first year owning and operating AB Motorsports, is right in the mix to win world title No. 4 – especially after Sunday.

Brown topped the competition at the Betway Carolina Nationals in Charlotte, culminating with his holeshot final round win over Justin Ashley.

Brown clocked a 3.672-second elapsed time at 335.73 mph while Ashley had a 3.671-second lap at 333.99 mph.

The difference was at the starting line as Brown had a .035 reaction time compared to Ashley’s .055 light.

This was Brown’s 71st career NHRA Wally and his 55th in Top Fuel. Brown also has 16 Pro Stock Motorcycle race wins. More importantly it was Brown’s third win this season – he also won in Topeka, Kan., and Indianapolis – and third in the last five races.

On Sunday, Brown defeated Austin Prock, Brittany Force, Clay Millican and then Ashley, the No. 1 qualifier.

Brown moved from fourth to second in the points standings just 43 points behind leader Ashley. The six-race Countdown to the Championship continues with its third race the NHRA Midwest Nationals in St. Louis Sept. 30 through Oct. 2.

“I'll tell you what, our guys... starting from the top, Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald, Brad Mason, this whole Matco Tools, Lucas Oil team with Toyota in the back. We've been working on it,” Brown said. “The engineers at Toyota, and all our guys, they've been working hard, saying, ‘How can we make this thing better?’ And when we won in Topeka, it was a hot track. We won in Indy, the track started getting good, where we were running high 60s, like 69, 70 flats.

“We have a lot of runs. We ran Brittany. We didn't complete that run. We actually had our little balance wheel in the front of the motor, that's our degree wheel, it actually took out... It actually took out our deal and shut our car off. The car was on a 68 or 67 run on that pass. Because that's what we knew we had to run to beat that team. And we got through that round. And then when we ran Clay, he dropped low ET on everybody, we didn't change nothing. Same thing. We came up there with the car dialed in, tuned in. And we got out there and went out there. We ran good. We ran a 68, 7 against him, and he ran a 69. And we knew we had to do that. And Justin, he was dropping bombs on everybody all day long. And we knew that's going to be a tough round match up. Especially with him cutting .025 lights.”

Brown said Ashley’s father, Mike, a former national event winner and team owner, was prophetic in what he told him.

“Mike Ashley said before we started this race, he goes, ‘It's going to be you and Justin in the final,’” Brown said. “He (predicts) stuff, which is scary, and it happens. And we got there, and we got in the final. That was just a fun final. We knew Mike's going to throw the kitchen sink at it, him and Tommy D. Brian and Mark were all throwing a kitchen sink at it. We would borrow our neighbor's kitchen sink and put at it. So, when we got there in that final, we just went there and go, ‘This is fun,’ because we won as a team, as a collective group.”

The matchup between Brown and Ashley was essentially a heavyweight bout with teammates.

“They're on the one side of Lucas Oil Hospitality, we're on the other side,” Brown said. “And we push each other all the time. Justin and I knew we were giving everything we had on that start line. When I went in there, I staged the car, and he came in, and that tree was, it felt like it took forever to come on. And I was like this, ‘Oh, it ain't come on yet. Oh, it still ain't on.’ When I saw that little hint of yellow, brother, my foot had no hesitation. I didn't say, ‘Go.’ It just went down. And I'm like, ‘Oh, we're side by side.’ I could feel his rumble of his car next to me. And I'm like, ‘Oh Lord, just don't drop in the hole. Stay lit, stay lit’ and that car stayed lit. I couldn't even see what happened on the scoreboard, but I don't know how fast we went, but I tried to keep that car straight as an arrow.

“Then when I saw the light blinking on at the end of the finish line, on the side guard rail, I said, ‘We got it.’ I was like, ‘Oh Lord.’ I was going crazy, and giving the Lord all the glory, when we came around that corner. And it was just like something just tapping me and going, ‘We did it, we did it.’ And man, I know in December when I lost my grandma, it made it so special because we were going through all our trials and tribulations and all these hard times. I just remember her little face, and her little hands, and her arms. And she used to shake them like this, with both fists together. And she used to say, ‘Y'all go get 'em boy. Y'all get 'em. Y'all get 'em.’ And she used to close her eyes tight together and she used to smile. And she never opened her mouth. 

Cause she never wanted people to see that she ain't got no teeth. And she used to do that with all her strength and will. And that image just stuck in my head. When I turned that corner, and I looked up, and I said, ‘Grams that's for you.’”

The race against Justin Ashley was somewhat ironic since it was Brown who let Ashley get in his dragster in 2018 after the Norwalk, Ohio, event which got Ashley moving forward into a Top Fuel career.

“When you look at stuff, like the movie, everybody saw Rocky III? When Apollo showed Rocky the tricks of the trade,” Brown said. “I showed that kid the tricks of the trade. But this is the true, honest to God's truth. You can teach people as much as you want to teach them. Either you got it, or you don't. And that kid had it from Day 1. And that kid is dangerous. You know what I mean? When you look at it, he's only getting better. He's not like he's made the pinnacle. This is his second year of racing, and he's in the points lead for a championship with the toughest field this class has ever seen. Period? When I look at Justin, he's the creme of the creme, and Mike Green is in true championship stride, and he’s got Tommy DeLago back. 

“Dustin Davis. He is not playing as an owner, and he's got all the right tools and everything necessary. For us, we're just raising a level up. You know what I mean? We got to step up. If we want to compete for this championship, we got to step up. And I look at Justin, like go up and embrace him. He's the toughest competitor out there, period. Hands down. If you ask anybody out here, ‘Do you want to race Justin Ashley?’ I guarantee you, every driver will say, ‘Hell no.’ Cause that's how tough the kid is. I mean he spits out 40s shadow stage blinking above 30s. The kid is razor sharp and his focus is unreal. For me, where I'm at, is like, ‘All right. I taught you that move.’”

The day Ashley took laps in his dragster is one Brown has not forgotten.

“I remember every day because we saw the kid get in the car,” he said. “Justin got in the car. Justin's been at this sport for a long time. Remember when Mike owned our team in 2009. He was there every step of the way. People don't realize, Justin don't talk a lot about it. He was a hell of an athlete. Played football. The boy is sharp, quick. He's athletic. And he's got that focus where things don't get to him. You know what I mean? He's not bouncing. You never see Justin bouncing all over the place. You ever see him? He's like a cat on the prowl, about to pounce on his prey. Cat ain't bouncing around when the prey comes. He just jumps on it. And I told him that. I said, ‘Got to be calm, cool, relax, breathe, focus. Just don't let it get to you. Can't sweat the small stuff.’ He's overcome a lot of things in his journey and now, he's running for that championship.

“We're (No. 1) and (No. 2) in the points, and it's going to be a dog fight. But we got a lot of other competitors that's peaking at the right time. Like Clay Millican, Josh Hart, Steve Torrence, the four-time champ, and Brittany Force, Austin (Prock) and Mike Salinas. There are so many great cars. Doug Kalitta is coming on strong. Shawn (Langdon). There are so many cars that can win this championship. But the rounds are getting slim. (There are) 16 rounds to win this championship. So, our focus is going up to (get) everyone that we can get.”

Brown acknowledged he was ready at the starting line against Ashley.

“I got to dip and bob and miss those blows, and I got to counter,” Ashley said. “I'm countering the best I can. I don't know if I (will) go 20s, but I know I can go 30s. That's when we pulled out of that final round, I pulled out my best blow, and Brian and Mark and the boys gave us a car that can compete. And it was good enough this weekend to get that win.”

There’s no doubt what Brown’s crew chiefs Corradi and Oswald mean to him.

“Well, one thing about it is that Brian and Mark are like Batman and Robin,” Brown said. “Then you got Brad (Mason) in the background. He's the glue that holds all the guys together. And when you put those three, The Three Amigos together, and then you got all our crew guys that work hard. It starts with their two relationships. And they're hard on one another. Sometimes Brian's hard on Mark. It's a true brother relationship. It ain't always cookies and cream and milk. It ain't like that all the time. People think, ‘Oh they're nice.’ Oh no. They'll say some harsh words sometimes. But what I like is that it's real. There's no screaming. It's love. And sometimes it's tough love, and it's great love and sometimes you got to have that honesty to move forward.
“That's why I love these guys with my heart, because all of us are in it together and we want the best for each other.”