MECHANICSVILLE, Md. — The inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS marks the second of four new events on the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series tour, and Top Fuel veteran and four-time world champ Antron Brown is ready to take on a new track this weekend at Maryland International Raceway.
Brown finished runner-up two weeks ago at Route 66 Raceway in his Matco Tools Eagle Experience Top Fuel dragster, marking his best result of the young season. Hailing from New Jersey, the four-time world champion says an East Coast race will serve as his home track event and he is confident in the team’s momentum as the series moves into a busy stretch of three straight race weekends.
“After our runner-up in Chicago, the confidence is definitely a lot higher,” said Brown. “The team is definitely on the mend and looking for a really good race out in Maryland, especially since it’s the East Coast hometown track.
“After Chicago, we got a lot more confidence built up after we made four runs in a row down the racetrack in race trim, and even dropping low elapsed time of one elimination round. It really was a huge confidence builder going in knowing that we can run and be competitive. We just let the race get away from us – we just got a little bit aggressive in the final (against points leader Shawn Langdon), but you have to be that way when you’re racing those cars.”
The 2026 NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS includes action in all four Mission Foods Drag Racing Series classes. It is also the seventh of 20 races during the milestone campaign.
With his runner-up finish in Chicago, Brown will be slotted into the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, where he will take on Leah Pruett. The other side of the ladder will feature Chicago winner and current points leader Shawn Langdon and Gainesville winner Josh Hart.
The rest of the loaded field includes reigning world champion Doug Kalitta, racing legend Tony Stewart, Clay Millican, Justin Ashley and rookie Maddi Gordon.
“We’re looking poised and we’re ready to have some more of the same that we did in Chicago, and we’re really looking forward to the hotter summer months coming up, where we think that we have a package that we can compete with,” said Brown. “We’ve always been really strong in the hot weather, so we’re really looking forward to this next three-race stretch in a row and looking forward to seeing what our AB Motorsports team and Matco Tools team can do.”
As part of NHRA’s 75th anniversary season, Brown was added to the Top 75 Driver List, joining other active NHRA greats including Tony Schumacher, Ron Capps and Greg Anderson. Brown’s impressive performance both on and off the track earned him a spot on the highly prestigious list.
“To be named to the Top 75, honestly, it’s overwhelming in the best way,” Brown said. “I was just a kid from Chesterfield, New Jersey, with a dream, and to now be mentioned alongside some of the biggest names in drag racing is something you never take lightly. This is one of those moments you reflect on, appreciate and carry with you forever. I’m truly honored to join this class.”
