CONCORD, N.C. (AP) - Drag racing champ Antron Brown will get a chance in NASCAR
Brown, last year’s NHRA Top Fuel champion, will test a NASCAR K&N Series Toyota on Tuesday at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va., in a partnership between Rev Racing and Toyota. Brown says he has always been interested in stock car racing, but hadn’t gotten a quality test car until now.
“I know I can go straight,” Brown said. “Now, I’ve got to see if I can throw a left-hand turn in there.”
Brown became the first black driver to win a major auto racing title in the United States when he won on the NHRA Top Fuel crown. He’ll test alongside NASCAR Drive for Diversity drivers Bryan Ortiz, Daniel Suarez, Mackena Bell and Ryan Gifford.
Brown’s not sure where this test will lead. He’s simply happy to have partnered with a quality program in Rev Racing. Brown says the organization helps drivers learn all aspects of the business. “That’s what really intrigued me,” Brown said. “That if I want to get the chance to go oval-track racing, I was going have a good shot going out there and learning from this experience.”
Rev Racing CEO Max Siegel was glad to have Brown, who he called one of the “great talents in motorsports.”
Brown would love to race in NASCAR, but understands he’s got several hurdles to clear for that to happen.
“It would be great to actually race in a race one time,” Brown said. “We are going to take it one step at a time and we can actually grow for the next time we test.”
Brown expects to do some testing in late-model stock cars and will make sure he’s prepared before jumping into a NASCAR race.
“You have to take the appropriate steps,” he said. “My focus right now is to go testing and do it to the best of my ability.”
Brown acknowledged he’ll need to improve his conditioning to handle the hundreds of miles he’ll have to race in NASCAR. “You know, I drove for four seconds at a time right now,” he said. “So this is a lot different. I know there is a big learning curve.”
The 37-year-old Brown had six of his 23 career Top Fuel victories on the way to a championship last season.
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