BROWN VICTORIOUS AT ROUTE 66 NATIONALS FOR 75TH CAREER WIN
Toyota earns seventh consecutive Top Fuel victory
JOLIET, Ill. (May 19, 2024) – On a hot, slick Sunday in Joliet, Illinois, Antron Brown took home his first Wally Trophy of 2024 at the Route 66 NHRA Nationals. The win by Brown marks the 75th of his historic career, as well as his sixth overall NHRA win at Route 66 Raceway. Brown’s triumph is also the seventh consecutive Top Fuel win for Toyota, dating back to November 2023.
Brown defeated Toyota teammate Shawn Langdon in the finals Sunday evening, which was Langdon’s 52nd career final round appearance. Steve Torrence and Justin Ashley also advanced out of the first round for Team Toyota, only to both be defeated by Brown on his way to victory.
In Funny Car, Alexis DeJoria advanced the furthest of the Toyota GR Supras Sunday afternoon, falling to John Force in the second round. J.R. Todd and Ron Capps were defeated in round one.
With the final round appearances by Brown and Langdon in Top Fuel, Toyota has now reached the finals in 29 consecutive NHRA events.
Toyota Post-Race Recap
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series
Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Route 66 Raceway
Race 6 of 20
TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS
| Name | Car | Final Result | Round-by-Round |
| Antron Brown | Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Winner | W (4.113) v. J. Salinas (No Time) W (3.891) v. J. Ashley (5.081) W (3.894) v. S. Torrence (5.467) W (3.838) v. S. Langdon (3.869) |
| Shawn Langdon | Future Energy Solutions Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Finalist | W (3.801) v. C. Krohn (3.930) W (3.866) v. S. Reed (4.317) W (3.764) v. D. Mercier (4.972) L (3.869) v. A. Brown (3.838) |
| Steve Torrence | CAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Semi-finals | W (3.838) v. B. Torrence (3.904) W (3.854) v. C. Millican (3.894) L (5.467) v. A. Brown (3.894) |
| Justin Ashley | SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | Second Round | W (3.827 – holeshot) v. D. Kalitta (3.790) L (5.081) v. A. Brown (3.891) |
| Doug Kalitta | Applied Innovation Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | First Round | L (3.790) v. J. Ashley (3.827 – holeshot) |
| Billy Torrence | CAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | First Round | L (3.904) v. S. Torrence (3.838) |
TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS
| Name | Car | Final Result | Round-by-Round |
| Alexis DeJoria | Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | Second Round | W (4.166) v. J. Todd (9.674) L (4.237) v. J. Force (4.008) |
| J.R. Todd | DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | First Round | L (9.674) v. A. DeJoria (4.166) |
| Ron Capps | NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | First Round | L (4.650) v. M. Hagan (4.087) |
*= Non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
ANTRON BROWN, Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, AB Motorsports
TF Final Result: Winner
What was the key to victory today?
“You have to step up when you race a team like that over there (Shawn Langdon, Kalitta Motorsports). We knew it was going to be a crazy final, and we know what they ran – a 3.82, 3.83. But first off, all the glory goes to God. For Don Schumacher, our boss, our guy that got us all out here, dedicated this to him and his family. We had a special memorial this weekend for him. Another that’s down, we’re missing our crew guy, Alex. Alex, you know what’s going on man. This is for your dad. We love you, we miss you. This is special for Matco Tools, Lucas Oil, all our sponsors. Summit Racing, Sirius XM, Toyota, FVP, everybody. We love all of these people and thanks for making it happen. And thanks to the fans here in Chicago. It feels good to be back here at Route 66 Raceway. What a blessing for win No. 75 and it’s true blessing to be on this team. And God gets all the glory.”
SHAWN LANGDON, Future Energy Solutions Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Kalitta Motorsports
TF Final Result: Finalist
Take us through your day today, reaching the final round.
“It was a good day. The Future Energy Solutions Toyota team made great runs out here on a very tricky race track with the hot conditions. It was probably one of our first true tests of a summer track with a lot of UV. We made great runs but just missed it a little bit in the final and didn’t give the track enough credit. It started cooling off, and Antron (Brown) made a good run. We’ll take the runner-up spot – we’re very pleased with that for Future Energy Solutions, Revchem, Safety Kleen and everybody at Kalitta Air. It’s good to see this car going rounds again after a tough couple of races. The car qualified well and maintained well on race day so we’re looking forward to heading to Epping.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 49,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 34 million cars and trucks at our nine manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 10th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 28 electrified options.
Through its Driving Possibilities initiative, the Toyota USA Foundation has committed to creating innovative educational programs within, and in partnership with, historically underserved and diverse communities near the company’s U.S. operating sites.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
