On foot or behind the wheel, speed is his signature

DINWIDDIE If all Antron Brown did was drive a Top Fuel dragster, he would be unusual.

After all, there aren't that many Top Fuel drivers in the country.

Only 15 are here at Virginia Motorsports Park this weekend for what is normally a 16-car field.

But in addition to his Top Fuel job, Brown he is an African-American in a sport where not many African-Americans make their living.

"Back in the day, there were a lot of African-Americans and Latinos in drag racing because it's not an expensive sport, and there's a ton of drag racing tracks around the country," Brown said. "You could pay 10 bucks and drag race whatever you brought, from a moped to a station wagon to a minivan to a '68 Camaro to a Chevelle to a Chevy Nova.

"That's why drag racing is so diverse. Anybody can do it. It doesn't cost a lot of money. Everybody who works on a car has a street rod or some kind of hot rod they race.

"Everybody starts off with a drag race car. Jack Roush and Joe Gibbs before NASCAR, all the NASCAR greats, they all came from drag racing. This is just the full extent of it right here, Top Fuel dragster."

Brown, 33, grew up at the drag race track. His father Albert and Uncle Andre were drag racing before Antron was born.

Brown began his racing career in motocross and did well enough that when former NFL player Troy Vincent wanted to start a Pro Stock motorcycle team, he asked Brown to be his rider.

It helped that Vincent had married Brown's cousin.

Now, Brown is the only rider/driver to move from the motorcycle classification to the Top Fuel classification.

"You get out there and you take one step and take the next step and before you know it, you've taken 10 steps and you end up right where you wanted to be," Brown said.

For much of this season, Brown led the Top Fuel classification in points. He arrived at VMP in fourth place. But he gave himself a nice boost yesterday by running the fastest time, 3.856 over the 1,000-foot track, a speed of 315.49 miles per hour, in the first round of qualifying.

Cory McClenathan eclipsed Brown in the second round of qualifying yesterday.

Brown is not just among the fastest when he's behind the wheel. He's probably the fastest Top Fuel driver in track spikes.

At Mercer County Community College in New Jersey, he ran a 10.28 fully automatic time in the 100-meter dash.

There was talk of Brown's chances of qualifying for the Olympic Trials, but in the midst of his training, Vincent called about the motorcycle racing.

"I've always been a great competitor in anything I do, running, basketball, football, baseball, golf, pitching quarters against the wall," Brown said. "That just drives me out here."

Yesterday, between qualifying rounds, Brown busily mixed and poured the 20 gallons of fuel his car needs per run.

"Everybody on the team has a role, and that's my role," he said.

No matter how fast he is driving or how intent he is on helping to prepare the car between races, Brown never forgets others are watching.

"When you're a professional athlete or driver, you're a role model," Brown said. "I welcome that with open arms. If I didn't have role models when I grew up, I wouldn't be the person I am today.

"You always look at somebody who highlighted your life or is kind of a superstar, and you want to emulate that person because they've done something right in their life to be who they are.

"Hopefully others will take all the good and positive things they see in me and achieve their goals like I have."

Contact Paul Woody at (804) 649-6444 or . Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/World_of_Woody.