Antron Brown is black and a drag racer. He's just not a black drag racer, at least in the look-he's-the-only-one sense.
OK, so maybe Brown is the only African-American driving at the highest levels of side-by-side racing, a star on the rise in an NHRA Top Fuel dragster.
But he's far from alone.
The NHRA's Pro Stock divisions have at least three minority drivers - Michael Phillips, Peggy Llewellyn and Tom Hammonds - and there are countless others at smaller tracks across the country, pounding the pedal when the Christmas tree turns green.
See, the unique thing about drag racing is that it's not the typical good-ol'-boy, most-money-wins motor sport. It doesn't take $50,000 to run a go-cart season just for a chance at the next level. Anyone can take a $1,500 junker, buy the right parts and beat the competition off the line.
``It's pretty cool when you see all these different cultures out here in drag racing,'' Brown said. ``You don't have the problem other forms of racing have. We all grew up drag racing. Who doesn't know someone who had a four-cylinder Chevette and his buddy's got a four-cylinder Chevette and they race off at the stoplight?''
It's just that now Brown isn't at the stoplight in a groceries-in-the-back ride anymore.
He's driving a jet-engine-propelled Toyota Top Fuel dragster, the G-forces shoving his brain to the back of his skull as he hits 300 mph.
It's been a somewhat surprising run to the top. Not because of his color. His background.
Brown grew up playing more traditional sports. Whatever the season, he was playing. And he was good.
Undersized but exceptionally athletic, Brown excelled at just about everything and was particularly adept at track. Good enough to earn a college scholarship, have a chance at qualifying for the Olympic Trials.
But racing was in his blood.
His father and uncle were weekend warriors with fumes, driving at the local track near Trenton, N.J. They drove cars, but Brown's specialty was motorcycles.
He first started riding one at 4, not long after taking on a bicycle with training wheels. Brown had a successful amateur career, riding all along the Eastern Seaboard, and was eventually contacted by former NFL player Troy Vincent about riding professionally. A year later, Brown was riding for Vincent in the Pro Stock division, where he stayed for 10 years, winning 16 races and earning 33 final rounds.
Then came the opportunity had always wanted: Top Fuel. Even though he rode motorcycles, Brown had always wanted to drive at the upper echelon of drag racing, follow the footsteps of ``Big Daddy'' Don Garlits, John Force, Kenny Bernstein - all the drivers he looked up to as a kid.
Brown got the chance in 2008 with David Powers Motorsports and made a difficult transition from two wheels to four look easy, winning in his fourth Top Fuel start by edging two-time series champion Larry Dixon in Houston. Despite going through four owners in a year, he won six races in 2009 and is now fifth in the points this year, with three finals and a record qualifying time at Topeka last weekend for Don Schumacher Racing.
``Evolving from motorcycles like he's done, nobody's ever done that that I know of,'' Force said. ``For him to jump right into the class field with a shot at the title; he hasn't got it yet, but he could.''
More than just being fast, Brown has reached the top by being quick with a hand shake or pat on the back.
Naturally charismatic, the 34-year-old realizes it's not just about stomping his foot. He understands he no longer just represents Antron Brown, that he's the face of his sponsors, his team and its owners.
So when Brown isn't at the line or in the garage, he's out shaking hands with fans, talking with sponsors or at shows, always flashing that engaging smile.
``You have to have the full package to be successful out here and there's very few people who have that,'' Brown said. ``There are people who are great racers, but they're not good PR people, not good public speakers and know how to represent companies right. You have to be a salesman, a racer, you have to be a team builder because you work with the crew guys and then you have to represent a corporation.''
So far, Brown has handled it well. He's become successful on the track, well-respected among his racing peers, the crowd-pleasing face of the team and corporations he represents.
Brown understands drag racing is a fan-fueled sport, that it won't do him any good just to go fast if no one cares. Drag racing has a certain niche even within the motorsports world and it not only has to find as many fans as possible, but look for ways to bring new ones in by making the show fun.
``He's very good for the sport, he's very outgoing, he's entertaining,'' Force said. ``He knows it's not just about pitching the gospel of your sponsors or your team owner. He knows the drill is to entertain.''
Brown also knows, firsthand, how dangerous his sport can be.
While qualifying at Phoenix in the second race of the season, the back end of his car broke, sending a tire bounding into the stands. It missed most of the fans in the grandstand, but struck a 52-year-old woman, who later died.
Even though there was little Brown could have done to prevent the Feb. 22 crash - the car simply broke - he wakes up every morning and looks in the mirror, wondering what if.
``It was one of those freak accidents, but still it was a lady enjoying herself watching a drag race,'' Brown said. ``In our sport, it's an entertainment sport and we're there to entertain people, not hurt them. It's always going to weigh on my mind, make my heart heavy.''
Even in pain, Brown gets it.
