Shaken but apparently not seriously injured, reigning Top Fuel champion Antron Brown rode out a violent second-round accident during Sunday's eliminations of the O'Reilly Auto Parts Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Calif.

Almost at the end of his 1,000-foot race against Dave Grubnic, the engine in Brown's Matco Tools Dragster exploded. Brown was clocked going across the finish line first in 3.848 seconds at 308.64 mph.

Shaken but apparently not seriously injured, reigning Top Fuel champion Antron Brown rode out a violent second-round accident during Sunday's eliminations of the O'Reilly Auto Parts Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Calif.

Almost at the end of his 1,000-foot race against Dave Grubnic, the engine in Brown's Matco Tools Dragster exploded. Brown was clocked going across the finish line first in 3.848 seconds at 308.64 mph.

Amid a shower of shrapnel, the car rolled onto its right side, spun, and hit the left-lane wall wing/back end first, causing another burst of flames. Then the dragster shot back across the track into the right lane and skidded in its side and backwards along the right-side wall into the sand trap.

The NHRA emergency medical team checked out Brown on site after he climbed from what was left of his car. He had popped open the cockpit canopy -- in his first race with the protective device mounted on his dragster -- and walked away on his own power.

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