Reigning Top Fuel champion Antron Brown sent shock waves through the class Saturday when he failed to qualify for the Carlyle Tools NHRA Nationals at zMAX Dragway.

But the Matco Tools Dragster driver mustered a positive outlook about his chances in the remaining five races of the Countdown to the Championship.

Reigning Top Fuel champion Antron Brown sent shock waves through the class Saturday when he failed to qualify for the Carlyle Tools NHRA Nationals at zMAX Dragway.

But the Matco Tools Dragster driver mustered a positive outlook about his chances in the remaining five races of the Countdown to the Championship.

He and Terry McMillen were at the bottom of the order after Saturday’s first qualifying session, Brown in 15th place and McMillen 16th. Both were bumped from the field with one last opportunity.

McMillen got in with a 3.885-second pass at 320.36 mph on the 1,000-foot course at Concord, N.C. Brown came close to knocking McMillen out, but his 3.893, 320.36 fell short as he joined Chris Karamesines on the sidelines.

“You never imagine this kind of thing happening,” Brown said.

“We just went out there and we were trying to run hard. Things just didn’t go our way. That’s how racing can be. You can do all the right things and they still come up wrong,” he said. “Some days you do all the wrong things and they come up right.

“All of our guys have had their heads down working to the best of their ability, and this weekend just wasn’t our weekend. We’ll go back and regroup and just keep our heads up,” Brown said.

Noting that “there are five races left in this Countdown,” he said, “It’s never over. We won three races last year but had other things that went wrong, too. It’s still anybody’s championship to win. We’ve just got to stay focused, stay with the same mindset we’ve had, and attack it. The thing about it is, trust me, we’re going to give it everything we’ve got. We will be good.”

Even No. 1 qualifier Morgan Lucas said he took no joy in Brown’s misfortune. The GEICO/Lucas Oil Dragster driver said he breathed a sigh – “and not a sigh of relief” but rather an “I’ve-been-there, agonizing sigh.”

Acknowledging that “they’ve had some struggles, and we’ve been in our slump,” he said he told his team and his wife Katie, “I really wouldn’t wish not qualifying on anyone. But he’s probably the last person I would wish that on.

“He’s such a genuinely good person.  He’s good to everybody in the pit area. He treats everybody like they’re family. His wife [Billie Jo] is the same way,” Lucas said.

“In my opinion, he’s probably the best pound-for pound driver in the pits. He could probably drive anything,” he said. “You know how much the sport means to that guy. Seeing him go through this, it’s pretty tough.”

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