NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Three-time NHRA Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown will serve as the honorary pace car driver at the inaugural Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 4. Brown will pilot a 2018 Toyota Camry Pace Car to lead the field to green.

No stranger to speed or horsepower, Brown routinely exceeds speeds of more than 330 mph in his Matco Tools/U.S. Army/Toyota Top Fuel dragster. As a competitor in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Brown has amassed 65 victories and 49 No. 1 qualifiers. He has won three world titles since 2012 and is a favorite to contend for the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel world championship.

“I’m really excited about going to the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube,” said Brown, a longtime member of powerhouse Don Schumacher Racing, which fields seven NHRA teams, all powered by Pennzoil. “It’s going to be my first experience as a pace car driver, and I’m just super stoked to go out there and drive the Camry pace car for Pennzoil and start those NASCAR boys off the right way. Throttle down, pedal to the metal. I just want them to get off to a great start.”

Although it will be Brown’s first time wheeling a pace car, he has enjoyed a long and successful history at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, having collected four event wins and five number one qualifiers at The Strip at LVMS, which sits adjacent to the NASCAR oval. 

“I couldn’t be more excited to have the opportunity. It’s an honor to be out there with such talented drivers, and I know I’m going to really enjoy watching our NASCAR counterparts.” 

Before getting behind the wheel of the pace car, Brown will be joined by two of his DSR teammates, Matt Hagan and Leah Pritchett, where they will participate in a slew of Pennzoil 400 pre-race activities. Both Hagan and Pritchett have also enjoyed tremendous success as part of the Pennzoil family. A two-time Funny Car world champion, Hagan won the 2018 NHRA season opener, and Pritchett recently became the unofficial fastest Top Fuel driver in NHRA history when she made a 334.73-mph run during the pre-season test session earlier this month. 

Brown, Hagan, and Pritchett will make an appearance at the Pennzoil Performance Pit on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. PST. On Sunday, they will join Team Penske star Joey Logano at the Trackside Live stage for a Q&A session that will broadcast live on NASCAR.com, at 9 a.m. PST. From there, the DSR speedsters will return to the Pennzoil Performance Pit at 9:30 a.m. PST before reconvening at the Pennzoil suite to meet with customers while cheering on Logano and his No. 22 Pennzoil team.

The 267-lap race is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. PST and will be televised live on NHRA broadcasting partner, FOX. Pre-race activities will kick off at approximately 11 a.m. PST on the front stretch.

Brown, Hagan, and Pritchett will return to Las Vegas in the spring for the inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, April 6-8.