Brown, Worsham win titles at NHRA Carolina Nationals

Both Don Schumacher Racing and Kalitta Motorsports had pretty good days Sunday at zMax Dragway.

The NHRA’s two biggest multicar teams came away winners on the final day of the NHRA Carolina Nationals, taking the two major division titles in Sunday’s elimination rounds.

Antron Brown took his second Carolina Nationals title and gave team owner Don Schumacher his 15th career title at zMax by beating J.R. Todd in the Top Fuel final. It was the first all-African-American final in the pro divisions in NHRA history.

“You never think about that kind of stuff,” said Brown, who has four titles at zMax, tops among Top Fuel drivers. “You just look at people as competitors, and give them the respect because of how good they are.”

Del Worsham beat No. 1 qualifier Tommy Johnson Jr. by 0.002 seconds off the start, and powered away to the Funny Car title, the first for team owner Connie Kalitta at zMax.

“We just went to work on this thing, and made some changes,” Worsham said after his first victory this season. “All those losses earlier this season, and the ways we lost, when it came time for this one, it was just ‘let’s just forge ahead.’

“The guys on the crew, they were the ones who did it, man; I was just the rider.”

Brown picked up his fifth victory in eight finals appearances this season, increasing his career total to 52 NHRA titles – 36 in Top Fuel, breaking a tie with Don Garlits for sixth in series history and 17 in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Worsham, who has 35 career NHRA titles, including 27 in Funny Car, also became the first driver to win both Funny Car and Top Fuel titles at zMax. He also won the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals with Alan Johnson Racing in 2011.

Sunday’s final wins also moved Brown and Worsham atop their respective divisions heading into the second event of the NHRA’s six-race Countdown to the Championship.

Brown, who trailed teammate Tony Schumacher by 30 points in the Top Fuel standings entering this weekend’s race, leaves with a nine-point edge. Worsham, who was fourth in Funny Car points, leads Johnson by six points.

A first for Enders: Defending Pro Stock champion Erica Enders continued her domination in the division, taking her first title at zMax Dragway by 0.0045 seconds against Vincent Nobile.

Enders’ third consecutive victory and seventh win this season tied her with three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champ Angelle Sampey for most wins in a season by a female driver.

Her first zMax title also gave Enders 19 career victories, moving her past Shirley Muldowney for second in all-time wins by a female driver, behind Sampey’s 41 titles.

Enders also strengthened her hold atop the Pro Stock points over second-place Greg Anderson of Mooresville. Ahead by 30 entering the Carolina Nationals, she leads by 83 points.

Another win for Hines: Four-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Andrew Hines became the winningest driver in zMax Dragway history, beating Matt Smith in the final.

Hines has won at zMax five times – three times in the Carolina Nationals, and twice in the Four-Wide Nationals – and his 40 career wins are third-best in Pro Stock Motorcycle history.

Hines also vaulted from third to first in the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings. He leads teammate Eddie Krawiec by 20 points.

This story was originally published September 20, 2015 at 8:03 PM with the headline "Brown, Worsham win titles at NHRA Carolina Nationals."