That ’ s Dave Schultz , the ‘ Milk Man ,’ all in white !’ I remember going out there and seeing people like Joe Amato , Darrell Gwynn , Mark Oswald , ( Raymond ) Beadle , all the greats of the sport . And I saw John Force when John Force wasn ’ t the John Force that he is today ; you get what I ’ m saying ? He was talking the same , but he was still trying to make it happen . When I was able to see all that , it started giving me that sense of I can be here someday .
“ I started seeing it and putting it together in my mind , and when you get something like that from a sport — and I ’ m living that dream that I had when I was a kid — it ’ s automatic to give it back to the youth so they can experience the same experience I had , so they can have that ray of hope that I had , so they can field their dreams and make them a reality . That ’ s what I think our Mello Yello Drag Racing sport is all about . It ’ s walking that walk , but you want to end up going through that finish line and making it happen . I think it ’ s all our responsibilities as professional drivers to give that back and to be that type of ambassador for the sport .”
It can be said that a career in professional drag racing was more attainable when Brown was growing up . However , he doesn ’ t see it that way .
“ The thing about it is I see that this generation has a lot more options than what I had when I was growing up . They didn ’ t have Jr . Dragsters when I was growing up . Kids can start racing Jr . Dragsters now at five years old , and then you can go into a street car at 14 years old ,” he points out .
Beyond the driving aspect , today ’ s young people can find a wealth of opportunities throughout the sport . Perhaps more importantly , they ’ re exposed to those opportunities more frequently than ever before .
“ The awareness is at a whole new level , especially with the U . S . Army doing the Youth Education and STEM program , bringing high-school and college kids out to see what we ’ re all about at the NHRA . These kids get to see the different opportunities , where they can go to school . They can come out of high school and get a degree from UNOH , from Lincoln Tech , from Western Tech , from all these different tech schools and colleges , and actually get a degree in High Performance or Race Performance Mechanics or Engineering , and they ’ ll come over into our sport .
“ That ’ s been making our sport grow , and not
August 2017
“ When you get something like this from a sport — and I ’ m living that dream that I had when I was a kid — it ’ s automatic to give it back to the youth so they can experience the same experience I had .” just grow ‘ out ,’ but also just the intelligence factor of it . We ’ re bringing the science into the sport . That ’ s why you ’ re seeing our cars go down the track 90 percent of the time . Back in the day , if you had a car that would go down the track 70 percent of the time , you would ’ ve won all the races . Now we ’ re going down the track and we ’ re running within a thousandth of a second of each other . That ’ s because of all the new modern technology and all these kids who are coming out of college , coming right in and bringing that new way of thinking into our sport .”
Just as he ’ s seen the talent side of the sport growing rapidly , Brown has noticed a new wave of fans coming through the gates , filling the grandstands and tuning in on television . He believes the NHRA ’ s new television package with FOX Sports , effective at the onset of the 2016 season , has helped the sport ’ s audience become “ bigger , better and wider ” through an extensive live TV schedule and a selection of races being aired on the national FOX network .
“ We ’ ve got people coming out to our races that have never been before ,” Brown says . “ Once they see it in person , they ’ re done ; they ’ re hooked like a big-mouth bass . They fall in love with the sport because it ’ s like no other . That ’ s what ’ s great about our sport . TV helps get it out there , but now with the national and worldwide exposure , we ’ re getting people to come visit . We ’ re getting sold-out crowds ; we saw it on the Western Swing and we ’ re going to see it at the Countdown races . It ’ s going to be out of control . That ’ s what I ’ ve been seeing with our sport . Our sport is at the pinnacle where it ’ s about to explode .”
A rising mainstream interest in drag racing has been attractive to Brown ’ s cast of supporters , another consistent factor behind the team ’ s success .
“ Our sponsors have been very excited about where drag racing is going . I ’ ve been fortunate with our sponsors . Matco just signed a contract last year all the way through to 2020 , and the same thing with Toyota . Pennzoil has stepped up and Hangsterfer ’ s Metalworking Lubricants has also stepped up on our car , and not just helping our shop out with the products , but also with money to help us with outreach . Streamlight Flashlights has also stepped up . We have a lot of new partners that are coming on board , and then with Papa
John ’ s being a part of all of DSR here , being on a national ad campaign with them , it ’ s been huge ,” Brown says , referring to the commercials and pizza boxes emblazoned with the image of teammate Leah Pritchett ’ s Papa John ’ s car . “ And I ’ ve been loving it .”
It ’ s easy to see why brands are jumping at the chance to be involved with Brown , the Matco Tools team and the Don Schumacher Racing organization as a whole . Gone are the days of applying a sponsor ’ s branding to the race car , equipment and team uniforms , and maybe doing an appearance here or there . Few racing outfits understand the complex 21st-century sponsorship game better than DSR .
“ We do a lot of outreach with our sponsors 24 / 7 ,” Brown notes . “ One thing that is unique here at Don Schumacher Racing , which a lot of the teams — besides Force and Kalitta — don ’ t have , is we ’ re able to intertwine and do some really good B2B ( business-to-business ) deals with our sponsors .
“ Like for the U . S . Nationals we ’ re tying in Mello Yello and they ’ re going to be on our car , but then Mello Yello and Coca-Cola are actually doing product ( sales ) with Matco on their tool trucks now . You ’ re tying them in with each other to give them a direct return on their investment where they ’ re making money off it . At the end of the day , it ’ s business . It ’ s not just about branding and putting their name out there . It ’ s about them getting a return on their investment right away . That ’ s what I think we do well here at Don Schumacher Racing .”
Just as he uses a voice of authenticity to promote the sport , Brown represents his sponsors in a way that inspires confidence in the products he ’ s pitching . It ’ s a personal policy of his to only do business with brands he believes in and uses . His daily driver , a Toyota Tundra , can be found in his garage , alongside Matco tools and toolboxes he uses to wrench on his kids ’ Jr . Dragsters during the week .
“ Myself , I ’ m always out there shaking the bushes and being a spokesperson for various companies . A lot of people know that I don ’ t stand for anything that ’ s a gimmick ,” assures Brown . “ Anything that I put my name on and I ’ m backing , it ’ s something that I truly believe in and is actually helping people out in a way . I want their product to perform the same way we perform on the race track , and that ’ s at a championship level . Those are the only people I support and the only people I believe in . When I back something and I put my stamp on it , people can believe that it ’ s the real deal Holyfield .”
rown ’ s lovable personality
B and knowledge of all things automotive have helped him connect not only to drag racing ’ s core fan base , but also to a mainstream audience through appearances on cable television . He appeared on a 2012 episode of A & E ’ s Storage Wars , then was featured prominently in an hour-long episode of Idris Elba : No
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