Khalid al Balooshi  (Todd Dziadosz photo)

“I give my team owner, the crew guys and all the people who work with us thanks for making this win,” al Balooshi said. “I try my best, and I know that everybody on the team is trying their best, and finally, I won my first race.”

The only thing Don Schumacher Racing’s Antron Brown and Jack Beckman didn't do over the past four days at Maple Grove Raceway was win national event titles. While short-range goals weren't achieved, each moved closer to long-range goals of winning NHRA world championships. And each received a boost when they earned 20-bonus points for establishing NHRA national elapsed time records.

Antron Brown  (Debbie Gastelu photo)

Brown and the Matco Tools "Tools for the Cause" team advanced to their 11th championship round through 21 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events this season but fell short of winning a seventh event this year when Brown was upset by rookie Khalid al Balooshi, who recorded his first NHRA Top Fuel title.

Brown with crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald extended their points lead over DSR teammate Spencer Massey's Prestone/FRAM team to 104 points with only two events remaining in the Countdown to the Championship. Another DSR driver, Tony Schumacher, is ranked third but trails Brown by 136 points.

Brown's first-round time of 3.722 seconds on Sunday set the national record but another driver, Shawn Langdon topped that on Monday with a 3.712. However, in the semifinals, Brown responded with an astounding 3.701 to leave Maple Grove with the record and bonus points.