Once again, Antron Brown displayed why he’s the reigning NHRA Top Fuel world champion.

The veteran driver drove his Don Schumacher Racing Matco Tools dragster to his third victory of the 2016 season when he won the K&N Filters Route 66 NHRA Nationals Sunday in Chicago.

Brown clocked a 3.777-second elapsed time at 321.19 mph to defeat J.R. Todd’s 3.798-second lap at 322.11 mph.

“We’re actually lovin’ it right now,” said Brown, who also was the 2012 Top Fuel world champ. “Our Matco Tools, U.S. Army, Toyota team, man we are starting to go in the right direction. We haven’t peaked yet, and we are still working things out, but our car responds to everything Brian (Corradi) and Mark (Oswald) (Brown’s crew chiefs) and all of our Matco boys are doing to it and that’s the key out here. We had a strong car in Nowalk (Ohio, the last race), but to come here to Chicago and being our boss (Don Schumacher’s) hometown race and we wanted to come home with the win and fortunately we made all the right calls.”

This was Brown’s 57th career NHRA national event win and his 41st in the Top Fuel class. He also had 16 career Pro Stock Motorcycle national event victories before he began competing in Top Fuel in 2008.

“Hopefully there are a lot more (wins) to come and for us to get better,” Brown said. “Our whole goal is to get better and better and better. We are going to see how we do on this Western Swing and that’s what is going to really set us up for the Countdown to the Championship.”

On Sunday, Brown, who qualified No. 4, beat Clay Millican, Terry McMillen, Leah Pritchett and finally Todd in his victory march.

“We look for everything when we race,” Brown said. “What I’m trying to do is go up there and do the same thing. The crew chiefs are trying to make the car better and faster and everything else and I’m trying to give all I have got. If everybody is on that same page and giving all we have and putting our best foot forward for each and every round, those kind of results happen on Sunday.”

Brown is upbeat about what the remainder of the season will hold for he and his team.

“We found new things that are making it better,” Brown said. “We are on to something and we are just going to keep improving upon that. Our deal is we try to win every race we go to. We compete at a high level and our main goal is to come into a race and go out there and be efficient and that means getting every drop out of this lemon every time. We need to be on that level to be where we want to be at like where we were last year. That’s the key right now, getting your team and car ready to go to battle (in the Countdown to the Championship).”

Brown did overtake Doug Kalitta for the points lead at the halfway point in the season, but he’s not putting much stock in things yet.

“I don’t even think about it but it’s good that we got it,” Brown said. “Those 30 points are crucial. It’s hard to make up 30 points when you only have 24 rounds of racing to win a championship. That’s two rounds. That’s going to be very crucial and we just have to keep working. Hopefully we can sneak it out and get those points that we need to help us for that title defense. We have a boss that is very, very competitive that hates to lose. He gives you all the necessary pieces and tools so there’s never excuses. He gives you the push you need when you need it. When we come out here to compete at a high level and that’s all we can do to give to our boss man.”

Brown did take a moment address his success in the Top Fuel class.

“I’m going to be honest with you, it was just a dream for me to even drive a Top Fuel car,” Brown said. “Not even thinking about the success that we’ve had as a group or as a team. I drive the car and everybody always talks about how I do this, I do that but it’s not me doing it. It’s our whole team. We do it together. I’m very fortunate and blessed to be with a great group of guys, our front office, everybody at DSR in the fab shop. We have such a remarkable group of individuals that come together to make unbelievable things happen and I’m just fortunate to be a part of it.”

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