Antron Brown won his first NHRA even in a Top Fuel dragster on the afternoon of March 30. But the reality didn't sink in until the following morning.

After walking the length of the quarter-mile dragstrip near Houston, Brown thought he was alone as he stood at the finish line to reflect on his historic achievement. Just then he received a tap on the shoulder.

It was John Force.

"How 'bout that, kid," the 14-time Funny Car champion said. "For a two-wheeler, you ain't bad on four wheels."

In what is becoming a remarkable first year in Top Fuel, Brown has made most everyone a believer.

Since his transition from a successful Pro Stock Motorcycle racing career in which he won 16 events in 10 years, Brown has recorded two Top Fuel wins in 13 events and is the first person to win a 'Wally' trophy in both classes.

Teaming with crew chief Lee Beard, Brown is now in an ideal position to claim his first season championship. Going into today's elimination rounds at the Schuck's Auto Supply Nationals in Seattle, Brown is second in points as he seeks to dethrone five-time champion and former Don Schumacher Racing teammate Tony Schumacher.

The NHRA's three-stop Western Swing concludes next weekend with the FRAM Autolite Nationals at Infineon Raceway near Sonoma.

"I am surprised, but I did a lot of work with (new team David Powers Motorsports) in the offseason," Brown said in a telephone interview last week. "I've been around

By the time the U.S. Army announced last September that it was withdrawing its sponsorship of DSR's two motorcycle teams, Brown was already thinking about making a change. Brown received offers to drive a motorcycle for other teams, but he felt he was ready to step up and drive either a Funny Car or Top Fuel dragster.

Brown got that opportunity with David Powers, who was looking for a second Top Fuel driver to go with Rod Fuller after releasing Whit Bazemore near the end of last season. Brentwood's David Baca filled in for the final two events in 2007 before Brown was named the full-time driver in November with Matco Tools as his primary sponsor.

"Don Schumacher Racing probably has the best collection of guys that just wake up and can't wait to race. Antron, even though he's not on our team (anymore), he's one of those guys," Tony Schumacher said in a conference call earlier this month.

"He doesn't think about the money, doesn't think about the trophy. He just loves to do it. That's what makes him good."

Brown knows that to win a championship, he'll have to go through Schumacher, winner of four straight season titles. The two have gone head-to-head five times this year with Schumacher holding a 4-1 advantage, including a win in the finals at Denver last week. Brown's one win came in the finals on April 27 in Atlanta.

After his runner-up finish last week, Brown had 904 points to Schumacher's 1,179. If Brown can hold second place for the next four events, he'll trail by just 30 points after everything is reset for the Countdown to the Championship this fall.

"That's who everyone is shooting for," Brown said of Schumacher. "After racing against him, I know what he's capable of. And after being his teammate, I know how they do it."

Now everyone's finding out what Brown is capable of. Even the legends of the sport.

"Last week 'Big Daddy' Don Garlits said on television that I had become one of his favorite drivers," Brown said. "(Force, Garlits), these guys are my heroes. It's like I'm living a fairy tale right now."

Contact Curtis Pashelka at cpashelka@bayareanewsgroup.com.