Team owner Sheik Khalid Al Thani of Qatar watched happily as Smith and the Atomic Performance crew, led by tuning wizard Howard Moon, overcame a slow qualifying start and then turned aside all challengers.

Smith left no doubt as to who had the best car in the deciding round against Ahli Aryan, who was on a two-race win streak and defeated Smith in their last race at Qatar. This time, Smith unloaded a record elapsed time of 5.81 seconds and added a new speed mark of 400 kph for good measure to Aryan's 5.95.

Smith entered the competition with a 101-point lead over Aryan, but stumbled in the his first two qualifying attempts before unleashing a 5.85-second, 401-kph effort that catapulted him all the way to the head of the class.

"When we didn't get down the track on our first two runs, the crew worked late into the night trying to get things figured out," noted Smith. "A lot of people were betting we were going to lose the championship and the race, but we were confident we'd find a way to get the job done.

"Winning the Qatar championship is a great way to finish the season," an elated Smith continued. "This team never gave up. It didn't matter what happened, the guys were always ready to do what needed to be done to win. Obviously, we owe a lot to Sheik Khalid. He always believed in us . . . and we didn't let him down."

Smith began eliminations with a throttle-pedaling 5.95-second time to eliminate Bahrain's Khaled Mohammed. He had a second-round bye to set up the deciding run against Aryan. Smith left with a stellar .023 reaction time to his rival's .048 and never looked back. The win avenged a runner-up finish to Aryan at the last race in Bahrain.

"We want to thank everyone that believed in us and cheered us on in our races here. We are proud to be able to win the championship for Sheik Khalid," said Smith.

Courtesy of Joe Sherk