Dirt opportunity to drive this thing .”
Williams lost in the second round of eliminations against veteran sportsman drag racer Jeff Taylor , leaving DePalma as the only driver with a chance to overtake the leader . Both Brogdon and Brown were eliminated in the first round .
Williams ’ loss in the second round , he said , was a matter of choosing not to incur any penalties to affect his index .
“ I knew there really wasn ’ t a whole heck of a lot we could do after being down . 03 in the first round ,” Williams said . “ I didn ’ t want to bomb
Persistence Pays Off
Chase Williams wins $ 100,000 Rooftec NHRA Comp Eliminator Bonus Fund Series By Bobby Bennett Jr .
Chase Williams scored one of the most monumental paydays ever afforded an NHRA Competition Eliminator racer . Williams , an NHRA Div . 4 racer from Carthage , Texas , secured the championship in the 2023 Rooftec NHRA Competition Eliminator Bonus Fund Series . The championship provided him with a $ 100,000 winner ’ s purse .
The nine-race series includes all NHRA South Central Lucas Oil divisional events as well as the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U . S . Nationals and the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex . Racers from all seven NHRA divisions participated , some traveling from as far as Washington state . Every race in the series produced no less than five-round races , and for the second year in a row , there were no two-time winners in a season .
Four drivers entered the final stop on the $ 300,000 , nine-race specialty series with a mathematical chance to clinch the title . Williams held a 45-point lead over Rodger Brogdon , founder and driving force behind the series . Rick Brown and Mike DePalma also remained in contention for the title .
Williams , the 2023 NHRA U . S . Nationals champion , entered the event with the best chance to win .
“ I don ’ t even know what to say ,” said Williams , who was as far back as sixth place entering Indianapolis . “ It ’ s been an awesome day , an awesome year . I can ’ t thank my parents enough for the the class completely , but $ 100,000 , that ’ s a lot of money . But we ’ re kind of stuck in two classes with our combination , so not a lot of places to go , but worked out .”
DePalma lasted until the quarterfinals before losing to eventual finalist Jim Greenheck .
Williams relished in the fact he came into the NHRA U . S . Nationals sixth in the point standings and , at the time , a longshot to win the title .
“ Before Indy , I was just hoping for a top 10 finish , and then things totally changed at Indy , especially with the points and a half ,” Williams said . “ Then we ended up in the lead , and it became clear to me we could win this thing .”
Brogdon finished second in the series and won $ 25,000 for his effort .
Williams also finished runner-up to Don Thomas earlier this season during the $ 50,000 Rooftec Competition Eliminator Cash Clash . DI
PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROBERT GRICE AND COMPETITION PLUS
26 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 185