Rodger Brogdon got a return on his investment Saturday in Las Vegas at the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals.
Brogdon, whose RoofTec brand is the largest roofer in Houston, Texas, took home $100,000 as the winner of the inaugural RoofTec Las Vegas Cash Clash, beating Taylor Chomiski in the final round. The $175,000-plus, 16-car shootout featured the top racers on the RoofTec Competition Eliminator Bonus Fund series.
Brogdon, who drives a B/Altered Planetary Camaro, surrendered nearly a full second of a headstart to Chomiski’s C/Super Modified. He was able to cut into the handicap significantly with a nearly .05 starting line advantage.
Brogdon took the win-light with a 7.185 elapsed time, -,545 under his index.
Brogdon made a vow three years ago that he would put his money where his mouth was in proving NHRA’s Competition Eliminator is one of the best divisions in drag racing. In the end, Brogdon created a monster of a class to try and win.
“This was nerve-racking and really, really tough, but very fortunate,” Brogdon said. “Came out good, and all in all, it was a great day. I’m so happy to be here, I’m so happy to race this class, and I love all these guys who spend so many hours trying to compete in this class. It’s really amazing at the effort people will do for something they truly love, and I really appreciate all the comp racers across the country.”
Brogdon only had to win four rounds, but every one of his RoofTec Competition Eliminator Bonus Fund races since 2022 has required every winner to score five round wins.
This weekend’s RoofTec Comp Las Vegas Comp Cash Clash marked the third high-stakes race-within-a-race for the NHRA Competition Eliminator division and the second this season. Up until this weekend’s event, Brogdon hadn’t won a round of competition in any of his specialty races.
Brogdon made up for lost time, starting on Thursday, when he stopped Ashton Hudson in the first round. The second round was pushed over to Friday because of a cold race track, where he stopped Adam Hickey. In the semi-final round on Saturday, Brogdon was able to fend off Clint Neff’s Econo Dragster.
Brogdon said watching the revival of NHRA’s Competition Eliminator was well worth the investment.
“It’s definitely worth it,” Brogdon said. “I didn’t even have to win to make it worth it, honestly. That’s just the icing on the cake. I love this class, I love the people in it, and I’m going to do everything I can to ensure it’s here for a long time.”
Earlier in the weekend, NHRA Division 4 Comp racer Don Thomas secured the series championship, pocketing $250,000 for his efforts.
