Things are heating up in the competition for the Comp Eliminator Bonus Fund in Division 4 thanks to an exciting full field at the recent Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series double-header event at the Texas Motorplex outside of Dallas. Competition Eliminator driver Chase Williams earned his second victory of the season at the first of two races that occurred over the course of the weekend. 

Williams, who also won the Division 4 points meet in Houston earlier this year, knows how lucky he is to be sitting second among the heap of incredibly talented drivers and crews who are competing for a piece of the $225,000 pie offered by Rodger Brogdon of Rooftec, along with a handful of other generous sponsors contributing to the Comp Eliminator Bonus Fund. 

This race was a bit different for Williams when compared to his other win this season which happened in Houston. At that event, he was unsure that he would even be able to compete but thanks to great teamwork and an intense thrashing session, he was able to pull off the win. While no victory ever comes easy, this event in Dallas was certainly more laid back for the Williams crew. 

Williams qualified right in the middle of the middle, snagging the seventh position on the ladder in a full 32-car class. He defeated Christopher Dodd and Don Bevers in the first two rounds of eliminations. In the third round, however, he came up against an interesting situation. He was paired against Brogdon, the founder and primary contributor of the Comp Eliminator Bonus Fund. 

“Well, I know the way he would want me to feel about racing him, so that’s just the way I went about it,” Williams said with a laugh. “We all come there to race so we had to bring our best. He’s been running really good as of late and driving really well as well. I knew that was going to be a tough matchup and I was proved right with a margin of victory of less than three-thousandths difference at the stripe.”

It was a competitive weekend, to say the least. Williams’ margins-of-victory were miniscule at times as he defeated Brogdon with an MOV of just .0030-seconds (approximately 10 inches). And in the fourth round he crossed the finish line only .0060-seconds (approximately 20 inches) ahead of Don Thomas. In the finals, Williams defeated Adam Hickey thanks to getting the starting line advantage. 

While this race might have lacked some of the anxiety and hustle of Williams’ previous win, this event held plenty of excitement and fun. The Carthage, Texas native considers the Texas Motorplex to be his home track. His girlfriend, Masey Campbell, was in attendance and he thinks she may have been just the lucky charm he needed. 

“I consider Texas Motorplex to be my home track and it’s the first win I’ve ever gotten there,” said Williams. “I’ve been a runner-up twice. That’s the first race my girlfriend’s ever been to. So she’s going to be spoiled now since we went to the winners circle in the first race she saw.”

Williams has his eye on the prize as things continue to heat up. Greg Kamplain won the second event that weekend when he defeated Williams in the final round, putting Kamplain in the top position for the Comp Eliminator Bonus Fund. 

“All we can do is do what we’ve been doing. We will just continue to try to go rounds. In a perfect world, what we probably DON’T need is for Kamplain to do well,” Williams humorously noted. “But we can’t really control anything on that end. We can only do what we can on our end.”

The Comp Eliminator Bonus Fund attracted teams from around the country and there was a full field in competition at the double-header. 

“It was nice to see that. It’s amazing what money will do,” said Williams. “It sure looks like it’s motivating people who haven’t been racing to come back out. I don’t know if that’s a direct result of the money or if they would’ve gotten the itch otherwise. It seems like it’s generating some more interest.

“I definitely think it’s been providing a lot better finish line racing. Guys aren’t giving up races that they would have when they were looking at just a traditional divisional payout. Guys are racing a lot harder and we’re seeing a few indexes getting tune ups here and there. It’s good for the sport for sure.”

In keeping with his gracious and laid-back charm, Williams was quick to note his appreciation for everyone who helped him get to the winners circle. 

“I want to thank my parents, Greg and Judy, and my crew guys as well as my girlfriend Masey for bringing the good luck. Also, the Race Engine Development guys, Scott Denham and David Cook Sr., David Cook Jr. of DC Carb, and Dick Maris.”

In addition to Brogdon's company, RoofTec, here are the other sponsors of the Comp Eliminator Bonus Fund:

* Ashton and Mignon Hudson - AMBE AMPERSAND SOAP Co.
* Nicky Fowler - SCOGGIN DICKEY PARTS CENTER
* Jerry Haas - JERRY HAAS RACE CARS
* Richard Freeman - ELITE MOTORSPORTS LLC.
* John Clegg - CLEGG INDUSTRIES, Inc
* Stan Holt - LUPE TORTILLA
* Joe Napoleon - TURNKEY INDUSTRIES
* Jim Whiteley - J & A Services LLC.
* Clint Neff / Harry Clack - ATC TRANSMISSION CENTER
* Dean Carter - QUALITY FLOORS
* Sean Schwartz - CCR MOTORSPORTS INSURANCE
* Ray Skillman - RAY SKILLMAN AUTO GROUP