Aunt Martha would have been proud. 

That's precisely what Competition Eliminator racer Chase Williams was shooting for when he rolled through the gates for the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex. He wanted to win for her. 

On Saturday evening, Williams won $100,000, more money than any NHRA Competition Eliminator racer has put in their pocket when he secured the Rooftec Competition Eliminator D4 Bonus Fund championship, edging series founder and driving force Rodger Brogdon, who finished second. 

"We had a bit of a heavy heart racing this weekend," Williams admitted. "My Aunt Martha passed away right as we were getting ready to leave. And my thoughts and prayers are with my Uncle, my cousin Terry, Clayton, Caroline, and all the family. This one was for her for sure."

Williams was the leader in the five-way championship battle, which included Brogdon, Rick Brown, Mike DePalma, and Craig Bourgeois. By the second round, only DePalma remained with a mathematical chance to overtake Williams, who entered the event with a 45-point lead. 

"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 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. 

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 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 quarter-finals before losing to eventual finalist Jim Greenheck. 

After losing the second round, Williams admits he was hard on himself following the early exit. 

"I'm pretty hard on myself all the time, so that's nothing new," Williams said. "I honestly can't say that anything could have went any better. By just a few thousandths, we missed taking some personal index and it was going to be for the L if I did take it. So everything worked in our favor. I can't complain at all."

The frustration was short-lived as Williams stepped up to win the JEGS Allstars title for Competition Eliminator. 

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.