NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Winning any championship is a memorable achievement, but winning a title as the result of a winner-take-all final round at the end of a long and grueling season just seems to hit a bit harder, and this season, no one knows that better than Chad Webber, the newly crowned 2025 NHRA Super Comp world champion.

The brother of 2024 Top Dragster champ Cody Webber, Chad found himself in a multiway battle for the title in the final weeks of the 2025 season. Heading into the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals in Pomona, Webber’s mission was clear but also extremely difficult, as he had to not only win the race but also hope incoming leader Kris Whitfield went out early. Whitfield obliged with a rare round-one loss, leaving Webber six win lights from his ultimate goal.

“Obviously, going in, I knew my chances were pretty slim,” said Webber. “I was a long shot, but there is always a hope and a prayer. My mindset was that I had nothing to lose. I had a good season, and the worst case was that I was going to finish fourth.

“At first, the pressure wasn’t too bad, but as the rounds kept coming, I thought, ‘Holy cow, we might really have a chance at this,’ ” he said. “Kris got beat early, which doesn’t happen often, but even then, I knew there was a lot of work to be done on my end.”

During Thursday’s Sportsman-racing marathon, where competitors went straight into eliminations with no time trial runs, Webber drove what may eventually be the race of his life. Webber scored wins against Jerron Settles, past world champion Steve Williams, and Cody Stephenson to reach the final round, where his title hopes rested on the results of his battle against Doug Johnson. Webber was in trouble at the start as Johnson had a .004 light but rallied to win with an 8.911 after Johnson broke out with an 8.892.

The win light was the ultimate two-for-one as Webber was handed both the Pomona Wally and the larger championship trophy.

“On Thursday, I was so thankful to NHRA for what they did to get it done,” Webber said. “I would have hated to sit around for days, or maybe even not get the chance to race at all. Doing it [in] one day actually felt like a Saturday bracket race.

“In the final, I was nervous, I guess, but once you get strapped in and pull into the water [burnout box], it feels like another round,” said Webber. “When we left, I didn’t know just how good he was, but we were tied together. When I saw the win light, it was pure disbelief. Never in a million years did I think this was going to happen. Seems like every year someone has to win Pomona to win a championship. Guys like Val [Torres] and Trevor [Larson] have done it, and they’re great racers. I always wondered if I could pull that off, and I’m still a bit shocked that I did.”

Ironically, the season did not start on a particularly high note as Webber kicked off 2025 with a pair of first-round losses at the Pacific Division NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series race at his home track, Firebird Motorsports Park in Phoenix. At that point, he hardly felt like a title contender, but that began to change when he won the NHRA Arizona Nationals and quickly followed with a semifinal a week later in Pomona.

Another semifinal in April in Las Vegas helped boost Webber’s score, although at that point it appeared that Whitfield was going to run away with the title.

The turning point came when Webber and his family ventured to Famoso Dragstrip in Bakersfield, Calif., for the Division 7 NHRA Lucas Oil Series doubleheader. In late September, Webber added 199 points to his score with a victory on Friday followed by a runner-up finish on Sunday. At that point, reality set in, and he realized there was a chance to claim the top spot.

“I started the year with two [first-round] losses, so I was definitely not thinking about a championship,” said Webber. “It was more like, ‘We’ll get ’em next year.’ Then I went and won Phoenix and had a couple of semifinals, and there was a glimmer of hope after that.

“Bakersfield was the turning point. That’s where we began to think [a championship] was even possible or at least a Top 10. I had a rough time at that race in 2024, so I sort of redeemed myself. The final round was insane. Justin Morris had a perfect light and ran 8.912, and I was .002 and ran 8.900. Looking back, those are the runs that make a difference.”

Webber has been in tough points battles before, and he had a ringside seat in 2024 when his brother, Cody, fought a similar battle to win the Top Dragster title. Webber used his brother’s experience to his advantage once he got to the late stages of the season.

“I’m not sure he gave me any advice that was specific to a championship, but he’s definitely my biggest help,” said Webber. “Every run, he’s going over the weather. Then again, now that I’ve got a championship, I don’t have to hear from him about being low man on the totem pole.”

Celebrating the family’s second title in as many years, Webber had plenty of people to thank, including his parents, Bill and Rayedda, brother Cody, wife Melinda, and kids Marley and Liam. He also gets support from Mike Boehner, Mike Judson of Mickey Thompson, and Kevin Kleinweber of Hughes Performance.