Cali Neff

Cali Neff is a second-generation drag racer competing in NHRA Competition Eliminator, where she made history in 2024 by winning the Rooftec Comp Clash at the U.S. Nationals in the first all-female final round in the class, pocketing $50,000 and stunning the sport with her breakout performance.

EARLY YEARS

Growing up in Arvada, Colorado, Cali Neff was born into racing royalty—the kind where the family business comes with nitro fumes and Christmas dinner conversations revolve around reaction times. Her father, Clint Neff, is a five-time NHRA National Event winner in Competition Eliminator and a second-generation racer himself, which makes Cali the third generation to carry the family torch. Clint doesn’t just race; he runs I-70 & Harlan Towing Company, a family operation that keeps both the business and the racing program humming along.[1][2][3]

The Neff household is a full-throttle affair. Cali competes alongside her father, her son Brady (who’s already the third generation in the towing business), and her wife Jamie, who’s also part of the family racing effort. It’s the kind of setup where work, life, and racing blend into one high-octane existence—and honestly, it’s hard to imagine Cali knowing any other way.[1]

Details about her childhood, education, or the exact moment she fell in love with racing remain tucked away, but when your dad’s a national event winner and the family business involves both tow trucks and race cars, it’s safe to say the seeds were planted early. What’s clear is that by the time she was old enough to make her own mark, she was ready to do exactly that.[1][2][3]

OTHER INTERESTS

Outside the cockpit of her J/DA dragster, Cali keeps her cards close. There’s no public record of hobbies, side hustles, volunteer work, or whether she’s into yoga, gaming, or collecting vintage racing posters. If she has passions beyond the quarter-mile, she’s not broadcasting them—which, frankly, is her prerogative. Some racers live their lives on social media; others let their performances do the talking.[1][2][3]

EARLY SUCCESS

Cali’s path through the ranks of drag racing is less documented than you’d expect for someone who’d eventually make headlines. What we do know is that she’s a past national event winner, though the specifics—dates, tracks, opponents—remain frustratingly vague in the public record.[2]

She campaigns a J/Dragster Automatic (J/DA) under the Neff Self & Neff Racing banner, piloting an inline six-cylinder Ford-powered entry that her father built his reputation on. Clint has raced both Chevy and Ford power over the years, but the Neff family has clearly found their groove with the Ford setup.[1][3]

In Competition Eliminator, a class where racers run on indexes and winning comes down to thousandths of a second, Cali quietly built her skills. She wasn’t the loudest name in the field, but she was learning, improving, and—most importantly—waiting for her moment.[1][2][3]

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2024: Won the Rooftec Comp Clash at the NHRA U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park, defeating teammate Kayla Mozeris in the first all-female final in Competition Eliminator history; earned $30,000 from the playoff purse plus $20,000 from the Calcutta Auction for a total payday of $50,000.[2][3]
• 2024: Defeated defending series champion Chase Williams in the opening round of the Rooftec Comp Clash as the No. 15 seed, posting a -.568 performance.[2][3]
• 2024: Advanced to the semifinals by defeating Scott Linder, then knocked off three-time U.S. Nationals runner-up Rick Brown to reach the final.[2][3]
• 2024: Ran a near-perfect -.566 under her index with a 7.654 ET in the final round, edging Mozeris’s -.531 under with a 7.499 ET; both drivers posted reaction times in the .530s range.[2][3]
• Unspecified year(s): Past NHRA national event winner in Competition Eliminator.[2]

INSPIRATIONS

When you’re born into a racing family, inspiration isn’t some abstract concept—it’s sitting across the dinner table. For Cali, that’s her father, Clint Neff, whose five national event wins and decades of experience in Competition Eliminator provided both a blueprint and a challenge. Racing alongside him, learning from him, and eventually competing at his level isn’t just inspiration; it’s legacy in motion.[1][2][3]

Beyond her father, the public record is silent on who else fires up Cali’s competitive spirit. No interviews reveal favorite drivers, no social media posts shout out role models. Maybe she keeps that close, or maybe the inspiration she needs is already in the family garage.[1][2][3]

REPUTATION

Before 2024, Cali Neff was known in Competition Eliminator circles as Clint’s daughter, a solid racer with national event wins under her belt but not yet a headline maker. That changed in a big way on a Friday evening in Indianapolis.[2][3]

The 2024 Rooftec Comp Clash at the U.S. Nationals wasn’t just another race—it was a race-within-a-race, a 16-car shootout with serious cash on the line. Cali came in as the No. 15 seed and promptly took out the defending series champion in round one. Then she kept winning. By the time she reached the final, she was facing her teammate, Kayla Mozeris, daughter of Joe Mozeris, in what became the first all-female final in Competition Eliminator history.[2][3]

Standing on the top end after her victory, visibly emotional, Cali told NHRA: “I never thought this would ever happen. Honestly, either way, we were going to be happy and we didn’t care, win or lose, because we’re teammates. That was incredible. I have no words.”[2]

Later, she elaborated to Competition Plus: “I never in my wildest imagination could have written a script that turned out like this. I’ve just dreamed about winning my first points race, first national step-by-step, getting there step by step, and I never imagined that I’d ever be in this position ever. I was beyond amazed that I made it in the top 16 in general and was able to be a part of the race. And just the fact that I made it this far and got the trophy is just… I have no words.”[3]

That combination—historic final, underdog run, genuine emotion—transformed her reputation overnight. She’s now seen as a rising star in Comp Eliminator, a driver who can deliver under pressure and someone who, along with Mozeris, proved that women aren’t just competing in the class—they’re winning the biggest races.[2][3]

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

As of her 2024 U.S. Nationals victory, Cali hasn’t publicly outlined what comes next. No interviews reveal 2025 schedules, contract negotiations, or grand ambitions. There’s no word on whether she’ll chase a championship, expand her racing program, or simply keep doing what the Neff family does best: showing up, racing hard, and letting the results speak.[1][2][3]

Given that she walked away from Indy with $50,000 and a trophy that made history, it’s a safe bet she’s not slowing down. But for now, the specifics remain between Cali, her family, and whatever plans they’re hatching back in Arvada.[2][3]

References:

Drag Illustrated – Neff Stuns Comp Eliminator World
NHRA.com – Cali Neff Collects Big Payday at Rooftec Comp Clash
Competition Plus – Cali Neff Delivers Historic Rooftec Cash Clash Victory