Kayla Mozeris

Kayla Mozeris is a Phoenix-based NHRA drag racer who made history in 2024 as the first woman to win Competition Eliminator at the prestigious U.S. Nationals, joining an elite club as a three-time national event winner across three different classes.

EARLY YEARS

Growing up in Phoenix, Arizona, Kayla Mozeris didn’t have to look far for racing inspiration—it was parked in her own garage. Her father, Joe Mozeris, had been tearing up NHRA tracks for over two decades in Comp Eliminator, and young Kayla spent her formative years watching him pilot dragsters down quarter-mile strips with the kind of precision that only comes from years of seat time[6].

The Mozeris household wasn’t your typical suburban family setup. While other kids were being shuttled to soccer practice, Kayla was absorbing the sights, sounds, and smells of drag racing—the acrid burn of tire smoke, the thunderous crack of headers, the meticulous prep work that separates winners from also-rans. It was an education you couldn’t get in any classroom, and it was happening every weekend[2][6].

Joe wasn’t just any weekend warrior, either. He was a legitimate threat at national events, with more than twenty years of competitive racing under his belt. When he took home the Comp Eliminator victory at the 2018 NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas, it only reinforced what Kayla already knew: the Mozeris name belonged on Wally trophies[2].

By the time she was 18, Kayla wasn’t just watching from the sidelines anymore—she was racing “big,” as the drag racing community puts it, meaning she’d graduated from spectator to serious competitor[6]. The transition from pit crew family member to driver happened naturally, almost inevitably, for someone who’d been marinating in racing culture since childhood.

OTHER INTERESTS

Information about Kayla’s interests outside the racing world remains largely private. What’s clear is that drag racing isn’t just a hobby for her—it’s the family business, a lifestyle, and a passion that’s consumed most of her public identity.

EARLY SUCCESS

Some racers spend decades chasing their first national event win. Kayla collected hers at 21.

At the 2013 SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas—the same track where her father would claim his Comp Eliminator victory five years later—Kayla wheeled her way to victory in Stock Eliminator[1][3]. It was the kind of coming-out party that announced she wasn’t riding on her father’s coattails; she’d earned her own place in the winner’s circle.

That Las Vegas win wasn’t a fluke or beginner’s luck. It was the result of years spent understanding the nuances of drag racing: the importance of reaction times, the art of protecting your index, the mental game of bracket racing where you’re competing as much against yourself as the person in the other lane. At an age when most people are still figuring out their careers, Kayla had already mastered hers well enough to beat the best in the country[3].

The win established a pattern that would define her career: versatility. Stock Eliminator was just the beginning, a preview of her ability to adapt to different classes and different challenges. She wasn’t a one-trick pony who could only win in a single category. She was a student of the sport, absorbing knowledge and applying it across multiple disciplines[1].

Eight years would pass before her next national event victory, but Kayla stayed busy during that stretch, continuing to compete and refine her skills. The gap between wins isn’t unusual in sportsman drag racing, where the competition is fierce and the margins between victory and defeat are measured in thousandths of a second. What matters is showing up, putting in the work, and staying sharp for when opportunity knocks again.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2013: Won Stock Eliminator at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas at age 21, claiming her first national event victory[1][3].
• 2021: Captured Super Stock at the Dodge//SRT Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver, part of a historic father-daughter sweep where Joe Mozeris won Comp Eliminator on the same weekend[1][4][5].
• 2024: Made NHRA history as the first woman to win Competition Eliminator at the U.S. Nationals (the “Big Go”) in Indianapolis, defeating Joe Carnasciale in the final with a 0.552 reaction time and 7.418 ET in the Neff & Mozeris Racing Ford K/AA[1].
• 2024: Competed in the all-female Comp Cash Clash final against teammate Neff at the U.S. Nationals, turning on 9 win lights in 10 elimination rounds across both races that weekend[1].

INSPIRATIONS

Joe Mozeris isn’t just Kayla’s father—he’s the blueprint for her entire racing career. Everything she knows about drag racing, she learned watching him compete at the highest levels of NHRA sportsman competition[2][6]. Their relationship represents the best of what motorsports can offer: a shared passion that bridges generations and creates opportunities for genuine connection beyond the typical parent-child dynamic.

The 2021 Dodge//SRT Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver perfectly encapsulated their unique bond. On the same weekend, at the same track, both Mozerises claimed Wally trophies—Joe in Comp Eliminator, Kayla in Super Stock[4][5]. It was the kind of father-daughter moment that transcends sports, a validation of everything Joe had taught her and everything Kayla had worked to achieve on her own merits.

REPUTATION

Kayla’s reputation in the NHRA sportsman ranks is built on consistency, versatility, and clutch performance. Her 2024 U.S. Nationals victory wasn’t just about having the fastest car—it was about executing under the most pressure-packed circumstances in sportsman drag racing. The U.S. Nationals, affectionately known as the “Big Go,” is the Super Bowl of drag racing, and Kayla delivered when it mattered most[1].

Her approach to that historic Indy win revealed the mental side of her game. “After I had won the first round, I had this overwhelming gut feeling that we were going to win the race,” she explained. “It was a feeling I wholeheartedly believed. Our win lights kept coming on and we kept doing a decent job of protecting the index down track”[1]. That kind of confidence isn’t cockiness—it’s the self-assurance that comes from preparation meeting opportunity.

She’s also smart about using every available resource. Before the Competition Eliminator final at Indy, Kayla and her team competed in the Comp Cash Clash, an additional race that provided crucial track time. “We really benefited from running the Comp Cash Clash early in the weekend,” she noted. “It gave us extra runs down the track and additional looks at the tree. That may have been the difference between coming away with the Wally or empty handed”[1]. It’s that attention to detail and willingness to maximize every opportunity that separates champions from contenders.

Perhaps most impressively, Kayla has accomplished what few sportsman racers ever do: winning in three different classes. “I have been fortunate to win three national events now: Las Vegas 2013-Stock Eliminator, Denver 2021-Super Stock, Indy 2024-Comp Eliminator,” she said. “I’m very proud to say that I’m a three time winner in three different classes”[1]. That versatility speaks to a deep understanding of the sport’s fundamentals and an ability to adapt her skills across different racing formats.

As the first woman to win Competition Eliminator at the U.S. Nationals, Kayla carved out a permanent place in NHRA history books[1]. But she didn’t do it by making noise about being a woman in a male-dominated sport—she did it by letting her performance speak for itself, turning on win lights and collecting Wally trophies the same way her father had done for decades before her.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

As of 2024, Kayla continues to compete with Neff & Mozeris Racing, the team that carried her to her historic U.S. Nationals victory[1]. While she hasn’t publicly stated specific goals for 2025 and beyond, her track record suggests she’s not content to rest on three national event wins. Having conquered the Big Go—a race she admitted was on her bucket list but one she “didn’t know if realistically it would ever happen”[1]—the question now is what mountain she’ll tackle next in a career that’s already redefined what’s possible for sportsman racers willing to put in the work.

References:

Kayla Mozeris Makes History at Toyota U.S. Nationals
Sportsman Racing Recap: NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, Las Vegas
Super Stock Siren
Dodge//SRT Mile-High NHRA Nationals Sportsman video highlights
The Sports Report: The ultimate father-daughter weekend
FEATURE- Kayla Mozeris
NHRA Archives