The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway — Venue for Las Vegas Nationals
A Gibsonia man who has been going to drag strips since he was six weeks old is headed to the biggest race of his life. Nick Bowman has qualified for the MOPAR NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge, set for The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway from October 30 through November 1, and he says there’s nowhere bigger to go from here.
A Career Built From the Starting Line Up
Bowman has competed in drag racing for 23 years, according to TribLIVE.com, and has raced on a large-scale stage since 2010. His father and two uncles introduced him to the sport, and the Las Vegas Nationals will mark his most premier event to date. “I don’t think you can go any bigger than this,” Bowman said.
The car getting him there has a story of its own. Bowman bought a six-cylinder 1970 Plymouth Duster with 43,000 miles on it back in 2007, and the car — which he nicknamed Nadine — was fully off the road by 2011 as he converted it into a dedicated racer. It still carries an AM radio, working odometer mileage and functional lighting, though its turn signals remain unhooked, a detail the outlet’s report on his family’s racing history also notes.
A Strong Run Through 2026
Bowman arrives in Las Vegas on a hot streak. He won the 2026 points title at Keystone Raceway and advanced to the NHRA Summit ET Racing Series North Central Division Finals at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, in September, where he ultimately won the division finals. Earlier in 2026, he also won the World Footbrake Challenge, a field where he outlasted more than 500 footbrakers to capture the Thursday $20,000 victory, according to DragChamp…