Shawn Bowen won his first IHRA Race in Nitro Funny Car

IHRA’s Summer Nationals at Cordova Dragway Park saw Shawn Bowen win a thrilling conclusion over Jason Rupert in Nitro Funny Car – his first with the IHRA Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series.

Bowen’s victory over Rupert in the finals proved to one of the most exciting six seconds in the history of IHRA’s brand new Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series. Bowen, and Rupert, who are both two of the most dominant cars in the sport, were heavy favorites entering the weekend and emerged as the final two contestants following a brutal weekend that saw more than a dozen drivers battling for one Ironman trophy.

With the world watching, Bowen and Rupert put on a show in the finals of the nitro-burning nostalgia class with Bowen grabbing a narrow starting line advantage in the “Violator” 1977 Pontiac Firebird and turning that into a holeshot victory. Bowen crossed the finish line first with a 5.846-second pass at 244.74 miles per hour, besting Rupert’s quicker and faster 5.824 at 245.32.

“What a win and what a way to finish the weekend. To race Jason, I mean look at his track record. He is the most dominant car out there right now and to win against him means a lot,” Bowen said. “Even with his impressive resume, I tried not to think about it. I went out there, tried not to focus on my opponent and pictured my win light coming on. I try not to get worked up during a run, I just focus on what I need to do. When it left, it was going toward the center and I had to pedal. I reeled it back in, but I could hear him the whole way. When I saw my win light I thought, wow, how great is this.”

Bowen’s victory was far from an upset as the Grand Blanc, Michigan driver placed the “Violator” Pontiac squarely at the top of the charts after two rounds of qualifying on Friday. On Saturday, however, Rupert fired back during the second round of eliminations with a head-turning 5.700-second pass. With both cars showing their hand early, it was truly anyone’s game when the green light lit for the final time.

Bowen collected wins over Mike McIntire Jr. and Paul Romine on his way to the final, winning both with relative ease with passes of 5.780 and 5.852.

“I have been preparing myself for this race for the past few weeks. I came here just wanting to qualify and go a couple of rounds, those were my expectations,” Bowen said. “We qualified No. 1 and I really didn’t expect that. Then we ran really good during first round and I thought, hey, we might have a chance.

“We don’t race a lot, so this was a great opportunity to come here with all of these guys and see where we stand. It is awesome to actually come away with the win.”

Jason Rupert’s Runner-up finish further strengthened his overall IHRA points lead

Eliminations Summary : AMSOIL Nitro Funny Car

Round 1 – Shawn Bowen, 5.780, 250.41 def. Mike McIntire Jr., 6.065, 227.84; Paul Romine, 5.921, 241.11 def. John Hale, 6.005, 239.19; Jason Rupert, 5.944, 242.80 def. Steve Nichols, 6.127, 232.55; Mark Sanders, 5.945, 245.40 def. Bruce Litton, 6.574, 182.26

Semis – Bowen, 5.852, 248.20 def. Romine, 9.779, 88.64; Rupert, 5.700, 250.09 def. Sanders, 5.883, 245.58

Final – Bowen, 5.846, 244.74 def. Rupert, 5.824, 245.32

Posted by: Larry Crum