AA FUNNY CAR

Bowen (far lane) got the holeshot win over Rupert.  (Mike Garland photo)

Michigan-based Bowen, the defending Hedman Husler Hedders DRO AA/FC Challenge Champ, won a titanic nitro Funny Car race between himself and the West Coast’s premier AA/FC racer and soon to be IHRA National Champ, Jason Rupert.

Bowen's victory over Rupert in the finals proved to be one of the most exciting six seconds in the history of IHRA.
 
Bowen and Rupert, who had won four IHRA event this season, put on a show in the finals of the nitro-burning nostalgia class. After a motor-killing 5.700 effort the previous round, Rupert lost lane choice under IHRA’s black flag rule when the cleanup crew had to roll.  

Rupert’s crew had to rebuild the engine after the semifinal round.  (Chris Schneider photo)

Bowen grabbing a narrow starting line advantage in the "Violator" 1977 Pontiac Firebird then held off Rupert who had pulled dead even with him at 1,000 feet, into a holeshot victory. Bowen crossed the finish line first just one-thousandth of a second before Rupert, making his 5.846-second pass 244.74 miles per hour, stand up to Rupert's quicker and faster 5.824 at 245.32 effort.