Shawn Bowen may not be a regular competitor in the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series. Still, when he showed up at Tulsa Raceway Park with his 3000 horsepower Front-engine Top Fuel Dragster dubbed "The Violator" at this past weekend's Nitro Nationals, he was an immediate favorite right from the jump. 

Not only did Bowen win the race, but he did so in dominating fashion. Qualifying No. 1 while also setting low elapsed time in eliminations and the top speed of the meet gave Bowen and his Violator Top Fuel team a clean sweep on the weekend. 

"That's my first win at a Heritage Series race," Bowen said. "The competition was outstanding in Tulsa. The prediction of the sixteen cars didn't pan out, but it was still an awesome field. A lot of guys from the west coast came out, and there were a lot of fast cars like Bryan Hall, Jim Murphy, Adam Sorokin, and then you got the local guys, so really good feeling to get a win." 

Bowen, one of 11 Top Fuel entries competing in Tulsa, set the pace right out of the box on Friday night during qualifying. Running almost a tenth better than the next best car in qualifying, Bowen laid down a nice 5.741 at over 238 miles per hour to put him in the number one spot heading into final eliminations on Saturday afternoon. 

In the opening round, Bowen took care of business against Gary Wheeler with a solid 5.839 at 215 miles per hour in the heat of the day to Wheeler's 5.99 at 254 miles per hour. However, the Violator Top Fuel Dragster driver dropped everyone's jaw in the semifinals when he laid down the run of the weekend at 5.626 seconds at over 255 miles per hour against Julius Hughes to advance into the final round.

Waiting for Bowen in the final round would arguably be one of the best drivers to strap behind the wheel of a Front-Engine Top Fuel Dragster, Adam Sorokin. 

Sorokin, at the controls of the famous Champion Speed Shops special, tuned by Bob McLennan, qualified in the No. 2 position and had his work cut out for him in eliminations. 

Sorokin dispatched Heritage Series Top Fuel points leader Brett Williamson in the opening round with a struggling 5.944 elapsed time at 228 miles per hour. But Sorokin was able to step up big time in the semifinals, taking out Bryan Hall with a stout 5.752 at over 237 miles per hour to Hall's 5.907 at 193 miles per hour to advance into the final round, however, giving up lane choice to Bowen.  

There would be a big fight feel in the air Saturday night, under the lights at Tulsa Raceway Park, as the final round between Bowen and Sorokin would be a battle for Top Fuel bragging rights. Both drivers would be representing their respective organizations. Bowen, who hails from the great state of Michigan, was representing Extreme Top Fuel, while Sorokin, who resides in California, was representing All-American Fuel Dragsters. 

Sorokin, known for his fantastic starting line prowess, put the top bulb out in the final round, deep staging on Bowen. Nevertheless, Bowen grabbed a slight starting line advantage, but Sorokin, with the small block Chevrolet motor, reeled Bowen in almost instantly, as it seemed like Sorokin was well on his way to victory. 

Unfortunately for Sorokin, mechanical issues started to plague him at the top end of the race course, eventually shutting the car off just before the finish line, allowing Bowen to drive around for the win. Bowen capped off his dominating weekend by running a 5.936 at over 211 miles per hour in the final round to Sorokin's 6.019 at 193 miles per hour. 

"Racing against Adam, he's one of the best guys in the class, so racing against those guys was an honor for me," Bowen said. "We ran well in the semifinals and expected to run well in the final round, but we dropped a cylinder, and it hurt itself going down the track. But at night, the flames are so cool to watch, the motor is right in front of you, and flames are just belching everywhere. It's really neat."

As big of a win as it was for Bowen, the Michigan native is not new to tasting victory at Tulsa Raceway Park. Bowen had won at Tulsa three prior times in his career in a Nostalgia Nitro Funny Car, including a win at the 50th Nitro Nationals in 2015 before it was a part of the NHRA Heritage Series Season. 

And although Bowen might be from the midwest, he and the team plan to continue following the Heritage Series tour by heading out west and ending their season at the Heritage Series finale in Bakersfield, California, for the thirtieth annual California Hot Rod Reunion at Famoso Raceway.