Outlaw racers, their fans and sponsors have benefited from Nowling’s efforts, as he has created with the ADRL the closest thing to a national touring series most have ever been involved with. Formerly little known Pro Mod pilots like Bil Clanton, Mike Neal, 2005 Pro Nitrous champ Dan Parker, Rex Kelley, Johnny Pilcher, and 2006 champions Bubba Stanton (PE) and Keith Baker (PN) are receiving press coverage and fan recognition previously beyond the reach of the small, regional events in which they grew up racing.
Mr. Nowling has proven, too, that extraordinary promotional efforts can pay off with extraordinary success, as was the case last fall when he gave away literally tens of thousands of ADRL tickets in the greater Charlotte area. The result was the largest crowd in venerable Rockingham (NC) Dragway’s history, and probably the biggest crowd ever assembled for a non-nitro show—anywhere.
Nowling’s success at turning the turnstiles caught even track owner Steve Earwood off guard and while naysayers may claim anyone could fill a grandstand with free tickets, the fact is that Nowling actually did it, and the racers, sponsors and fans all left happy and satisfied, while Nowling and Earwood turned a profit. That’s a successful event, regardless of what was paid at the gate.
It appears Nowling’s efforts at Rockingham also were responsible for drawing the attention
and ire of the big-two sanctioning bodies, which ironically serves as a stamp of legitimacy as big as any the ADRL could ever have hoped for. And to his credit, Nowling (and his member tracks) have so far not backed down from attempts by the major sanctioning bodies to prevent their member tracks from holding ADRL events.
Our decision to recognize Nowling as 2006 DRO Man of the Year is not only about what he has accomplished with the ADRL, though. It’s an honor that requires not only having an impact on drag racing , it also has to do with Nowling the man. Perhaps it stems from being the father of three young children, Madison, Kenny Jr., and Joey, but Nowling seems to go out of his way for youngsters at an event. Nowhere was this more evident than at the ADRL event last April at Gateway International Raceway, near St Louis, when Nowling arranged for a teenaged boy, stricken with a terminal illness, to realize his dream of making a quarter-mile pass (as a passenger) in a real drag car. Nowling’s smile was as big as the kid’s when it was over.
Have there been missteps along the way? Absolutely. But at least Nowling has generally been willing to acknowledge them and seek input and advice from others to avoid similar snags in the future.
Nowling brings enthusiasm, a hard work ethic, and a genuine desire to see his own vision of Pro Mod racing at the forefront of drag racing’s attention, and he isn’t afraid to think outside the proverbial box to make it happen. That he’s willing to do all that in the face of adversity from the traditional powers that be in the sport of drag racing just makes him that much more deserving to be Drag Racing Online’s 2006 Man of the Year. 
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The Car From Mars
