Alex Bowman in Daytona February 2013
Photo – Courtesy of Michael L. Levitt LAT Photo USA

19-year-old Tucson, AZ native, Alex Bowman competes full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series piloting the No. 99 Toyota Camry for RAB Racing. With two major racing series’ Rookie of the Year titles under his belt, 2011 K&N Pro Series East and 2012 ARCA Racing Series, he is currently competing for 2013 Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year.

Starting his season with a third place finish in Daytona, in Phoenix Bowman was involved in an early race incident on lap two, leaving him with a finish of 31st at his home track. Despite the disappointing finish at Phoenix, Bowman currently sits tenth in the point standings as he heads to Las Vegas, only 11 points out of the top five and 25 points behind leader Sam Hornish, Jr.

While Bowman is looking to rebound from a disappointing finish, Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a track he has yet to race. Bowman’s first lap in practice will represent his first lap at the 1.5-mile track in the desert. But don’t expect that to be a handicap for this talented driver.

“I’m really pumped up to get to Vegas. I’ve never run here before, but I’ve heard its challenging and I’m excited to see what the track is about. I already know that I’m comfortable in this racecar. It’s the same chassis I ran at Kentucky Speedway last season and if it weren’t for a small part failure, we would have had a great finish there. I’m looking forward to regaining my momentum again. Last weekend was tough, but I think we will be strong here with the support of Port of Tucson and my RAB Racing team.”

Bowman’s crew chief, Chris Rice has led Nationwide Series teams at Las Vegas seven previous times with a best finish of tenth. The Bowman-Rice team certainly wants to beat that stat this weekend.

“Alex Bowman has never been to Las Vegas Motor Speedway before, but this is one of my favorite tracks. Because of how bumpy the surface is, it is a chassis-tuning track. Aero is going to play a part this weekend, but it will be most important for our Toyota Camry to drive smoothly over the bumps so Alex can maneuver and do the things he needs to do. The city of Las Vegas is fun, but the racetrack is as well. You can carry so much speed here and are able pass on the inside and the outside. Because of Alex’s driving style, I think he’ll run well here and bring home a solid finish for our No. 99 team.”

Alex Bowman’s biggest challengers for the title right now include Nelson Piquet Jr, currently 8th in points and Kyle Larson, currently 7th in the point standings. Because Alex Bowman earned a contingency award at Daytona, he sits first in the Rookie of the Year standings, with only a four-point cushion between him and his closest competitors Kyle Larson and Nelson Piquet Jr.

For fans, it will be interesting watching all three drivers, along with the other Rookie of the Year contenders this weekend in the Sam’s Town 300, Saturday, March 9th at 4pm ET on ESPN2.

• Alex Bowman will be our next guest on Fan4Racing’s Fan2Fan NASCAR Talk, Monday, March 11th at 8:30pm ET. Call 347-996-5176 to interact with Alex Bowman and ask your questions.