Having earned his rookie stripe as a drag racer at Sonoma Raceway, this lifelong enthusiast returns 10 years later to manage that same quarter-mile track.

For Nick Bublitz, a brush with drag racing at age five sparked a passion that later revved up a career in drag racing management.

Bublitz first took to the quarter-mile at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California, 10 years ago while earning a bachelor’s degree in history from Sonoma State University (SSU). He seemed destined to work in the industry, and this year became drag strip manager for the historic Northern California track. 

Sonoma Raceway also is home to the famous 12-turn, 2.5-mile road course that hosts a NASCAR race and other major series. 

In his new role, Bublitz will oversee day-to-day operations of the drag strip, including the weekly Wednesday Night Drags program where he got his own start in racing. 

The busy 29-year-old also remains the track announcer and race director for Redding Dragstrip, the oldest NHRA-sanctioned strip in the US (and a 200-plus mile drive from his home in Cotati). Of note: He loves to make passes in a 1970 Chevelle that he built up with a 502-cubic-inch big block, 700R4 overdrive, Wilwood brakes, and Global West suspension. 

Bublitz recently shared with PRI his plans and goals for drag racers who treasure this iconic track.

PRI: How did you get started with drag racing?

Bublitz: When I was five, my father’s friend let me sit in his Top Alcohol dragster. That started a lifelong passion. Scheduling left me unable to do any regular racing in high school, but when I moved to Cotati for college, I started racing on Wednesdays in my street car. From there it just snowballed.

PRI: As a drag racer, and especially one who has competed at Sonoma Raceway, how will you use that experience in your new role?

Bublitz: I’ve been fortunate to compete at Sonoma since 2011 and spectate there for many years before that. I feel it’s important for the person in this role to have experience as a competitor because it adds valuable perspective. I’ll continue the “racer first” philosophy that the previous track manager, Kyle Seipel, had continued from his mother, Georgia. [Editor's Note: Seipel stepped away from the position at the end of the 2020 season due to his battle with cancer. Unfortunately, he passed away in June 2021.] 

PRI: What strengths do you bring to this new role?

Bublitz: When I’m not at the race track, I am a facilities project manager at a game company. Attention to detail, progress tracking, and budgeting are all part of my daily scope. A track manager basically manages a series of smaller projects and events that take place in a compressed timeframe. This skill set has served me well in my role as race director at the Redding Dragstrip, and I feel it will do the same at Sonoma Raceway.

PRI: What changes are on the horizon?

Bublitz: Months before my hiring, the track had discontinued the weekend bracket drag program, but many racers and fans want to see it return. I’m working on new ideas to bring it back on some scale in 2022.

PRI: With fan safety in mind, how will Sonoma Raceway follow COVID-19 guidelines for this season, including the NHRA date in July?

Bublitz: We’ll be following guidelines from the state and the county, according to whatever tier we happen to be in at the time. Each tier change potentially allows us to offer more to the fans. (Sonoma County was transitioning into the red tier from the most restrictive purple tier when PRI spoke with Bublitz in late March.)

PRI: What’s your most gratifying accomplishment?

Bublitz: As a racer, I am most proud of winning a Division 7 NHRA title in my daily driver Ford hybrid hatchback. In my game company job, it was, with my team, delivering a $7 million motion capture facility on time and within budget. And, in race management, it has to be managing the Kool April Nites event at Redding. It’s their biggest race of the year, and it was only the second race I had ever managed. 

PRI: Since you started racing at Sonoma in your college days at SSU, do you have some ideas for encouraging more young people to enter drag racing?

Bublitz: This is a very important issue for me. I’m working on a plan to drum up local interest on multiple levels. High schools and colleges are just two of the avenues I plan to take. We are continuing our “Top the Cops” program, which gives high school students the chance to race against police officers in their squad cars. I’m also pleased to announce that the Juggers Racing Team has continued their sponsorship of the high school program by donating a tech card to each Wednesday Night Drags event.

PRI: Who inspires you, and why?

Bublitz: I’ve been blessed with many inspirational figures in my life. In addition to my parents, I owe much of who I am today to my high school physics teacher, Michael Smidebush. He was the kind of person that one aspired to be: level-headed, honest, direct, and always present. That he was well-respected goes without saying. As far as racers go, Glen Terry was about as inspirational as they came. He was a local legend, with countless wins in more than 60 years of drag racing. He was always an innovator and was still competitive in his 80s.

PRI: What can you not live without, and why?

Bublitz: My dog, Frill. She’s a three-year-old golden lab who somehow manages to make life so simple and pure.

PRI: What do you enjoy doing when you are not at the race track?

Bublitz: I’m a bookworm. I typically go through a book a week, give or take. I also enjoy 4WD exploration, camping in Death Valley and the like.

Nick Bublitz

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Title:
Drag Strip Manager

Organization:
Sonoma Raceway

Hometown:
Cotati, California

Fast Fact:
Nick is the first non-Seipel track manager for Sonoma Raceway’s drag strip in over 30 years, having recently taken the reins from Kyle Seipel, who in turn took over from his mother, Georgia, in 2017 upon her retirement after three decades at the track.