Nusbajtel returns to Mildura with impressive qualifying pace. The second-season Super Sedan racer will contest round three of the 2026/2027 ANDRA Regional Sportsman Series at the Mildura City Council Sunset Nationals (September 19-20). He is driving a new car he switched to while waiting on a new engine combination.
"The new car takes off a lot quicker, so everything happens faster on the tree," Nusbajtel said. "That is the part I am still learning. When the car leaves that hard, your reaction time is a completely different thing to get your head around."
The adjustment has not blunted his pace. The 2026 Dragway at The Bend Track Champion topped qualifying at Mildura's Riverland Nationals in May, then took New Gen Business Park Top Qualifier honours at the series-opening Alice Springs Toyota Desert Nationals in August. However, one piece of hardware still eludes him.
"I have never won an ANDRA Christmas Tree. That is what I am chasing this year," he said. "If I can do it, that would be a massive achievement for the hours and the money I have put into this sport. I reckon when I finally win that tree I might retire and try something new – but to be honest, that will never happen, because I love drag racing too much."
Defending his Dragway at The Bend track title also sits on his list for the season, though Nusbajtel is happy to cast himself as a student of the category. "This is only my second season, so I am just a rookie taking it all in," he said. "I spend a lot of time listening to the other competitors and trying to get hints on how to cut a good light. Every race I am a nervous wreck – I will change my dial in three or four times before I go up there," he laughed.
A spectator at Adelaide International Raceway as a kid, Nusbajtel says the appeal these days is as much about the company as the performance. "It is the friendly atmosphere, and the bond it makes with my sons. That is what keeps me coming back," he said. "I don't actually like going fast. I just like the burnout and the hit on the start line."
Returning to a track he rates among the best in country Australia is no hardship either. "It is one of my most favourite drag strips. What an exciting time to be going back to Mildura," he said. A Test 'n' Tune will be held at the Davison Ford Sunset Strip today ahead of the two-day championship meeting.
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