TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) The body of a NASCAR fan who was reported missing after a race has been found near the Talladega Superspeedway, authorities in Talladega County said Tuesday.
Deputy Coroner Larry Seals Tuesday told the Anniston Star the body of 28-year-old Nicholas Bower, of Villa Rica, Ga., was found by an Etowah County Sheriff's Office helicopter in the Choccolocco Creek, near the campground where he was last seen.
Authorities said Bower came to the race with his girlfriend and co-workers from Fastenal, the construction fastener company for which he worked in Atlanta. He was last seen sitting in a lawn chair by a fire at the speedway's South Park campsite with friends.
He was reported missing May 4. Bower's girlfriend told investigators she fell asleep in a car and Bower was gone by the time she woke up.
Foul play is not suspected in Bower's death, Sheriff Jimmy Kilgore said in a statement. Authorities used tracking dogs, aircraft and four wheeler's to find Bower and said the man's body was discovered in tall grass toward the middle of the creek.
The man's body has been sent to the Alabama Department of Forensics Laboratory in Montgomery and authorities have not disclosed details on the circumstances surrounding the man's death.
The creek, just south of the camping area, had been swollen by recent heavy rain.
The Talladega County Sheriff's Office searched for Bower with the help of the Etowah County Rescue Squad. They used dogs, helicopters and boats to comb areas surrounding the speedway.
Bower grew up in Indianapolis and moved to Georgia in October 2010 for a promotion with Fastenal. Bower was described by his girlfriend as a devoted racing fan who attended the Indianapolis 500 every year.
Sunday
May 12th, 2024
1:20PM
