Three-Time Lucas Oil Champion Luke Bogacki Armed to Close 2024 Season With Strong Pull
The final three races of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series are on the horizon, and they’re packed with potential for three-time world champion Luke Bogacki. In the hunt for a fourth overall world title and historic third in the talent-packed Super Gas category, Bogacki will campaign his stealthy black Moser Engineering C7 Corvette roadster, while also wheeling the team’s Moser-branded dragster in Super Comp, a category in which he won his first series title in 2013. The three-race finale will begin this weekend with the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas, followed by the Pacific Division closer, and concluding with the famed In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., Nov. 14-17.
The battle and Las Vegas Magic
Heading into the final three races, Keith Mayers and Jeremy Demers are at the top of the Super Gas standings, both with one national event left to claim and tied at 591 points each (see “How it works,” below). Jeremy Mason (588) and Jim Perry Jr. (581) are just behind, but both are maxed out on claimable events. Bogacki is No. 5 at present, also with 581 points but with two nationals and one divisional left to battle for marks.
“The points chase eats up more bandwidth than you would ever expect,” admitted Bogacki. “It’s hard to stop thinking about it, but you know that all you can do is prepare the best you can and put yourself in the best situation possible. It comes down to rounds that are just 10 seconds, and it shouldn’t eat up all that mental bandwidth, but it has a way of doing just that.”
Bogacki started his season with a semifinals-finish in Belle Rose, and in the spring, he reached the final round in the second-leg of the Las Vegas division race. Another semifinals performance at the Indy divisional was followed by a win in Bowling Green and then a runner-up at the national event held at his home track, World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis.
Returning to Las Vegas to begin this final trio of events conjures not-too-distant memories for the longtime racer, and he’s surely hoping that the residual feel-good vibes generate a similarly positive outcome.
“The highlight of our race season so far was winning the Moser Spring Fling Million,” said Bogacki, who became the first-ever two-time Fling Million winner with his triumph over Jeff Serra at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in early April. He also won it in 2017. “It was one of those days you’ll never forget, and not just winning a race of that caliber – which was incredible – but also the way we went about it. It was the single best day I’ve ever had behind the wheel. It was one of those rare days where everything fell into place, and it was magical.”
Far From Home
Bogacki (shown with his family in a 2017 winner’s circle) has the advantage of a strong family unit behind him, and although wife Jessica and sons Gary and Jack – all racers, as well – will not be making the trip out West this time around, their support will remain a central pillar of strength as husband and dad races for the championship. Bogacki is also hoping that his sons, now of age and experience to understand the various dimensions of chasing a title, are watching.
“I’m would like to think that even though they aren’t with me physically, my 6- and 11-year-old can see the way I’m approaching this and how I handle it – win or lose – and learn something from it,” said Bogacki. “I’ve been doing little things like trying to get better sleep, eat better, spend extra time on the practice tree – small, subtle things to put me at the peak of my game. Ultimately, what I want to impress upon them is that doing these things is giving myself a better chance for success. More so, I’ll be able to walk away from it, win or lose, knowing that I did everything I could to put my best foot forward. The planning and the approach will allow me to live with the results, either way.”
Without his family on-site, the game will be somewhat changed for Bogacki. The general maintenance of the racecars and planning for each run will remain mostly the same for the seasoned veteran, but the energy in the camp will have a completely different feel. The changed dynamic will require preparation, just as much as running two cars at three consecutive events far from home.
“It’s going to be different. Racing is something we’ve been able to do together and each have a passion for; this is very much in juxtaposition with what we’re used to,” shared Bogacki. “Particularly when the stakes are elevated, I get very tunnel-vision focused, but it feels like we all come together in those times. The boys and Jess not only respect it, but they also pitch in. We become a well-oiled machine, very much rowing in the same direction. That will fall exclusively on me.
“The biggest thing I’ll have to keep in check without them is that Jess is my truthteller. She’ll tell me when I’m not thinking along the right lines, and she has a way of keeping me in line. If I’m wracking my brain over something, the boys are a tension release. Gary will come tell me a third-grade joke, or Jack will tell me about something funny he saw. Those moments bring it all into perspective, and that reset can be really important. I’ll miss having that in person, but hopefully we can accomplish the same thing via phone or FaceTime.”
Final Approach
Winning three championships in Super Gas is a lofty goal, as no one has ever done it before. Sherman Adcock, Sheldon Gecker, and Bogacki each have two. Winning a third would be history in the 9.90 category, and it would also bring Bogacki’s overall total to four and place him in elite company. Among the drivers to have won four or more titles are legends like Peter Biondo, Scotty and Edmond Richardson, Jimmy DeFrank, David Rampy, Gary Stinnett, Justin Lamb, Greg Stanfield, Kevin Helms, and more.
Being a numbers-cruncher by nature, Bogacki admits that he’s dug way deeper than necessary into possible scenarios and where the competition stands in every category. In regard to his own charge towards 2024 glory, he says that winning one of the three races would likely position him to win the championship, and losing all three would most likely lock him out – but ultimately, the driver himself plays only a small part of the final decision.
“I’ve been through this before, but each of my championship seasons were runaways – I, basically, had them wrapped up in September – and to date, when I’ve been involved in late-season battles, I’ve come up on the short end. For me, it all comes down to this: I can control what I can control, and if we’re honest with ourselves, that’s not a whole lot. I’m very prepared in terms of equipment, mindset, and trying to put myself in the best position. I’ll be dialed into what happens in the other lane and keeping up with what my competitors do, because I think it’s impossible to have tunnel vision and not see it, but you have to remember what’s in your circle of control and what’s not.
“I’m also mindful of the fact that anytime you’re in a championship chase, it could be your last opportunity. I want to soak it all in and chase it with vigor. When you pull under the arch at Vegas and you’re two win lights away from winning a championship, that electricity is the reason I race. The opportunity to be on that stage – win, lose, or draw – I love it. It’s very much a privilege to race under this type of pressure, and I’m looking forward to it.”
The Ford Performance NHRA Nationals are Oct. 31-Nov. 3, 2024. Subscribers can watch on NHRA.tv, and results will be posted throughout the weekend at DragRaceCentral.com.
How it Works
Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series championships are among the most difficult to win across all forms of motorsports – hundreds of racers across the country annually vie for the world title, and at any given event, there are 50 to 150 drivers battling for the trophy. The number of racers determine the number of win lights necessary to ultimately emerge victorious, and that can stretch to eight intense and exhausting elimination rounds over several days of competition.
The points skirmish for a national title in the Lucas Oil Series is a battle royale and a season-long chess match involving a calculator and a flexible calendar. Drivers in this series are eligible to compete for points at their first eight divisional and first six national events attended. The best five division races and best three nationals will count toward their final tally.
This story was originally published on October 30, 2024.
The post Three-Time Lucas Oil Champion Luke Bogacki Armed to Close 2024 Season With Strong Pull first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
