Bogacki Drives Vega to 50 Grand Final

September 12, 2012   ·   0 Comments

Belle Rose, LA: Three short weeks ago, Luke Bogacki etched his name in the NHRA record books by reaching the final rounds of both Super Gas (which he won) and Super Comp at the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, MN. There, Bogacki wheeled his familiar ThisIsBracketRacing.com backed Corvette Roadster and American Race Cars dragster to final round appearances. Fast forward three weeks to the other end of the country, a completely different form of competition, and another race car; and Bogacki once again found himself in the final round of one of the biggest events of the season.

Leaving his familiar NHRA Super Comp and Super Gas entries at home, Bogacki entered his venerable ThisIsBracketRacing.com ’74 Chevrolet Vega in the Moser Engineering Great American Bracket Race at No Problem Raceway Park in Belle Rose, LA.

There, he drove the machine to a final round appearance in Saturday’s $50,000-to-win main event before he was defeated by bracket racing mogul Gary Williams. On his way to the final, Bogacki took down notable competitors including Mike Bloomfield, Jr., former Million Dollar Race winner Stephen Hughes, Friday winner Kris Morris, bracket standout John Labbous, Jr., and former B&M Series champion Allen Wickell.

“My little Vega doesn’t look like much, I know,” laughed Bogacki. “But it’s an incredible bracket car. People tell me all the time: ‘You win in that thing, you’re the man!’ But to be honest, the car makes me look a lot better than I am. I used to race it just about every weekend when I did a lot more bracket racing. There were years that I put over 600 runs on that car alone. With my current emphasis on the NHRA tour, those days are long gone; I’ll be lucky to make 150 runs in it this year. My wife drives this car more often than I do anymore, but the comfort level is still there: when I get in it, I feel right at home.”

That was evident throughout the race. In Saturday’s main event, he posted reaction times that varied from .006 to .016 and matched his dial-in 5 times in the 9 round event.

In the final round, Bogacki left the starting line with his worst reaction of the event, .016, which was trumped by Williams’s .008. At the finish line, Williams left Bogacki no room, posting a dead-on 5.085 for a .013 package. Bogacki slowed to a 6.207 (6.18 dial) in a losing effort.