Multi-Time Champion Luke Bogacki Comes One Round From Winning Another in an Unforgettable Battle Extraordinaire

Heading into the final three races of the 2024 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Luke Bogacki was in the thick of the hunt, aiming squarely at a fourth world championship. The final races of the season unfolded with a level of intensity the seasoned driver had yet to experience in his career, and although he did not win the world title, Bogacki came away with renewed respect for his fellow competitors and a full grasp of the magnitude of a to-the-wire championship chase.
 
“I’m a big goal-setter, but over the years, I’ve tried to get better at specifying goals and limiting them to things that are in my circle of influence,” said Bogacki. “As a result, I don’t set goals to win races or championships; there are too many variables that I can’t control. Instead, one of my goals has been to ‘legitimately pursue an NHRA world championship.’

“That means attending six national events and eight Lucas Oil Series events – no small task – but it also means committing to bringing my best to those events, (including) having the proper equipment and spare parts, testing when necessary, practicing regularly, analyzing and reviewing performance, bringing an attitude and level of effort to each event that facilitates success, and more. That goal has a bold checkmark beside it for 2024.”

Driving his Charlie Stewart-built Moser Engineering Corvette roadster in the ultra-challenging Super Gas category, Bogacki was No. 5 in the standings when he arrived at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Three claimable races laid before him: the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals there in Las Vegas, the NHRA Pacific Division closer, and the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals in Pomona.
 
By the time the curtain was raised for the final race of the season, there were, shockingly, four drivers still in the mix: Bogacki had moved into the points lead with a quarterfinals finish at the Las Vegas national, but East Coaster Keith Mayers – driving a Porsche borrowed from West Coast racer Pete Bothe – was nipping at his heels and on the entry list for Pomona, while Evan Kowalski and Val Torres were also holding onto hope.
 
Bogacki and Mayers battled back and forth for the lead, but in the third round, Torres suddenly became the biggest threat. He and Bogacki squared off in a Saturday mid-morning match, and it was Torres with the win light with a .010-second reaction time and dead-on 9.909-second pass on the 9.90 index to a well-played .013 light and narrowly missing 9.889. Bogacki was still in the championship hunt but could only wait and watch; at that point, he was tied with Mayers at 613 points. When Mayers got the nod in round four, Bogacki was done-for, and Kowalski was eliminated that same round. Torres, 66, was writing a Cinderella story as he survived a semifinals round with Mayer to reach the final, which he won in order to seal the deal on his first world title.

“Even in that moment in [the third round in] Pomona, and certainly in the closing moments of the event a day later, I found it impossible not to be genuinely happy for Val Torres,” expressed Bogacki, reflecting on his third-round loss to the soon-to-be-crowned champion who had been racing for decades. “He’s one of the best racers and best people in the pits. He got his storybook weekend – and while I didn’t necessarily want to be among the victims, his performance on that stage was nothing short of incredible. I truly believe that everyone who pursues a dream at this level deserves to get to feel that sense of accomplishment at some point, because it’s not for the faint of heart. Val earned it.”

Ultimately, Torres and Mayers tied with 624 points each, with Torres winning the head-to-head matchups tiebreaker. Bogacki finished No. 3 in the nation with 613 points. 
 
“In our game, like many pursuits, separating performance from results can be a challenge,” Bogacki shared. “It’s natural to look back on the season and pick out rounds that could’ve, should’ve, would’ve been. Specific to the finale in Pomona, in all of the amazing positions I’ve been blessed to find myself in throughout my racing career, I’ve never felt pressure quite like that.
 
“It was awesome to be part of, and better yet, by every metric that I use to analyze myself, I was able to perform in that spotlight. In five runs, my reaction time varied by just .007. I made decisive calls at the finish line and executed them well – not perfectly, but well. My mental game was sharp. I found optimism. I was prepared. I left nothing on the table. That’s the best I could do. Is it disappointing that my best wasn’t quite good enough? Of course. But I’m not second-guessing myself. There’s only so much I can control, and I put my best foot forward. There’s peace in that.”
 
Bogacki emphasized that his three championships earned in 2013 (Super Comp), 2014, and 2021 (both in Super Gas) came with a different kind of battle, one that was waged and decided well before the last rounds of the last race of the year. This season’s efforts were strenuous and required tremendous dedication to the end – not just from those fighting for the title, but also from those supporting them.
 
“What this experience hammered home, above all else, is that winning a championship is really, really difficult,” said Bogacki. “That idea both commands respect for my fellow competitors and makes me appreciate my prior accomplishments even more. Stepping back from it only reinforces how herculean an effort is required to pursue such a lofty goal, and it’s far from an individual effort. I’m fully aware that I have been blessed with opportunities that most racers can only dream of. I try not to take that for granted, and I hope I’m a racer that others can relate to and root for.”

Bogacki thanked wife Jessica and sons Gary and Jack, as well as Moser Engineering, Charlie Stewart Race Cars, Andrew DiPiazza, Chris Estep, and each of the supporters who emerged with kind words throughout the season. He also expressed gratitude for partners Bill Taylor Enterprises (BTE); Advanced Product Design (APD); Mickey Thompson Tires; Fuel Factory; ThisIsBracketRacing; Accelerated Graphics; Ivey Hutto Custom Golf Carts; and all of the manufacturers his team depends on. “I always say that every decal on our car is there for one reason: we depend on these products because we believe they’re the best products available, and at this level, we can’t afford anything less.”

This story was originally published on December 10, 2024.