Bogusz Leads Them All In Lorain MSR Midwest Lights Run
Andrew Bogusz in victory lane at Lorain Raceway Park Saturday night. (KR Poole Photos)
SOUTH AMHERST, Ohio (Aug. 24, 2024) – Andrew Bogusz led from start to finish Saturday night at Lorain Raceway Park to capture his first Must See Racing Maxima Racing Oils Midwest Lights win of the year.
Bogusz, the 18-year-old standout from Shelby Township, Mich., started from the pole at the three-eighths-mile paved oval and never trailed en route to his fourth career victory.
It marked Bogusz’s first win of the year, after title rivals J.J. Henes (Owosso) and Cody Gallogly (Sandusky) split the opening two features of the season.
Saturday night’s 30-lapper went green to checkered and was completed in just seven minutes and eight seconds.
“Our team needed this,” said Bogusz after beating runner-up Talon Stephens by .861 seconds. “We knew track position was going to be important, but you still have to be perfect in lap traffic so the guys behind you can’t get momentum and make moves on you.
“I wanted this one bad,” Bogusz added. “The first two [races] this year were good, but not great. Tonight we were able to put it all together.”
Andrew Bogusz celebrates his Must See Racing Midwest Lights victory at Lorain Raceway Park. (KR Poole Photos)
Stephens was driving Sawyer Stout’s familiar ACME Racing No. 40 in his first Midwest Lights appearance of the season. Henes completed the podium and unofficially moved back into a tie for the points lead.
Gallogly was fourth in the feature after setting a new Midwest Lights track record at Lorain during qualifying, with a lap of 13.108 seconds (102.991 mph) in his family-owned No. 27.
Josh Sexton and Bogusz won their respective eight-lap heat races.
The Must See Racing Midwest Lights Series season continues alongside the Must See Racing Perfit National Sprint Car Series at Michigan’s Owosso Speedway on Saturday, Aug. 31.
It will be the second visit to Owosso’s three-eighths-mile oval this year for both divisions.
The results:
Qualifying (groups; best of three laps): 1. Cody Gallogly, 27, Gallogly-13.108; 2. J.J. Henes, 36jr, Henes-13.145; 3. Talon Stephens, 40, ACME-13.320; 4. Ethan Rader, 52, Rader-13.495; 5. Andrew Bogusz, 17, Bogusz-13.540; 6. Charlie Baur, 23, Baur-13.677; 7. Josh Sexton, 51s, Team 151-13.970; 8. J.D. Evans, 38, Evans-14.142; 9. Keegan Weese, 37, Henes-14.357; 10. Parker Corbin, 77, Corbin-14.684; 11. Rick Witchner, 11, Drive1-14.777.
Heat #1 (8 laps, all transfer): 1. Josh Sexton [3], 2. J.D. Evans [2], 3. Charlie Baur [4], 4. Keegan Weese [5], 5. Parker Corbin [1], 6. Rick Witchner [6].
Heat #2 (8 laps, all transfer): 1. Andrew Bogusz [1], 2. Talon Stephens [2], 3. J.J. Henes [3], 4. Cody Gallogly [4], 5. Ethan Rader [5].
Maxima Racing Oils Feature (30 laps): 1. 17-Andrew Bogusz [1], 2. 40-Talon Stephens [2], 3. 36-J.J. Henes [3], 4. 27-Cody Gallogly [4], 5. 23-Charlie Baur [6], 6. 51s-Joshua Sexton [7], 7. 52-Ethan Rader [5], 8. 38-J.D. Evans [8], 9. 37-Keegan Weese [10], 10. 77-Parker Corbin [9], 11. 11-Rick Witchner [11].
Lap Leader(s): Andrew Bogusz 1-30.
Hard Charger: 23-Charlie Baur