9/18/2019
Lucas Oil Speedway
Lucas Oil Speedway Spotlight: Australian Bogucki on the rise in ASCS Winged Sprints entering Hockett-McMillin Memorial
WHEATLAND, Missouri (September 18, 2019) - One of the ASCS Winged Sprint drivers to keep an eye on at this weekend's 9th annual Jesse Hockett/Daniel McMillin Memorial began his racing journey about as far from rural south-central Missouri as you can get.
Scott Bogucki is from McLaren Vale, South Australia, where he grew up admiring a grandfather who raced motocross. Scott later bought a Sprint car and starting winning races at a couple of nearby dirt tracks.
But Bogucki dreamed of more - like racing for a living in the United States.
"With the way the dollar is (in Australia) it's like 70 cents on the dollar there. It's become so expensive to race at home," Bogucki said. "My main reason for coming here, I wanted to race professionally."
After finishing eighth in points as a rookie on the ASCS national tour last season, Bogucki is enjoying a breakout 2019. He's third in points behind Sam Hafertepe and Blake Hahn entering this weekend's three-night Hockett-McMillin Memorial at Wheatland, which fires up Thursday night.
Bogucki has two wins and 10 top-five finishes in 25 events.
"The season has gone pretty good," Bogucki said in a phone interview Wednesday, en route to Missouri from his race shop in Dallas, Texas. "We've had some bad luck and we've had some good luck. Most of all, we've been super consistent.
"At the start of the year, I wanted to make sure that I took few, if any, provisionals. So far, I've only had to take one. We took seven or eight last year. We've achieved more-consistent car speed and more consistent results than last year, which was our goal."
Bogucki, 30, said going through the national tour for the second time has made a big difference. Not only is he seeing tracks for at least the second time, he's more comfortable adapting to the nomadic lifestyle that goes with the sport.
"It's being out on the road for months and months at a time and being more mentally prepared for what it takes," Bogucki said. "You really don't understand what it's all about until you experience it once."
When he first came to American in 2012, Bogucki served as a crew member for veteran driver Johnny Herrera. He said what he learned from Herrera was invaluable and the connections he made were key.
"Though Johnny, I got to meet a lot of great people, including my engine builder Lee Nelson," Bogucki said. "I got to meet one of the most-famous crew chiefs in the world, Kenny Woodruff. We're still great friends and he will be there this weekend with me."
Bogucki spends 10 months of the year in the United States, returning to Australia in December and January. He said his parents and sister, back home, and girlfriend in Texas keep him inspired when the need arises.
"A lot of success comes from confidence," he said. "When your confidence gets beat down, those people are there to pick me back up."
He returns to Lucas Oil Speedway with confidence after his runner-up finish to Hafertepe in last year's $10,000-to-win Hockett-McMillin finale.
"I love the place, but hadn't been really great on any of my visits to Wheatland until last year," he said. "I'm hoping to come in this weekend and start off with the speed that we finished with last year."
The Hockett-McMillin Memorial features the Lucas Oil ASCS Winged Sprint Cars and POWRi WAR Sprints in one of open-wheel's crown jewels. Full programs for the ASCS Winged Sprints are set for Thursday and Friday, paying $3,000 to win the features and helping set the field for Saturday's $10,000-to-win feature.
The WAR Sprints will be split with half running on Thursday and half on Friday. Drivers will be competing for points every time they hit the track to gather points for Saturday, when the feature will pay $3,077. The features on Thursday and Friday will pay $1,377 to win.
For more information on the series, including full schedules and point standings, visit ASCSracing.com or POWRi.com.
Thursday-Friday Schedule
4 p.m. - Gates open
6 p.m. - Hot laps
7 p.m. Opening ceremonies
7:05 p.m. - Racing begins
Thursday-Friday Admission
Adults (16 and over) $20
Seniors (62 and over)/Military $17
Youth (6-15) $5
Kids (5 and under) FREE
Family Pass $45
Pit Pass $35
3-day Pit Pass $100
Saturday's Schedule
4 p.m. - Gates open
5:30 p.m. - Hot laps
6:30 p.m. - Opening ceremonies
6:35 p.m. - Racing begins
Saturday's Admission
Adults (16 and over) $25
Seniors (62 and over)/Military $22
Youth (6-15) $10
Kids (5 and under) FREE
Family Pass $60
Pit Pass $40
3-day Pit Pass $100
For questions about tickets or camping for any event at Lucas Oil Speedway, contact Admissions Director Nichole McMillan at (417) 282-5984 or via email at Nichole@LucasOilSpeedway.com.
Article Credit: By Lyndal Scranton, Lucas Oil Speedway
