Shelby Township teen places 4th in winged sprint car race

SHELBY TOWNSHIP/STERLING HEIGHTS/UTICA — A sophomore Manufacturing, Automation and Design Engineering student at Stevenson High School finished in fourth place during this past weekend’s opening night of racing for the Must See Racing Series — Midwest Lights pavement winged sprint car race at Lorain Raceway Park in Elyria, Ohio.

Eddie Sachs Racing Development Driver Andrew Bogusz, of Shelby Township, took fourth in the race June 17. It was Bogusz’s third race ever in a sprint car after graduating from karting and quarter midgets.

“I qualified third-fastest and finished the feature race in fourth spot — not a bad day at Lorain Raceway Park for only my (second) time racing here at this track,” Bogusz said.

Dad Terry Bogusz said he’s proud of Andrew, and they will be back in the future to grab first place.

“Still working on a good setup for this track, just missed it a bit. We will come back better for the next race here at Lorain Raceway Park,” he said.

Andrew said racing a different kind of car has been a big adjustment this season.

“I had to get used to the big changes that came in upsizing from small go-karts.” he said.

He said that in his first heat race ever April 23, also at Lorain Raceway Park, he got tangled with someone trying to pass and had to pull off because of a battery issue. In the main event, he had to start in last place and work his way up.

“A red flag was thrown on my first lap from a wreck in the first corner, and I gained some spots. Then we had the same battery issue, and I had to pull into the pits to swap the battery,” he said.

He said he thought his race was done when he heard track officials restart the race, but then a big wreck occurred on the back straightaway.

“I saw it all in my car and realized how dangerous these cars can be,” he said. “We got back out there just in time for the second restart of the race, and I knew I had to be patient for the whole race. The car handled like a dream. I could pass people on the top line around the track while everyone was running the low side. Turns 3 and 4 were my best spots on the track. I could send it in hard and then when I was ready to launch out of the corner, the down force of the car made the corner fast. I could pull a Tokyo drift driving out of turn 4.”

He said he had the time of his life for the rest of the 25-lap race April 23.

“I ended up finishing fifth in my first sprint car race,” he said.

He said lots of people congratulated him and commented on how much he improved from the first heat.

“Jim Hanks, the owner of the sanctioning series, was speechless after seeing me out there. He said he’s never seen a rookie like me pass that many cars on the top line. A few fellow racers gave me pointers for my next race,” he said.

Eddie Sachs Jr., a team partner, said he has been involved with Andrew for the last three years.

“As a driver coach and team partner along with Andrew’s dad, Terry, we have seen leaps in his driving skills and efforts. His first race in a sprint car was amazing; he was able to adapt to the car and track at the same time, allowing him to be fast and learn the handling characteristics of the chassis and where the power is needed and when,” he said via email after Andrew’s first race.

He said the April 23 race was a hard-fought battle for him to finish fifth after the issue with the car.

“Lots of people were proud. Even my dad was excited after my race,” Andrew said after his first race. “My next race will be at Kalamazoo Speedway, and the only person in the Bogusz family legacy that has raced there is my grandpa. I’ll use the tricks he told me and do better than the last race,” Andrew said.

His prediction came true a few weeks later.

In that next race in the Must See Racing Series — Midwest Lights at Kalamazoo Speedway May 27, Andrew won first place.

Andrew said he still has more to learn in racing.