Bogacki claims 17th Wally, Diekema earns first NHRA win at Midwest Nationals

Luke Bogacki earned his 17th career national event Wally in Top Dragster, while Johnny Diekema celebrated his first in Stock Eliminator at the NHRA Midwest Nationals.

MADISON, IL – Luke Bogacki and Johnny Diekema highlighted the sportsman action at the NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis, Missouri, with Bogacki adding another victory to his impressive résumé and Diekema celebrating his first national event triumph.

Bogacki captured his 17th career national event Wally in Right Trailers Top Dragster, defeating Alaia Isenhower in the final round. Bogacki posted a 6.806 on his 6.79 dial as Isenhower broke out. The accomplished sportsman racer also enjoyed a strong weekend in Super Comp, advancing to the semifinals.

In Stock Eliminator, Diekema reached a major career milestone by collecting his first national event Wally. Diekema defeated Brett Saurbaugh in a heads-up Corvette final to secure the victory.

Other sportsman winners included Christopher Dodd in Competition Eliminator, Jimmy Hidalgo Jr. in Super Stock, Jim Glenn in Super Comp, and Kris Whitfield in Super Gas.

Read the race recap below to learn more about the winners!

NHRA Midwest Nationals

Competition Eliminator

Christopher Dodd won his seventh NHRA National event Wally, his first in Competition Eliminator, after defeating Scott Linder in the final round. Linder had problems right at the hit, giving Dodd the easy ride down the racetrack. He was .047 up front and ran a 8.286 at 133mph to head to the winner’s circle.

Greg Kamplain was the semi-finalist.

Super Stock

Jimmy Hidalgo continued on his hot streak and defeated Jacob Delaune in the final round to pick up the NHRA National event Wally. Hidalgo had the starting line advantage, .004 to .062, and took the stripe by .008 to get the win. He ran a 9.359 at 127 mph on his 9.29 dial-in to head to the winner’s circle.

Nick Morris and Jim Whalen claimed the semi-finalist spots.

Stock Eliminator

A AA/S heads up final – how cool is that?! Johnny Diekema took home his first NHRA National event Wally after defeating Brett Saurbaugh in the final round. Diekema had the starting line advantage, .018 to .078, and ran it out to a 9.719 at 137 mph on to 10.70 index.

Jimmy Hidalgo and Scott Dugdale claimed the semi-finalist spots.

Super Comp

Jim Glenn picked up his sixth NHRA National event Wally after defeating Michael Holcombe in the final round. A coin flip apart at the starting line, Glenn ran an 8.903 at 173 mph to get to the stripe first by .002 and head to the winner’s circle. Holcombe ran an 8.908 at 179 mph.

Luke Bogacki and Jordan Pratt claimed the semi-finalist spots.

Super Gas

Kris Whitfield visited the winners circle after defeating Todd Pullen in the final round, picking up his sixth NHRA National event Wally! Whitfield had the slight starting line advantage, .019 to .026, and turned it into a win light with a 9.905 at 147 mph on the 9.90 index.

Dell Hall and Mike Wiblishouser claimed the semi-finalist spots.

Top Dragster

Luke Bogacki defeated Alaia Isenhower in the final round to take home his 17th NHRA National event Wally. Bogacki had the starting line advantage, .016 to .054, and turned it into a win light with a 6.806 on his 6.79 dial-in at 190 mph.

Chuck Krepela and Sean Parker were the semi-finalists.

An avid racer herself, Megan Strassweg, 28, sees her two worlds collide with DragChamp – journalism and drag racing. Megan resides in Evansville, IN, and she pilots a 2015 American Dragster in the NHRA North Central Division 3 Super Comp series, along with some local bracket racing on the side. Her passion for racing began early, having grown up at the racetrack, and she remains committed to the sport.

You can reach Megan on Facebook or email at megan@dragchamp.com