Gaining speed throughout the year, Paul Bogensberger Jr. found himself up front near the end of the 2024 race season at Sunset Speedway. As he chases his elusive first podium performance, he shared his thoughts with SHORT TRACK MUSINGS.

What are your thoughts as you look ahead to the upcoming season?

I think it’s going to be a hard fought battle right from the front to the last starting spot on the grid. Like, the talent especially at Sunset (Speedway), it doesn’t matter what division you’re running in, it’s going to be a fight – through and through. There’s so much development that has gone on with all the drivers that anyone from first to 15th has a shot to win it.

Last year we saw gain speed and have some good runs. What are your thoughts as you look back on last year?

It was just a breakout learning year per say. I have a lot of very knowledgeable crew members in my corner, and I am very grateful for that. Looking back on last year, without the knowledgeable crew that we had around, none of it is possible.

What do you feel that you need to work on to make this year more successful?

Keeping my cool behind the wheel, one thing for sure. I tend to get that from my dad – my pin likes to rattle around and I try not to ruffle feathers. I have to stay calm, stay smooth. To run with guys like Tom (Walters), Amanda (Balson), all the front runners, you got to have 110%. You have to be able to there at the end and not kill yourself in the first 30 (laps). I think if we show up with our A-game, and have some luck on our side, we can be a contender at the end of the night.

What would it mean to break throughout and get to victory lane?

In the Hot Rod division, it doesn’t matter what track you’re at, whether you’re with OSCAAR, Varney (Full Throttle Motor Speedway), Sunset – if you can even get a heat win with the level of competition out there, you’ve done something right. The division has grown so much over the last couple of years, it’s unbelievable.

To be able to run door-to-door with Amanda, Herb Walters, Tommy, it really opened my eyes. I guess I didn’t give myself enough credit being able to hang with those guys. But I can remember growing up watching Amanda, watching Tom run late models and they’d go out and wax the field. So to be able to run close to them is something that I take a lot of pride in.

One of the things that is unique for you is not only getting the chance to work with your father, but race with him. How is that experience?

That’s everything to me. My dad is the whole reason why I got into racing, and he is the only reason why I am where I am. Without the support of my dad and all of his knowledge on driving and all of his knowledge on setups, it made me a better driver per say. You could probably put a rookie in one of his cars and they’d make it look good with how those things handle.

Going to the track as a kid and watching your father, what’s a memory that stands out for you?

The biggest memory would be my very first race in a V8 racecar. It was when my dad won (Fall) Velocity in the Peter Schotanus chassis with the Maverick body. I thought he got destroyed and when I ran up to the fence, I realized he had the trophy. It was an expensive win, but hey, we’re racers. We will do whatever it takes to get the trophy at the end of the day.

That was quite a dramatic way of doing things….

Absolutely, and at that point, that was my dad’s first win since 2003 so I think it just meant that much more. And for me, being my first race in a V8, there was no better feeling. We were in the top-10 all night. I think we ended up falling to 11th when the car started overheating. I never even seen the white flag so I probably would’ve blown the thing up to finish eighth but I think we all would’ve.

I know you’re enjoying the Hot Rods right now and all the division brings, but is there another division you want to try?

It’s funny you mention that. About two weeks ago, I got a phone call from one of my sponsors, Mikey from FTC Towing up in North Bay and we were talking about the four-cylinder days and we got into the discussion that I’ve never driven a front wheel drive vehicle. So he has gone out and made a purchase and bought a bone stock and I think the plan is to travel around a bit with it and get my feet wet at different tracks to just get the seat time behind a front wheel drive just to see the differences between the divisions.

I started off in the mini stocks, but I was in a rear wheel drive vehicle with the mustang. So I feel there will be a little learning curve, but it will be slower than the hot rods so I can be smooth. So I’m looking forward to it. It should be a lot of fun.

What would be a piece of advice to someone getting started?

Stay focused, stay calm, and be there every night because you never know when it will be your night. I’ve been turned around on Lap 5, went to the back, and still finished in the top-five in a mini stock and Sunset Speedway’s mini stock division is still top-tier no matter what year you look back. There’s probably five or six cars that you know that you have to beat. So just stay calm, keep your head straight, and put the pedal straight to the floor and hold on, I guess.