Ever since Mike Bucher was a kid, growing up in Ohio, watching his father, Jim Bucher, race Top Fuel in the 1970s, racing just like his dad was a life’s mission. Now that he’s got there, he’s come to realize it’s only a tiny part of the equation.
Bucher plans to drive the Lerich Family Top Fuel dragster during this weekend’s NHRA New England Nationals in Epping, New Hampshire, and while qualifying and a win-light appears to be the goal on paper. The real goal is close to his heart.
“The pastor part is way more important than the dragster part,” Bucher said. “The pastor part is what the dragster part is built upon. I’m a pastor first. And God told me no to racing for 40 years, but it was to get a foundation. Everybody who hears my name at the races or on Fox Sports has looked up my name and found my Bible messages.
“I’ve gotten texts where they’ve said, ‘I had turned my back on God. Now, I’m walking with the Lord. I’m listening to your messages.”
Bucher was 15 when his father died of cancer. In one moment, it was as if the second-generation Bucher lost his best friend, and in doing so, felt like his father’s death erased his life’s mission. Little did he know it was just the first chapter in a book of higher calling.
“I remember my aunt shaking her head crying [delivering the news to me]; she’s waking me up saying, ‘The doctor did all he could,” Bucher recalled. “I’m like, ‘What? He died?”
Bucher remembers running through the house screaming at the top of his lungs, “Noooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!”
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Mike Bucher proudly displays his faith and has pointed out that it guides him in decision-making regularly. But this time, it was a struggle.
On the one hand, he wanted to drive the Leverich Family Top Fuel dragster during the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals. On the other, Wednesday marked the first anniversary of daughter Abigail passing away following a battle with Leukemia.
The second-generation drag racer’s passion kept pushing him to travel to Concord, NC, while his heart inspired him to stay home close to family.
“I was originally going to leave Sunday and go down there and meet the team and work on the car a little bit,” Bucher admitted. “But I just couldn’t be away from my family and wife (Sheila). And so I just had no peace about going.”
Bucher became bitter, angry, and hated the idea of death. He admits that he never had a clue that a random visit to a church service would change his life forever. The kid who had lost his hero gained a new hero, the likes of which no earthly human being could match.
“God made me a pastor, and then he allowed me to do this,” Bucher said. “But my ultimate goal is that people would look up my name and find the Bible messages. Thankfully, I’m not a John Smith. There’s not 10,000 of me that pops up. If you search for my name on Google, I come up, and the same is true on Facebook. And so, the Dragster Pastor is the foundation. The dragster is secondary, and I’m going to be a pastor before and long after I drive a dragster.”
Bucher competed in the Top Alcohol Dragster division, where he won events and eventually claimed an NHRA Regional Championship. However, securing his first-round win in the world’s quickest drag racing division has yet to materialize.
“I’ve only staged in competition three times in Top Fuel,” Bucher said. “I’ve made many qualifying runs. I never qualified in Luigi’s [Novelli] car. We qualified in this [Leverich Family] car, a 2023 race car driven by Mike Salinas. We ran a 3.89, 310. That was our best run ever. I’ve raced Leah [Pruett], Brittany [Force], and Salinas, and all three of them, I pretty much didn’t have a chance unless they smoked, and they did.”
Bucher said he’s received wise counsel from Antron Brown, Justin Ashley, and Josh Hart. He’s also delivered his share.
“I tell them, ‘Look, for you guys, climbing the mountain is winning the race,” Bucher said. “For me, climbing the mountain is being in the race. If I’m there, if I get to drive the car, that’s the mountain for me because, from that place, I can witness a lot of people.
“Would I like to win a round? Yes. And I think it’ll happen. But let’s face it, there are 12 full-time teams, and the part-timers usually only win if one of those teams smokes the tires.”
Bucher admits that he was born with a competitive streak that has helped him win many triathlon competitions due to his athletic endurance. He’s learned to walk the high wire of competition and ministry.
“I think what it comes down to is, Jesus alone satisfies my soul,” Bucher said. “As cool as racing is, as cool as Top Fuel is, it’s nothing compared to knowing Him. So it’s really, I say, ‘Lord, I’ll do this as often as you want me to do it, and if you want me to stop, I’ll stop.”
“The only way I can do it is if He moves in people’s hearts to sponsor me. And He keeps doing that. The day He doesn’t want me to do it, I’ll stop because the last thing I want to do is strap in one of those things and be out of God’s will. To me, my goal is to be in God’s will, doing what He wants, serving Him, and pointing people to Him. And if He wants me to race, I’ll do it. But my joy is that I’m serving the Lord. That’s my joy.”
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