BUTNER STAYS HOT AND WINS PRO STOCK AT VEGAS FOUR-WIDE NATS

Writen by Tracy Renck, photos by Burghardt Photos    Mon, 2019-04-08 14:00




Pro Stock standout Bo Butner knows winning, especially this season.

Butner won the third race in four attempts this season, the latest came Sunday when he snared the Wally at the 20th annual DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas.

Butner won the final round with a 6.677-second time at 206.67 mph and clinched the title with a (.030) light, a triple hole hot.

In the finals, Matt Hartford was second (6.667-second run and a .052 light) and Jason Line (6.674 seconds, .054 light) and Greg Anderson (6.655 seconds, .076 light). Line and Anderson are Butner's teammates.

“There’s no reason other than I learned back in the early 90s when I started chasing the world in the all the classes, you can’t be a lazy winner,” said Butner, who nearly retired from the Pro Stock class in the offseason. “We came back, and the win light is off now, and it is time for the next race, and we have to work hard. But, I’m with the best team. I’m in the final with Greg and Jason and we are like three brothers. It’s great to get that with Ken (Black, the team owner). We would have loved to have a fourth KB car, which we could have, but it worked out to be a good day and I’m just very blessed.

Bret Kepner texted me and he said the (triple holeshot) was the most awesome thing I’ve ever done. We had a fast car and I’m sure my car was as fast or faster than the other three and I just might have rolled in a little deeper. It’s cool and I’m happy our win light came on.”  

Butner, the 2017 Pro Stock world champion, also qualified No. 1 with a 6.648-second lap at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

This was Butner’s 10th career Pro Stock win and his third this season as he also was victorious at Pomona, Calif., and Gainesville, Fla. He departed Vegas atop the points standings with 425 points. Alex Laughlin is in second place with 285 points.

“The class is tight, and it is tough, but we made a very good qualifying run in Q2 and we always had the car. It is just so close, and it was supposed to be (Sunday), like it was in Gainesville,” Butner said. “We’re ready to move on and I hate that we have a few weeks off because we are kind of on a roll. We’re coming back with a ’19 Camaro, so it is going to have a different body and hopefully it acts as nice to us as this one was.”

The NHRA Pro Stock class is only racing an 18-event national schedule this season and the next event for the class is May 17-19 in Richmond, Va.

“All I care about is win lights,” Butner said. “I knew in high gear that I was a little bit ahead of Greg, but he was coming on me and I knew I got there before Greg, but you can’t see the other side. So, then you’re staring at that flashing light and it came on and I got happy.

I think Greg takes it really hard (losing), it does not matter who it is. Jason is happy. Greg’s car ran very, very good there and they have been really struggling to make that car go A to B because has a fast car. We are on a very, very, huge lucky streak. It was a great day for KB Racing, Ken and Judy (Black). They are amazing people.”

Butner said in the break in the action for Pro Stock, he will return to his roots and compete in the Stock ranks.

“I have a few calls (people) are asking to drive some Super Stock cars and some Stockers,” Butner said. “I think I might take next weekend off and hang with some our friends in Texas and just enjoy the time and sell some shirts. I’m going back to the Factory Shootout car, I’m very disappointed that we showed up in Gainesville and did not qualify. There’s a lot of work there and we will be the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday after Houston and whatever we have to do competitive in that and we will show in Charlotte in that.”

The NHRA Top Fuel and nitro Funny Cars will compete in Houston April 12-14, The Charlotte, N.C., Four-Wide Nationals are April 26-28.

 

 
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