BRIAN OAKES CLAIMS STOCK / SUPER STOCK COMBO WIN
PAST WORLD CHAMPION BO BUTNER MAKES CAMEO APPEARANCE IN PRO STOCK
�A familiar face was back in a Pro Stock car at the World Doorslammer Nationals . But 2017 NHRA Pro Stock world champ Bo Butner assured everyone it was a one-time thing .
Elite Motorsports team owner Richard Freeman called Butner at the last minute when a ride in the Elite Motorsports Mustang became available for the event .
Butner , who was already planning to compete in Top Sportsman , agreed , noting he had a blast at the inaugural race . Just don ’ t expect it to become a permanent thing for Butner , who retired from full-time Pro Stock racing at the end of 2020 .
“ It ’ s a fun race and at this point in my life , I ’ m trying to have fun when I go racing ,” Butner said . “ I ’ m 100 percent retired from Pro Stock and I ’ m very loyal to Ken and Judy Black [ at KB Racing ], and I ’ m thankful for all they ’ ve done for me . Richard and I are good friends and I just thought it would be a lot of fun . It ’ s a great car and I felt I could be competitive and have some fun .”
As it turned out , the Pro Stock ride came in handy as the transmission in his Top Sportsman car exploded in testing , ending his weekend in that class .
But Butner was all smiles as he enjoyed the doorslammer-heavy atmosphere in Orlando , qualifying eighth before a first-round loss to Troy Coughlin Jr .
Butner is going to continue having fun while he ’ s racing , opting for one-off events and bracket racing . It ’ s a big swing in priorities for Butner , but his main goal is just enjoying himself .
“ It ’ s a fun race . Obviously , the money ’ s great if you win , but it ’ s just a relaxed atmosphere ,” Butner said . “ You need to have fun when you come out to the track . That ’ s what it should be about . But it ’ s a great race and they had a great turnout .” – JOSH HACHAT DI
�Super Stock racer Brian Oakes made the trip down to Orlando from his North Carolina home base to take part in the $ 10,000-to-win Strange Engineering Stock / Super Stock combo at the World Doorslammer Nationals . He made his trip pay off , winning five rounds in his ’ 69 Camaro .
Oakes defeated Jay Storey in the final round , using a . 006 reaction time and a 9.021 on his 8.98 index . Storey ran 8.887 on his 8.89 index in his ’ 18 Camaro .
“ I said I ’ d come down here for the money ,” said Oakes , who ’ s raced his show-quality Camaro for 19 years . “ You do the math – $ 10,000 to win – why not ? I think this is a real good deal . It can ’ t get too much better . Being retired , that ’ s like a million ! I got 7-8 runs in testing and three time runs , which was great considering the weather . I really think they did a good job and I hope they do it again . I ’ ll come back again next year .”
Shortly after turning on the final win light , Oakes started receiving all kinds of congratulatory calls , texts and Facebook messages . After his wife , Shelli , Oakes said the first call he got was from one of his friends , three-time NHRA Pro Stock world champion Jason Line .
Oakes drove back to the staging lanes for winner ’ s circle photos sporting a Drag IllustrateD hoodie and proudly declared he ’ s a lifetime subscriber .
Oakes beat Jeff Anderson , David Lindsay , and Edmond Ellison before receiving a bye to the final round . – NATE VAN WAGNEN DI
94 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 166