★ 13TH ANNUAL SPORTSMAN SPECIAL ISSUE ★
Randi Lyn is the planner ; between the Halloween extravaganzas every year with the Pro Stock car , excursions between races with your crew , and even at the races making meals a fun adventure like nacho night in the team pits . How important is it to have that “ fun ” aspect ?
RL : I ’ ve always liked having the role of the fun one . I never tried to take Pro Stock super-serious . We don ’ t do it for a living , we do it because we want to do it , and I feel like the fun stuff is what the fans relate to . Especially Halloween – fans can relate to the Lightning McQueen car . They want to see what we do every year , and I think that draws more interest to the class . The other fun stuff , cooking dinner for the guys or nacho
Saturday , I just like the sense of community . We all work together for one cause , and if the guys are happy and well fed , then it ’ s good for everyone .
BB : With the Halloween stuff , I always think , “ Not again , not again , not again .” But it ’ s always a success , and it ’ s the No . 1 thing people ask me about . “ What ’ s Halloween going to be this year ?” She won ’ t tell me ; she likes to keep it a surprise . But she is a planner , and she wants everybody to be involved and enjoy the moment . That was our wedding ; it was not a normal deal , and everybody had fun .
Even the Southern Sportsman Showdown , the Stock and Super Stock race we did with Jason Johnson and Johnson ’ s Horsepowered Garage , everybody had a great time . We appreciate them supporting us , but we loved it because we got to shine a spotlight on those racers and make it fun for them . We need to do another one of those races , because every Sportsman racer is here to enjoy life ; they aren ’ t here for a paycheck . They give up everything to come out here , and they should be on a pedestal .
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Looking back at your life so far , what are you most proud of ?
BB : Where I ’ m at in life today . I have two awesome grandkids now , another one on the way . I have four great kids . I miss my father every day , but I still have my mom , I have Randi ’ s
THE BUTNERS ARE VERY MUCH COMPETITIVE AND DRIVEN TO WIN , THOUGH THAT DOESN ’ T MEAN THEY CAN ’ T HAVE FUN AT THE RACES . RANDI LYN DELIVERS IN THAT DEPARTMENT , PLANNING HALLOWEEN COSTUMES AND A MATCHING WRAP , AS WELL AS THEMED TEAM DINNERS .
family , and I have this racing family . I ’ m with these goofballs at Elite Motorsports , but they ’ re great people , they have good hearts , and they work hard , and that ’ s every team out there . I could go to a Top Fuel team tomorrow and get the same thing , because we ’ re all here for the same passion .
RL : I think I ’ m most proud that I ’ ve figured things out and maneuvered the way I have . It ’ s not always easy , and there are a lot of situations along the way that could cause you to change in a negative way . I ’ ve continued down the path of being a Sportsman racer , and I ’ m true to myself even with pressure to run a Pro Stock car . I found my voice , and I ’ m not afraid to use it .
Is there anything you would go back and do differently , if you had the chance ?
BB : As for my racing career , I ’ m pretty happy with it . I ’ ve learned a lot , and I ’ ve learned what ’ s smart to do and what ’ s not smart to do . There is not a lot I would change , but I wish I could be more involved on the Sportsman side with this organization . It would take so little to show appreciation and change lives , and it ’ s not even money-related . It ’ s about saying , “ Hey , great job today . I can ’ t wait to see what we do next .” I would love to have a part in that .
RL : For me , early on in the Pro Stock stuff , I didn ’ t enjoy it as much as I should have . We always had a lot going on , and there were a lot of years where it felt like work , work , work . We had dinner not that long ago with Jason Line and his family , and I look back and it ’ s like , “ Gosh , I miss them .” At the time , you don ’ t think about it ending .
A lot of times , I got caught up in , “ It ’ s crunch-time , we have to get this or that done .” When Bo won the championship in 2017 , I remember saying to my sister , “ It will never be better than this .” We were the underdogs , and if we win a championship now , it ’ s expected . There will never be a greater feeling than that one .
When it was like that , we all worked together – yes , we had KB engines and KB helped us , but we were still a couple of people from Floyds Knobs , Indiana , and everybody jumped in to put tires on . We were still a little team , and I feel like I really enjoyed a lot of those moments along the way , but there were times when our Pro Stock car wasn ’ t running good , and I let it affect the happiness . I wish I wouldn ’ t have , that I would have just enjoyed it . But now I know you have to take the slump with a smile on your face and not let it get you worked up .
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What ’ s left to accomplish for you both ?
BB : As of now , building the JHG brand like I promised to do for Jason Johnson , and it ’ s working . To me , it ’ s not about money , it ’ s about seeing a dude whose lip quivers when he talks about our sport . There is passion beyond money out there , there is a lot of it , and that ’ s a big deal . I just want to keep that going , enjoy life , watch my grandkids grow up , keep the business rolling , and do this as long as we can .
RL : I ’ d like to get a few more wins ; I ’ ve been stuck on that seven long enough . Of course , I would like to win a championship in Stock , but right now , I don ’ t think I ’ m a championship-caliber racer . I make good decisions most of the time , but not all the time . Jimmy Hidalgo won the championship last year , but it had been a long time coming . He was a championship-caliber racer for several years . I would like to win a championship , but I would like for those same things to be able to be said about me , and I ’ m not there yet . I still have to evolve into that person , but I like the challenge . DI
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