trous victory .
“ I still don ’ t even have the words for it ,” Butner reminisces . “ To dream about it your whole life ... You have the assumption you ’ re never going to be able to afford that . Just dream about it , and all of a sudden it ’ s a reality and you ’ re actually competitive with these guys . We give all the credit to Jay and Pat [ Musi ] and everybody . But to keep calm and not go red and not be late running people like Jim Halsey or Tommy Franklin , it ’ s just in its own world .”
Butner sat out the last two races of the season because his father was battling some health issues . Cox made up for it , though , racing to three consecutive final rounds , including a season-ending win at the Brian Olson Memorial World Finals . It came at the perfect time , as Cox is stepping away from driving to spend more time with his young kids . He ’ ll continue tuning Butner ’ s car as the soon-to-be 30-year-old competes for the 2024 world championship .
“ We ’ re going in with two feet ,” says Butner , who credits his dad for instilling in him a competitive spirit . “ We have a third engine . We got another Liberty and a lot more parts . We ’ re going to take it as serious as we can . We ’ ve tried to free up as much testing as we can throughout the winter , pending everything with my dad . The car ’ s getting a few updates this winter . We ’ re not trying to slow down . We ’ re wanting to run for a championship .”
Beyond a championship or two , Butner wants to add his name to the record books with a Pro Nitrous E . T . record . He plans to make a full run at the championship for the next few seasons before likely taking a step back like Cox to focus on his own young family .
“ I respect that decision more than anything ,” Butner says . “ I ’ m close with him and his family . He ’ s got two great kids . You couldn ’ t ask for any better . My kids play with them and look up to them already . I ’ d love to do it as long as I can . I don ’ t know that I could ever step away , but as far as running a full tour , I think I got four or five good years to put to it and try to make the most of it .” – NATE VAN WAGNEN DI
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