PHOTOGRAPHS BY LUKE NIEUWHOF |
BO KNOWS MOUNTAIN MOTOR PRO STOCK RACING Past NHRA Pro Stock world champion Bo Butner claimed the No . 1 qualifier position in his debut race driving the Elite Motorsports-fielded Johnson ’ s Horsepowered Garage ’ 20 Camaro in the second annual Mountain Motor Pro Stock Invitational . Through five rounds of qualifying , no one was able to run quicker than Butner , who collected a No . 1 qualifier payday of $ 1,500 courtesy of Feather-Lite Batteries .
“ That ’ s a pretty good start for the Mountain Motor Pro Stock series if you ask me ,” said Butner after the chip draw on Saturday night . “ I have a great car and a great team as always . We ’ re having fun . This is a cool event . I am having fun driving these cars . It ’ s a learning step for me . No . 1 qualifier is badass , but we ’ ve got to close the deal [ Sunday ].”
Butner went into the weekend having driven numerous different styles of cars from sportsman racing to heads-up racing in Pro Stock and Pro Mod , but an 831-cubic-inch Mountain Motor
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Pro Stock car was a new experience for the Indiana driver . Butner and his wife , Randi Lyn Butner , will run the six-race Johnson ’ s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock season with crew chief Frank Gugliotta calling the shots .
“ It ’ s good to have a great team and great car behind you ,” said Butner . “ You have a lot of confidence when you ’ re capable of showing up and winning . It ’ s not always that way . I drove a lot of stuff for a lot of other people and didn ’ t have
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that feeling . It ’ s still new to me . It ’ s different than driving my 500-inch Pro Stock Camaro , but this is a lot of fun too . I can ’ t wait to get on a quarter mile next week .”
Butner , who ’ s raced in NHRA Pro Stock for several seasons , received a warm welcome from the Mountain Motor Pro Stock community during the WSOPM weekend . The same went for his wife , Randi Lyn , who quickly adapted to the Pro Stock car and its differences from the Stock Eliminator Pontiac Firebird she typically races .
“ The guys at this race have all been awesome ,” said Butner . “ They ’ ve really welcomed us . They really welcomed Randi Lyn and she ’ s done a very good job . I ’ m very proud of her . We ’ ll have two JHG cars in the show that are going to be running pretty good and that ’ s badass .”
Jupiter , Florida ’ s Daryl Stewart qualified second in his Chassis Engineering ’ 12 Camaro with a 4.076 at 177.30 . Two-time PDRA Extreme Pro Stock world champion Johnny Pluchino went to the third spot in his Feather-Lite Batteries ’ 13 Mustang with a 4.093 at 177.42 . Texan Scott Benham drove the Team O Motorsports ’ 08 Cobalt to a 4.097 at 176.74 to qualify fourth . John Montecalvo , the reigning event champion , qualified fifth with a 4.099 at 178.10 in his Montecalvo Asphalt ’ 21 Mustang but damaged his engine and wasn ’ t able to return for eliminations . — NATE VAN WAGNEN DI
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May / June 2024 |
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