Ask just about any of NHRA’s 35,000 sportsman competitors what their favorite professional class is; they’re likely to tell you it’s Pro Stock. For one long-time fan of the class, his dream just became his reality.
In only his third year of competing in the Pro Stock category, Bo Butner has secured himself a world championship. Despite this feat, world championships are nothing new to Butner. He’s raced in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series in multiple classes. In 2006 he won the championship in Comp. Butner’s also a four-time Division 3 champion.
Butner made a wise choice to partner up with multi-time Pro Stock world champion team owner, Ken Black who owns KB Racing. This gave Butner access not only to the best chassis and engines in the class, but also data and guidance from Black’s champions, Jason Line and Greg Anderson.
Bo Butner was strong all season, picking up five No. 1 qualifiers, five wins, and six runner-up finishes. Yet it was a three-way race for the title going into the final race of the year. Greg Anderson, Jason Line, and Bo Butner. Everyone knew that KB Racing was going to win the world championship, they just didn’t know who would win it for the juggernaut team.
As the race went on, each round got more and more intense. All three drivers made it into the semifinal round, but Anderson and Butner had to face one another. It was Anderson that would take the round loss and Butner would get one step closer to the championship. Tanner Gray was Butner’s savior as he took out Jason Line and eliminated his chance for a fourth world championship. Anderson still had the points lead and all he had to do to hang onto it was hope and pray that Tanner Gray would win the final round over Bo Butner.
Tanner Gray got off the starting line three-hundredths ahead of Butner in the final, but a punctured tire would ruin Gray and Anderson’s day.
The former sportsman competitor and current used car salesman from Floyds Knob, Indiana was not only the winner of the Auto Club Finals, but also, the 2017 Pro Stock World Champion.
“Just never give up,” Butner told the media. “I have a great crew; it’s amazing. They don’t give up on me. But the KB team, what does that say about them? Honestly, I rent a car and a motor and they put me in a championship. It’s just unbelievable,” he continued. “Thank the Lord of everything; He shined on me.”
