Bo Butner Returning to Pro Stock, Taking on Double Duty at Virginia Nationals
Bo Butner will make a return to the 500-inch Pro Stock category driving the yellow Corral Boots / Cuadra / Columbia Impex entry while also continuing his pursuit of the first Mountain Motor Pro Stock championship at this weekend’s PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park.
Butner, the 2017 Pro Stock world champion, will be driving the Elite Motorsports car normally handled by Fernando Cuadra Jr. The Cuadras, Fernando Jr. and twins David and Cristian, will not be competing this weekend due to business obligations.
“I don’t want to take away from the Mountain Motor program, at all, I’m involved in the engine program over there,” Butner said. “I think I’ll just be showing up in the staging lanes and jumping in Fernando Jr.’s car. It’s a new car, it’s good, just getting some more laps on it. It’s going to be fun. We’ve got a lot of cars on the entry lists, 20 in Pro Stock and there’s 16 in Mountain Motor Pro Stock with only eight spots. We had 14 Mountain Motors in Bristol and we didn’t get my wife, Randi Lyn, qualified, so I need to get that done or it’s going to be a long way home.”
Butner, who has won the first two events of the Mountain Motor Pro Stock season, is no stranger to driving multiple classes in a single event weekend. When he won the Charlotte JHG Mountain Motor Pro Stock event, the first of the season, he became just the second driver to win a national event in seven different categories. The other is Elite Motorsports teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr., who will be handling the SCAG power Equipment / Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer car as he attempts to win his second victory at Virginia Motorsports Park.
“I’d run five classes in a weekend if they’d let me. I always race two classes in sportsman so on me personally it’s not going to be very different,” Butner said. “Elite Motorsports has a lot of guys over in the 500-inch side of things and our new crew over in the JHG Mountain Motor pits is gelling too so it’s going to be a busy but good weekend.”
Butner enters the weekend as the Pro Stock defending event winner. The last time Pro Stock raced at Virginia Motorsports Park was in 2019. Butner qualified No. 3 and took out Wally Stroupe, Chris McGaha and Jeg Coughlin Jr. en route to defeating Greg Anderson in the finals.
“Last time Pro Stock raced there, I did get the win, I almost doubled up with a Factory Stock Showdown win, but came up short to Drew Skillman in the final,” said Butner. “Virginia is awesome. I mean, it’s shocking how nice the track is. It’s one of the smoothest tracks we have on tour, probably nicest track I’ve been on. It’s a first-class facility and we should be there every year. With the heat this weekend though, the goal will be just to get from A to B, nobody is going to try to break records.”
Erica Enders in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / SCAG Camaro will be looking to pick up victory at Virginia Motorsports Park for the first time, a feat that will mean she has one at every track currently on tour. A victory this weekend will also be her 50th national event win, 49th in Pro Stock.
Aaron Stanfield in the JHG / Melling / Janac Brothers entry will be looking for his first win of the season after finishing runner-up twice already, most recently at the Route 66 Nationals just outside of Chicago. He’s coming off two consecutive quarterfinal finishes.
Jerry Tucker continues his sophomore season looking for his first Pro Stock win in the Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer / SCAG car. He’s finished runner-up once at the Las Vegas Four-Wide event and has two semifinal finishes. He’s sitting sixth in points coming off a first-round loss to teammate and eventual event winner Jeg Jr. at the Thunder Valley Nationals.
Troy Coughlin Jr. is looking for his second win of the 2024 season in his JEGS.com / White Castle entry. His first victory came at the New England Nationals in Epping, N.H. just two races ago. He’s coming off a quarterfinal finish in Bristol where he, like Tucker, lost to teammate and eventual event winner Jeg Jr.
Jeg Jr. and Enders will also be competing in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge after Jeg Jr. won the most recent event on tour, the Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, and Enders made it to the semifinals.
In Pro Mod, Mason Wright will be looking to bounce back from the Thunder Valley Nationals where he failed to qualify for race day just six days after picking up the first win of his career.
While Butner looks for his third consecutive win in Mountain Motor Pro Stock, his wife Randi Lyn Butner is looking for her first win in the new class.
Competition at this weekend’s PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park begins with three rounds of qualifying on Saturday at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. The last two qualifying session will double as the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. Eliminations are slated for Sunday at noon with first-round of Pro Stock at 1 p.m. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) beginning with qualifying shows Saturday at 1:00 p.m. ET and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET. Eliminations will air Sunday at 5:00 p.m. ET.
This story was originally published on June 21, 2024.
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