NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The soil at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park is sacred, and whatever emanates from the ground there at Indy has been like pixie dust for select drivers. It took 25 years, but multi-class racer Bo Butner tapped into that Indy magic and became the first driver outside of the alcohol campaigners to win three U.S. Nationals trophies in a row.

He wasn't even planning to race Super Gas at the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals. Butner said that it was wife Randi Lyn Butner's turn, but she insisted on driving her own car in the heavily populated Super Gas category at the biggest, most prestigious event of the season. That meant the couple's well-decorated 1963 Corvette roadster was going to sit idle, and Butner couldn't have that, not after he drove it to back-to-back wins at the U.S. Nationals in each of the most recent two seasons.

And so, the former Comp and Pro Stock world champion added his name to the entry list with only a distant thought of keeping his round-win tally running in the 9.90 class at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

"I really wanted to win Super Stock – it's been a long time since I've been to a final in a Super Stock race, and the Mustang is a really good car. It's very capable of winning," said Butner, who scooped up the FSS Combo class win in the Jim Butner Auto Group FSS/L Ford Mustang that he took to the third round of the main event. Last year, Randi Lyn drove the Super Stocker to the class win, as well.

"The odds were stacked against me to win Super Gas for a third year in a row, but if something is meant to be, it's meant to be. There's nothing you can do about it," continued Butner.

Butner opened the first of eight Super Gas elimination rounds with .007-second reaction time next to red-lighting opponent Keith Hildahl, then threw down a .004 light and survived a double-breakout over Charlie Stewart. Charlie Kenopic was the next to fall, then Larry Roedel, which set Butner up for a tough match with two-time world champion and regular front-runner Sherman Adcock Jr.

With a quarterfinals bye run on the line, Butner was out of the gate first, and it turned into a crucial battle at the final stripe. Butner's 9.871 was closer to the 9.90 than Adcock's 9.852.

In the semifinals, Butner and another former champ, Steve Williams, squared off. The two left nearly in sync, but downtrack, Williams was in trouble. Butner was going to his 35th Lucas Oil final round at a national event.

"You're thinking, we just won it the two previous years – the wheels are going to fall off; something is going to happen," said Butner with a laugh. "The odds of winning it – it could go either way at any time."

Butner and final-round opponent Dalton Deffenbaugh were nearly identical as they left the starting line, Deffenbaugh with a .022-second reaction to Butner's .021, but Butner ran right on the index with a 9.901 to top a 9.911. It was his 20th win in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and 33rd overall, including victories earned in Pro Stock in the Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series and Johnson's Horsepowered Garage Mountain Motor Pro Stock. It was also the 22nd consecutive win light in Super Gas for Butner at the racetrack that has been the stage for so much of drag racing's history.

Of course, the next question is whether or not Butner will return to race for a fourth straight Super Gas win at the 2025 U.S. Nationals.

"I think Randi Lyn needs to jump in this car next year," he said, shaking his head. "I'm really pushing my luck with another round win, period. She can hop in anything and win. I'm very proud of her."

The event was his third of the season – he has two on the board in Mountain Motor Pro Stock – but this one was particularly meaningful as it came at his home track and brought with it a moment in history that can never be broken. Butner will always be the first to have won three in a row in Super Gas at the U.S. Nationals, joining alcohol racers Pat Austin (four), Frank Manzo (three), and Sean Bellemeur (three, as of this event) as competitors to have won three or more consecutively.

"The good Lord has blessed me with the best family ever; they tolerate me doing this," said Butner. "I have to thank NHRA and Lucas Oil, and I have the best support: Jim Butner Auto Group and everyone who works so hard over there so we can go do this; Summit Racing; Jason and Nikki Johnson and Johnson's Horsepowered Garage; Mickey Thompson; APD Engines; and most importantly, my beautiful wife, Randi Lyn. We do this together, and that's what makes it so special.

"It took me a long time to break through and win the U.S. Nationals. Now, to have a three in a row – this is just unbelievable. I'm pretty happy."