The Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Mountain Motor Pro Stock series kicked off this weekend at zMAX Dragway at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, and Bo Butner came out swinging. Driving his JHG Chevrolet Camaro, Bo claimed the No. 1 qualifier award, earned Best Appearing Car honors beside teammate and wife Randi Lyn, and went on to defeat Johnny Pluchino to win the first race of the year for the Mountain Motor class.
The victory was the 31st of Bo’s career and tied him with Jeg Coughlin Jr. as the only two drivers to have won in seven different NHRA categories.
“First of all, thank you to Jason Johnson for backing this class. Today was only like my 15th ever run in a Mountain Motor Pro Stock car, but I’m enjoying this, and getting to do it with Randi Lyn is just awesome,” said Bo. “We’ve got a great team, our crew chief Frank Gugliotta; Darrel Herron, who’s been with me forever; Gage Green; Rodney Crabtree; Mike Earle; Jack Line; and Davey Allison was helping us out this weekend, too. Our whole crew is just awesome, and I’m really excited about the rest of this season.”
After qualifying No. 1 on a very quick 6.205-second pass at 227.04 mph, Bo launched into eliminations with a Saturday night win over 2023 PDRA Extreme Pro Stock champion Alan Drinkwater, 6.220, 225.86 to 6.275, 222.80.
Sunday eliminations began with a round-two meeting with John DeFlorian, who won the most recent event in Charlotte – the NHRA Carolina Nationals – last fall. DeFlorian had ousted Randi Lyn in the first round of competition this weekend, but Bo came around to even the score with a 6.258, 225.79 triumph over a tire-shaking 12.682.
The final round set up a match with Johnny Pluchino, two-time PDRA Extreme Pro Stock champion. His opponent posted a blistering .009-second reaction time, but the Gugliotta-tuned JHG entry came on full steam to win on a 6.230, 225.26 over a 6.294, 224.14.
Bo leaves the event with the points lead, but more importantly, with a boost of confidence that this new category is one in which he can excel.
“This was what we were hoping for, to start it out this way, and it’s so cool to get a win in my seventh different class,” said Bo. “That’s something I’ve been trying to do for a while now, and to join Jeg Coughlin in that accomplishment feels pretty good. I’ve been doing this a long time, and I’m very fortunate to have driven a lot of great cars for a lot of great people. But this is awesome.”
Race 2 of 6 in the 2024 Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Mountain Motor Pro Stock series will take place at Bristol Dragway’s Thunder Valley Nationals, June 7-9.
This story was originally published on April 29, 2024. 
