Archive for Shane Butler
Jun
08
10 more questions with Shane Butler.
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Given our name was on the car, and we flew up to help crew and spot for Butler Motorsports, it only seems apropos to follow up with Shane Butler about his take on the Little 500 outing up in Anderson, Indiana.
Enjoy.
Shane, you have been going to Anderson for as long as you can probably remember. Kindly tell us what your favorite moment has been and why. That would definitely be making the Little 500 in 2005. I attempted the race in 2004 during the summer that I spent in Michigan. But making the race the first time was surely the highlight of my world at the time.
In 2007, the Little 500 paid special attention to the fact that Shane (The Bushnell Bullet), Stan (The Legend) and Keith (I’m No One’s) Butler all ran together. This was a first for the race track to have an entire family of sprint car drivers competing at the same time. How did you feel about racing with your father and brother on this day? It was very neat! Stan was not only my teammate, but my Crew Chief. I should also mention that he finished better than I did at this one! But it was great knowing that we all were on the racetrack together!
Shane, Keith and Stan Butler competing at the Little 500, and making a nice Simpson ad.
How was this year’s planning different from years gone past? Well, we started planning for this race about a year ago. This year we were fielding our own car, so there were several different aspects that needed to be coordinated. I am sure that my wife did more planning for this trip than our wedding! She’s a good egg.
Knowing that Stan has been already inducted into the Little 500 Hall of Fame, who would you induct in the class of 2011? Must I even take a breath to say his name? Dave Steele! Just his list of accomplishments at Anderson Speedway alone really should be able to speak for themselves and get him in.
Speaking of which, were you heartbroken when you learned that His Holiness Dave Steele was not gracing the field with his presence at this year’s Little 500? Now that you mention it, it was nice knowing that he was one less top competitor that I needed to work on! Make no mistake about it, Dave is a great racer!
Overall, how did you feel about the race car that you put together for this race? It felt great! Jerry Stuckey makes a fantastic race car, there is no doubting that. Just thinking about the work that went into the shocks, done by our very own Don Heckman, well, I was amazed.
How bad is the pressure knowing that you have to live up to “The Legend” Stan Butler and his history at Anderson Speedway? All I have to say is that there are very large shoes to fill – look at those lap times he put down to make the show this year! I am taking it one step at a time. Maybe next year we can get in more than 250 laps!
What would it mean to you to be the first father/son inductees at the Little 500 Hall of Fame? To be able to live up to those expectations, and have the ability to be inducted would be one of the greatest honors I could imagine. All I need to do is keep taking those cues from my father and I hope that one day it will happen.
How was it working with our very own FSCF.com staff and having us actively working on the car? We can’t even tell you how much we appreciated all the help that we received from all three of you! Having Todd, Brian and Josh working their magic was a big help. And I must say that Todd did an excellent job spotting for me!
Now that the race is over and that you have had the time to take the car apart, what would you have planned differently or worked on more? It is obvious to say to work on the motor program, but that is hard to put your finger on. Motor issues can rear their ugly head at any time, to any driver, that’s just the way it goes. Next year will have just as much planning now that we have an even better idea of what needs to go into a race like this. Don’t count us out; we are already putting plans into the works for next year’s race!
We here at Butler Motorsports, need to take a moment and thank some very special people: Red Fox Run Racing (John, Mike, and Scott), Eddy Curry, Stephenson International, JB Banta Ent, 4 Star Products, Heckman Motorsports, Bilstein Shocks, Landrum Springs, Katz Well Drilling, Bell, MK Graphics, American Sheet Metal and Roofing, Triple “G”, the boys at FSCF.com (Todd “The Wiz Kid” Michaels, Brian “Penpal” Penrose, Josh “Never On Time” Wichers) Dick and Sandy Hickernell, and Larry Woods!
We would not of had the chance to run without all of their support!
May
03
10 Questions with Shane Butler!
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We’ve become accustomed to drivers wanting to do our little 10 Questions game and then we send them questions and never hear back again. Then there’s “The Bushnell Bullet” Shane Butler. Proving that good things come to those who wait, Shane took the better part of six months to very carefully plot his answers.
So without further ado, the man to beat so far in 2010 in the TBARA, he is fondly known as “The Bushnell Bullet,” you know him, you love him, he is the one and only Shane Butler.
1. Our own Josh Wichers states that he got interested in sprint car racing because of going into the Bushnell Quick Lube and asking about the racing pictures on the wall. Knowing what you now know about Josh, do you wish you guys had closed the store early that day?
Sometimes. When he commits to working in the shop and he does not show, or the fact that you need to tell him to finish primping a good two hours before we are ready to go race, that can prove to be a challenge, however the help on the racecar is greatly appreciated. That program with working with the handicapped is really working great for Josh. His interpersonal skills get stronger and stronger with each passing day.
2. 2010 has been looking like a carbon copy of your championship year. Has there been anything you did differently this year that has helped improve your performance?
Well, we just really try to stick to the basics of the racecar. Don’t mess with trick set ups that take us out of comfort zone, that kind of thing. This year we are just really focused on what is at hand – that second championship!
3. What do you enjoy racing more – winged or non-winged races?
<sigh> That is a hard one. I guess as long as I am in the seat of a racecar either one would work. If I really needed to choose one it would be non-wing because it is more about the driver’s ability to race, and then there’s the low costs for repairs and maintenance. On the other hand, the speed in a winged car is faster.
Shane Butler is wildly popular with the billboard crowd.
4. If you were in charge of pavement sprint car racing for the state of Florida, what kind of changes would you make?
First thing – SCHEDULING. Not scheduling several races on top of each other, like the event coming for 5/15….but working with the other groups would be a priority. I’m not naive though, I know that would prove to be a challenge due to the multiple personality conflicts…..
5. What has been your favorite sprint car racing memory to date?
WINCHESTER! (see below.) King of the Wings. Need I say more?
6. What is your favorite track to race at and why?
Anderson Speedway. The tight high banks that make it Anderson Speedway and the prestige that is the Little 500.. BTW.. we happen to be fielding a car this year for 62nd annual Payless Little 500… (for those people that have been living under a rock.)
7. Who is your toughest competitor at the track and why?
The driver in front of me at the time because I need to pass him. Honestly, there are a lot of hard chargers that have surfaced this year. There are several racers this year that are giving me a run for my money.
8. When you aren’t racing, what is your favorite leisure activity?
Checking the latest news on floridasprintcarfans.com. Really, what else is there to do?
- When Shane Butler is not busy reading our website, he likes to go test the car he plans on running at the Little 500 this year.
9. What is your favorite restaurant to score some buffalo wings?
Well, now that we know that you are a fan of the Bushnell Beef O’Brady’s, it is safe to say Beef’s. Kicking Bayou BBQ.. yeah….
10. Let’s say my oil light in my car comes on and I’m driving through Bushnell, where should I go?
Good luck with that one! A few years ago there was a great quick lube, but not any more. But now you can go to Advance Auto Parts in Bushnell and ask for the legend behind the counter and he might be able to point you in the right direction.
One last note, I would like to add that this year is proving to be great. We would not be able to do this without the help of several people: Red Fox Run Racing, Landrum Springs, Bell, 4 Star Products, Priority Rea search, MK Graphics, American Roofing and Sheet Metal, Stacey and Nick, Dick and Sandy Hickernell, ND Shock Tech Dyno, Butler U Pull It, Billstein, Hurricane Chassis, and as always Stan and Karen (mom and dad.)