| Lakeland, FL (November 26, 2005) Ken Butler III was hoping for a strong finish in the USAR Hooters ProCup season finale Saturday at the USA International Speedway in Lakeland, FL, to help end the year on a positive note. Unfortunately a blown right front tire late in the race would dash those hopes.
Butler and his crew worked hard on the No. 99 Aaron’s Dream Machine during practice, trying to get the car to turn better through the turns. The team tried several shock and spring combinations to help KBIII get a firm handle on the car but Butler would be slightly off the pace, struggling with a very loose racecar.
Even after picking up 3/10’s of a second from practice, Butler would qualify 33rd for the Hooters 300. The Dream Machine would not have the grip needed to get through the turns as fast as Ken would have liked. The team made some chassis changes before the main event and Butler was confident he could work his way through the field on long green-flag runs.
However, long green-flag runs never materialized as 13 cautions flags, one red flag and several penalties marred the 300-lap race. Butler showed his patience and worked his way up close to the top-15 before brake problems developed on the Dream Machine. Heat from the brakes actually caused a small fire under the hood and Ken brought the car into the pits to extinguish the fire and assess the damage.
Back on the track, Butler was a couple of laps down after the fire and driving a conservative race, giving plenty of room for the lead-lap cars to pass on the outside. But the No. 4 of Jay Fogleman drove under KBIII on lap-75 and touched his left rear quarter panel sending Ken into a spin in turn 2. Butler had to pit to change all four tires after the spin and use his last set of new tires to go the rest of the way.
With four new tires, Butler made up ground on the field and was running as fast, if not faster than the leaders, but was tapped from behind again on lap-174, bringing out the sixth caution of the night. KBIII kept the car off the wall, but lost valuable track position having to restart at the back.
In the closing laps of the race, Butler nursed the Dream Machine around the track with worn out tires, hoping to take the checkered flag. But with 15-laps to go, the right front tire blew out going into turn one and the Dream Machine slapped the wall hard, doing significant damage to the right-side of the car and ending the evening early. Butler took a hard lick but was fine.
Ken finished the Hooters 300 in 24th position. That finish moved him into the 28th spot in the final Championship standings and up to fifth in the Rookie of the Year chase.
While KBIII’s stats may not be at the top of the charts for his rookie season, his popularity at the track has been tremendous. The traditional on-track autograph session before each event consistently created lines hundreds-deep by the Dream Machine as fans lined up for an autograph and photograph with Ken. Boys, girls, men and women of all ages waited patiently for their chance to meet Michael Waltrip Racings newest driver and wish him luck before each event. Ken attracted such large crowds at some events that USAR officials had to stop the autograph line in order to start the races on time.
“I want to thank Aaron’s and Michael Waltrip for giving me this opportunity. This was a big step for me and I learned so much this year.” Butler said after the race. “The USAR is a very competitive series and this experience will give me a solid foundation to build on for next year. Everyone on this team worked hard all season to give me the best equipment, Michael gave me good advice before each race and I was proud to have Aaron’s as my sponsor all year. I feel confident that when we show up here in Lakeland again in February, this team will be a force to be reckoned with.”
Shane Huffman won the Hooters 300 marking a series high nine wins for the season. Benny Gordon finished the race in fourth, giving him enough points to win the Championship Series by 18 over Huffman.
Aaron’s would like to thank the USAR Hooters ProCup for their partnership this season. The USAR consistently presented itself with the utmost professionalism at each track and hosted some very exciting racing throughout the year.
There is still time to vote Ken Butler III the Most Popular Driver!
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