The fact Butner held a slight performance advantage was not lost on 24-year-old Skillman. Prior to the final round, he admitted he would need a holeshot to beat the year’s winningest driver to the finish line. When the two supercharged 5.4-liter monsters staged up in the best atmospheric conditions of the event to determine a winner, Skillman did, indeed, launch first from the starting line…but by only one hundredth of a second.

Butner’s slight horsepower advantage came to bear and, halfway through the eighth mile, Bo pulled alongside Drew to gain a miniscule lead of eleven thousandths of a second, (19.56 inches). The two remained side-by-side until Butner pulled slightly further ahead to cross the finish line a mere seventeen thousandths of a second, (3.07 feet), ahead of Skillman In the most thrilling duel yet staged in the brief history of the ADRL SuperCar Showdown. Moreover, Butner clocked a best-ever 5.779 seconds at 119.00 mph to barely cover Skillman’s 5.806 at 118.57 mph.

“Everybody was cheering and yelling about it being the closest race in SuperCar Showdown history,” said Butner in post-race interviews, “but I can promise you it was even closer than they thought from inside the car. Drew was right alongside me the whole way. I don’t think either one of us was really sure who won until the win light came on in my lane! That was just a heck of a drag race. I don’t think anybody really ever thought this new class would produce racing quite that close.”

Skillman admitted the same uncertainty, adding, “It seemed like both cars were just stuck together all the way down the track. I couldn’t tell if I was ahead or behind. The fans got their money‘s worth for the whole event in that one race alone!”

For Butner, the victory became huge if only because the team maintained the season’s unbroken winning streak for the Ford Motor Company in its home state.

“Jesse Kershaw of Ford Racing was here this weekend and it just made it so much more important to win it for the Ford guys who build these cars. Since we‘re not allowed to modify these Mustangs after they leave the factory, we’re constantly aware of the incredible designing and engineering which goes into the building of these cars at Ford,” Butner said. “We considered it a major goal to win the SuperCar Showdown title at this race if only to show the Ford fans just how amazing these cars really are“.

For Skillman, however, the runner-up finish only signaled the beginning of what may be the division‘s first serious rivalry. Noted Drew, “Just based on that final round, I think this battle between me and Bo is going to continue all year long. He may have gotten the win but he still doesn‘t have the elapsed time or speed record. We still have a lot of racing left this season. We‘re going to do everything we can to get our revenge“.

The next event on the 2012 ADRL tour will be DragStock IX to be held at zMAX Dragway in Concord, NC, on August 3-4.