PRO STOCK

Tanner Gray, who turns 18 on April 15, became the youngest Pro Stock winner in NHRA history when he drove his Gray Motorsports Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro to a 6.681 pass at 206.61 to defeat Bo Butner and his Jim Butner's Auto Chevy Camaro on a holeshot in the finals. Butner raced to a quicker 6.678 at 206.76 but his reaction time of .088 at the start was too slow for Gray's .010.

“I was pretty nervous coming up,” Tanner said. “This is something I wanted to do since I was really young and I finally got the opportunity to do it. When I started this deal, I told my dad I wanted to be the youngest Pro Stock winner. To be able to do that feels really cool.”

Gray had the quicker Reaction Time in each round (well, except when Deric Kramer red lit in the first). In the second he took out Greg Anderson with a .001 RT coupled with a 6.702/206.57 to Anderson’s .027 RT and 6.717 at 206.80 mph. A .037 RT and 6.691 at 206.67 was able to defeat Anderson’s teammate, Jason Line, who had a .060 RT and ran 6.739/205.10.

“I’ve never seen natural talent like this kid has and it didn’t take him long to prove it,” said crew chief Dave Connolly, a former racer. “To go up in his first final round and perform like that, I’m really proud of him.”

Gray joins his father, Shane, and grandfather, Johnny, as national event winners – an NHRA first.

Bo Butner (far lane) stopped Erica Enders in the second round, 6.695/206.45 to 6.713/206.80. Butner took out Enders’ teammate, Jeg Coughlin Jr., in the next round, 6.714/206.42 to 6.739/205.10. The Elite Motorsports duo have had a much more successful season so far after returning to Chevrolet Camaros.