It was a wild Saturday night last weekend when Marathon’s Tracy Butler made a trip to the winner’s circle after defeating 10 competitors at the Hendry County Motorsports Park in Clewiston, Florida. Butler said he had a great starting spot in the third row on the inside of the Limited Late Model class after the qualifying heats.
“We made some adjustments after our heat, but everything just worked out,” Butler said.
The first lap was crazy. Eight of the 11 cars spun out on the dirt track, but all resumed the race with no damage. According to race reports, driver Wayne Hilderbrand held Butler and driver John Bledsoe off for 10 intense laps when a too-hot motor ended his dominant run. Bledsoe and Butler continued, putting on a show for fans, trading places several times.
It is Butler’s most recent win, but by no means the only time he’s been in the winner’s circle.
“I’ve been racing on and off since I was 27 years old,” said Butler.
It was especially sweet after a crash two months ago. It took out a rear fender, the fuel cell and rear axle. Butler and his crew chief — Marathon’s Gary Wilson — have been rebuilding the car ever since and traveling to the mainland track as often as possible.
“It’s hard to be so far away. I’d like to go every weekend,” he said.
Butler is married to Shannon Butler and has two daughters, Kaci and Nikki. He works for the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority.
