Dirt
SPRING FLING MILLION
an off-track accident a couple of rounds earlier . Leaving off the bottom , Hastings was . 006 to Butner ’ s . 003 at six cars . At the stripe , Butner got there first by . 001 to earn a bye to the Spring Fling Million final round .
Whitfield advanced past Lee by . 001 as well when his . 016 light and . 011 over 4.661 was just enough to stop Lee ’ s . 018 light and . 010 over 4.740 . Torres used a . 005 to . 035 reaction time advantage to move past Thompson ’ s dead-on-five lap .
With Butner holding the bye run by virtue of his . 003 reaction , Whitfield and Torres would meet in the semifinals . In the round of three , Whitfield earned his spot in the Million final after his . 017 one above two effort stopped Torres . Speaking of stopping , Torres parked it at the stripe to go . 025 over after letting go . 025 in the loss .
This set up a great matchup for the final round . Butner , better known for NHRA Pro Stock and NHRA Class racing , was looking to add a bigdollar bracket race win to his resume . Whitfield , a 17-time track champion at Bandimere Speedway and NHRA Super class star , was looking to fulfill his dreams of winning the Million .
After a brief discussion of the final round payouts , both drivers suited up for their first Spring Fling Million final . In the first all-dragster final round of the week , Butner etched his name in the history books when Whitfield missed the tree . Butner posted a . 013 dead-on-three lap ( 4.533 ) that more than covered Whitfield ’ s . 034 reaction and - . 003 under 4.646 effort .
After the final , the celebration was on . The winner ’ s circle was a rowdy bunch as the Butner team celebrated with friends , Vegas showgirls , a limousine , and more . As the party wound down and photos were taken , Butner and crew loaded in the limo and headed to a luxury suite at the Cosmopolitan for the night . In fitting fashion , “ We are the Champions ” was blaring from the limousine ’ s speakers .
Additional winners at the five-day Spring Fling Million included Cory Gulitti in the American Race Cars / Todd ’ s Extreme Paint Dragster Shootout on Tuesday , Andy Schmall in the Silverstate Refrigeration $ 30K on Wednesday , Dustin Hentges in the Moser Engineering $ 30K on Thursday , and Kyle Rizzoli in the FTI Performance $ 30K on Saturday . DI
40 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 167