AVONDALE, Ariz. (April 18, 2009) – Ken Butler III knew his rookie NASCAR Nationwide Series campaign was going to be filled with learning experiences. But, the driver of the No. 23 Aaron’s Dream Machine Chevrolet of R3 Motorsports didn’t want them to all happen in one race.
Such was the case for the Lilburn, Ga. native at the tricky one-mile oval of Phoenix International Raceway during Friday night’s 200-lap race. Making just his fourth start in the series, and first-ever at PIR, Butler learned about electrical issues, an oddly-shaped track, persevering through determination and the rewards of finishing a race.
Faulty electrical components during qualifying caused Butler to have a less-than-stellar run because the engine wouldn’t respond properly when he stepped on the gas. This resulted in his posting of a 40th-place starting position.
Between qualifying and the race start, crew chief Todd Brewer called for the distributor, wire harness, switches and ignition to be changed. Once the race started, the problem was eliminated leaving KB3 to run his race.
Unfortunately, starting that far back puts drivers in the precarious position of going down a lap early at a one-mile oval like Phoenix. It didn’t take long before KB3 and the No. 23 Aaron’s Dream Machine Chevrolet were off the lead lap by a lap-21 caution.
This left him lined up 39th inside the leaders for the ensuing restart five laps later. As usual with tight racing conditions like that, a car ahead of him spun and KB3’s Chevrolet was tapped from behind. As a result, he spun around but didn’t make contact with anyone else.
With no visible damage to the car, Brewer brought Butler to pit road to check it over. All that was needed was four new tires and fuel. This lined up the Raybestos’ Rookie of the Year candidate in 36th-place for the lap-33 restart. Because of the tight racing and conditions, the team elected to line up at the rear of the field for restarts to keep KB3 out of harm’s way.
You can’t learn the ropes of racing if you have a wrecked car sitting in the garage. This ended up putting KB3 on his own lap for the rest of the race with no hopes of gaining a Lucky Dog to move forward in the running order, but it also kept him out of harm’s way.
As the laps clicked off, KB3’s comfort level with the car and track became evident with his lap times. Even though he was off the lead lap, his times were consistent with cars running in the top-20.
In addition to learning the track, he was also learning the pace of a race so as to run to its completion. He also learned how to avoid multi-car wrecks unfolding in front of him, as happened on lap 185 that produced a lengthy caution period.
The good news at the end of the evening was KB3 learned from his experiences en route to his 28th-place finish. He avoided getting caught up in wrecks, developed respect from veterans by not slowing down lead-lap cars and lessons about the track he can use upon his return.
Ken Butler III: “Wow, what a day and night. I really struggled with this track in practice and then we had electrical problems during qualifying. I was glad Todd and the Aaron’s Dream Machine team was able to fix them for the race. Once that got going, I was all about just learning how to get around this Phoenix track. I can see why so many guys struggle here in the beginning. I talked to a few veterans to learn what I could from them and they all said I just had to go out and experience it for myself.
“Well, they were right. The car was loose in the beginning and I had trouble getting back to the throttle out of the turns. As the race wore on, I got more comfortable with the car and track and it was evident with my lap times. Rob Fuller (team principal) said it was like we made a driver change in the first third of the race because we improved so much from the beginning. Hey, that’s fine with me because I am all about learning everything I can to be a better Nationwide Series driver.
“Finishing 28th isn’t great, but considering what I learned and how we improved throughout the race, I’ll take it and put it to good use when I come back here in the fall. Again, I can’t thank the Aaron’s Dream Machine team and everyone involved with this effort for helping me along the way. I’m ready for the next time I come to Phoenix, that’s for sure.”
Butler will return to the No. 23 Aaron’s Dream Machine at Richmond International Raceway in two weeks.
Aaron’s Sports Marketing Director – Rich Lamprey – 404-915-1683 - Richard.Lamprey@aaronrents.com
R3 Motorsports Media Relations Contact for Ken Butler III – Tim Packman - 704-507-1838 – timpackman@yahoo.com