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While Other Drivers Have Finally Gained Some Ground, Buttrick Remains Sportsmen Car to Beat

By Chuck Corder

Steve Buttrick has finally gone worldwide.

That should come as no surprise to folks that have seen Buttrick wheel a racecar or the legions of kids who receive the gentle giant’s trophies on Friday nights at Five Flags Speedway.

What will surprise them is Buttrick’s recent international acclaim isn’t for the reasons they might expect from one of the most accomplished champions Five Flags has ever crowned in its long and distinguished history.

Buttrick, 54, worked as a jack-of-all-trades marine mechanic for 35 years until he went into business for himself a few years ago. Now, Buttrick constructs flexible impeller pumps for boats and ships the assembled kits all over the globe thanks to Amazon and eBay.

“I’ve got 300 listings on eBay, 100 things on Amazon, and I’m doing around 500 transactions a month,� the Cantonment driver said. “There’s a lot to it, and I’m probably trying to do too much. But it’s fantastic, and I’ve shipped ’em all over from Norway to Japan, the U.K., France, Russia and on.�

While Buttrick admits the newfound business occupies his time and has forced him to neglect his No. 33 blue Sportsmen, you’d be hard-pressed to tell judging by the way 2016 has started.

Through three races, Buttrick sits atop The Dock on Pensacola Beach Sportsmen standings thanks to a second in the March season opener and back-to-back wins in April.

“I haven't worked on the car since the Snowball Derby for more than two hours total,� he admitted. “And the work has mostly been getting tires ready. I’ve still gotta swap the front control arms and I’m still playing catch-up on some of the new rules.�

Buttrick brings his two-feature winning streak into Friday night as the Sportsmen will once again race for 25 laps, in addition to running a pair of six-lap heat races.

The Modifieds of Mayhem make its first stop in Pensacola this season with a 40-lap doubleheader while the Faith Chapel Super Stocks (25 laps) and Butler U-Pull-It Bombers (20) round out the Friday racing schedule, which begins at 8 p.m.

Gates open at 4 p.m. and admission is as follows: $15 for adults; $12 for seniors, military and students; $5 for children, ages 6-11; and free for kids 5 and under.

Buttrick, a dirt racer many moons ago, has made up for lost time since moving to asphalt racing in his late-40s.

Since his first season at the famed half-mile asphalt oval in 2009, Buttrick has twice been crowned as the Sportsmen track champion at season’s end and won an improbable four Sportsmen Snowball Derby titles.

He won an eye-popping 10 times en route to his 2013 track title and, most recently, seven times last year despite finishing behind eventual champion Shanna Ard.

"Right now, it’s all about having a good time,� Buttrick said. “Years ago, I would spend 20 hours a week working on the car. I had that drive to do everything I possibly could. I’ve scaled back a little bit. I don't have the time these days, but I still enjoying driving the car.�

He admits the success in recent years of Ard and Brannon Fowler, the two-time reigning Derby champion, has pushed him to recalibrate.

"You know those cars on any given night, any of them can win,� Buttrick said. “Right now, Brannon and myself, we're about even. If you go back three or five years ago, I would have something left the in bag I wasn't using. I’m using everything in the bag nowadays just to keep up.

“I got behind the eight ball a little bit. I haven't been working on the car, and, now all of sudden, guys have gotten faster.�

Perhaps, Buttrick’s preparation work has suffered in recent years as he has taken on new ventures.

But, when the lights come on each Friday night at Pensacola’s high banks, the No. 33 remains the favorite to come away with another checkered flag.

And the kids are still sprinting up to the catch fence, lining up by the dozen, hoping Buttrick will bless them with one of his endless supply of trophies.

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