Decker, Butner grab prestigious U.S. Nationals wins at the 70th running

Josh Decker and Bo Butner clinched wins in Stock Eliminator and Super Gas at the Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

BROWNSBURG, IN – The 70th running of the U.S. Nationals came to a close and crowned winners on Labor Day afternoon, a day most racers only dream of taking part in. Josh Decker and Bo Butner both picked up trophies at the legendary event. Decker was able to clinch a lifelong dream of his and held his first NHRA National event Wally at the end of the day, making it even sweeter being at Indy.

Butner added another historical pinpoint to his accomplishments during his racing career – winning not once, not twice, but THREE years in a row in Super Gas. He became the first sportsman racer to ever win three events in a row, in the same class, let alone at the most historic event of the year.

Joining them in the winner’s circle was Kayla Mozeris (Comp), Larry Hodge (SS), Trene Cressonie (SC), Zach Sackman (TD), and Bill Yates (TS).

Read the race recap below to learn more about the winners!

Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals

Competition Eliminator

Kayla Mozeris took home her third NHRA National event Wally after defeating Joe Carnasciale in the final round, becoming the first female to win Competition Eliminator at the U.S. Nationals. Carnasciale had the starting line advantage, .025 to .085, but Mozeris got to the strip first to run a 7.418 at 174 mph on her 7.97 index for the trophy.

Todd Frantz and Don Thomas were the semi-finalists.

Super Stock

Larry Hodge picked up his fifth NHRA National event Wally after defeating Jacob Delaune in the final round. Delaune was -.076 at the hit, handing the win over to Hodge who was .003 up front and ran a 10.016 at 116 mph for the trophy.

David Bogner and Ricky Decker were the semi-finalists.

Stock Eliminator

Josh Decker drove his C/SA Corvette to his first NHRA National event trophy after defeating Dan Fletcher in the final round. Decker had the starting line advantage, .019 to .063, and never trailed back for the win. He ran a 10.522 at 116 mph on his 10.57 dial-in for the double-breakout win.

Dave Walther and Joey Shipp were the semi-finalists.

Super Comp

Trene Cressonie took home his third NHRA National event Wally after defeating Jason Kenny in the final round. Cressonie had an .019 package to lock out Kenny at the hit, who was .044, making him the runner-up in Super Comp for the third year in a row.

Wade Archer was the semi-finalist.

Super Gas

Bo Butner visited the winners circle for the third year straight after defeating Dalton Deffenbaugh in the final round to pick up his 20th career NHRA sportsman Wally. Just a coin flip apart on the tree, Butner was .021 and ran a 9.901 at 169 mph on the 9.90 index to get to the stripe first by .011.

Steve Williams was the semi-finalist.

Top Dragster

Zach Sackman won his third NHRA National event Wally, his second in a row at Indy, after he defeated Darian Boesch in the final round. Boesch had the starting line advantage, .017 to .032, but Sackman got to the stripe first to hold the trophy. He ran a 6.180 at 221 mph on his 6.16 dial-in.

Jim Prevo and Steve Will were the semi-finalists.

Top Sportsman

Bill Yates won his third NHRA career Wally after he defeated Curt Fredrich in the final round. Yates threw down a .010 package at a whopping 206 mph to lock out Fredrich at the hit, who was .028. Yates ran a 6.512 at 206 mph on his 6.51 dial-in with a .008 light.

Mike Morehead and Donald Preece were the semi-finalists.

An avid racer herself, Megan Strassweg, 28, sees her two worlds collide with DragChamp – journalism and drag racing. Megan resides in Evansville, IN, and she pilots a 2015 American Dragster in the NHRA North Central Division 3 Super Comp series, along with some local bracket racing on the side. Her passion for racing began early, having grown up at the racetrack, and she remains committed to the sport.

You can reach Megan on Facebook or email at megan@dragchamp.com