Reigning NHRA Pro Stock world champion Bo Butner was on his way home from the Epping, N.H., race July 9 when he had a health scare.

“I drove for a long time, a long period without getting up and moving around. I was coming back from New Hampshire and I drove 11 hours straight without standing up,” Butner said. “I was in my bus. When I stood up, I had like a dizzy spell, so luckily, I was stopped right across the street from the hospital in Florence, Ky. I was almost home in Floyds Knobs, Ind. It worked out for me there because I didn’t know where I was at, and I walked to the hospital.

"I felt great, I felt like a million dollars driving. But when I stopped, and I stood up, it hit me. So they ran all the tests and everything. They gave me a bunch of tests, I stayed for the week. They checked heart, they checked everything. Everything came back really good. So, I don’t think you should sit that long. I’m getting older, I’m 44 now, so you need to move around. Lesson learned I guess.”

Butner was grateful his unexpected incident happened right by a hospital.

“Could you imagine like driving through here and being in the middle of nowhere,” Butner said. I mean, you’re done. I don’t know, but they put some fluids in me and stuff and it was all good. I left (the hospital) last Friday and . I told them if I can’t drive, so be it. As we get older, your health’s more important. It means a lot more than…. When I was younger, it didn’t matter. Coast is clear, got signed and released and good to go.”

Last year, Butner was dominant, winning the season-opening Winternationals, but that was his last win and he is eighth in points.

“I don’t know if people probably got better but we haven’t got there,” Butner said. “We’re not making good runs, we make great power, we’re just not making good runs. But it counts after Indy.”

Butner is upbeat about the rest of the season.

“Jason (Line) and Greg (Anderson), they’re always trying stuff and getting ready for the Countdown (to the championship, the final six races of the season). So, our goal is to run good in the Countdown and hopefully do a one, two, three finish again for the second year in a row. Nothing’s forever. It’s good everybody else is running better. Look, we’ve got 16 cars at every event, that’s more than all the other Pro classes. We’re doing well and they’re sticking together so that’s good.”