They say the first win is always the hardest.

And perhaps no one knows that truth more than Bo Butner.

Butner, an accomplished sportsman racer who switched to Pro Stock racing in 2015, finally broke through for that win after seven previous runner-up finishes to collect his first NHRA Pro Stock Wally at the 30th annual NHRA SpringNationals at Royal Purple Raceway.

Butner, who came into this weekend’s race 0-for-7 in final rounds in 45 previous starts, defeated another driver eager to get back into victory lane in veteran racer Jeg Coughlin.

In an intriguing matchup highlighting what has been an unpredictable season - with four different winners in four races - Butner and Coughlin left with identical .061 reaction times as Butner slowly pulled away from his opponent, recording a margin of victory of just under four feet. Butner crossed the stripe with a 6.550-second lap at 212.26 mph in the Butner Auto Sales Chevrolet Camaro while Coughlin, in his first final since Seattle in 2015, recorded a 6.562 at 212.03 mph in the runner-up effort

“We got it off our back,” a relieved Butner said. “That was the eighth time it was dangled in front of me. I knew I always had a chance to win and today it happened. Who knows, maybe they will start rolling like a snowball now.”

Butner, who qualified second, added wins over Allen Johnson and Greg Anderson to reach his eighth career final. Butner easily dispatched Johnson in round one before receiving a bye in the second round. In the semifinal, Anderson turned on the red light to advance Butner to the final. Coughlin was also gifted a trip to the final when semifinal opponent Tanner Gray lit the red bulb.

“I was fortunate to have a lot of win lights in my sportsman days. In (Pro Stock), we get a few, but to make four consecutive win lights is tough. It is a lot harder than I ever expected,” Butner said. “We had a very good chance to win Vegas and that was me not concentrating in the final. I feel more down on my crew and the people that help me. It is a tough deal, everybody that shows up here can drive.

“But any win where you can stand on that stage, whether it is Stock, Super Street, or this, it never gets old. It is a great feeling and you can’t explain it unless you live it.”

While Butner’s win culminated an exciting day of racing in Houston, Sunday’s race was not without a bit a drama in the Pro Stock ranks.

The crews for NHRA Pro Stock drivers Tanner Gray and Alex Laughlin got into a shoving match with a few punches thrown. Following their round one matchup, the two young drivers exchanged words, eventually leading to the altercation. Ahead of this weekend’s race, Laughlin had switched from running Gray Motorsports’ motors to Elite Motorsports’ power units.

Following his win on Sunday, Butner weighed in on the incident.

“It is awesome and we need more of it,” Butner said. “If I have to start punching Jason (Line) or something, we will do that. It was funny, after the first round, I got out of the car and they say, ‘are you going to fight too?’ I said, ‘I don’t think so, but you never know.’

“Everybody butts heads. You’ve got two young guys there and they are pretty fortunate in life. But let’s just get out there and race. Let’s do more of that.”

While the competition continues to heat up in the Pro Stock class, KB Racing, which powers Butner’s Camaro, remains one of the elite teams in the class, and Butner is most appreciative of the partnership between he and teammate Jason Line that has helped guide him to this point in his career.

“I happen to attract strange people and he and I hit it off pretty quick,” Butner said. “He’s not that much older than me, but he is like an older brother and he tries to talk to me. He gives me 100 percent every time. This win is as big as if he would have won and he would tell you the same.”