Stock and Super Stock Across The Pond In Sweden

Jill McKenna | October 6, 2016

Think that Super Stock and Stock cars are only popular in the United States? Then you haven’t been to Sweden

For more than a half century, the factory-based cars that populate Super Stock and Stock have been favorites among NHRA fans—but you might be surprised to know the phenomenon we love extends well beyond the North American continent. Racers and fans in many the European countries, particularly Sweden, share our love affair with the factory-based muscle cars that make up Class racing. And that affection was evident during the recent FIA European Drag Racing Series Scandinavian Nationals event held in Sweden. The Nationals encompasses Stock, Super Stock and a host of other classes.

In Europe, Super Stock and Stock races are run as a combo and a field of nearly 50 entries made their way to beautiful Tierp Arena, located about an hour north of Stockholm. Tierp Arena, easily one of the nicest motorsports facilities in the world, provided the perfect setting for the event, which attracted nearly total 400 drag racing entries from all over the globe.

One participant at the recent race will be familiar to American fans. Former Comp Eliminator world champ and current Pro Stock driver Bo Butner, traveled to Europe along with his fiancé Randi Lynn Shipp, his longtime crew chief Darrel Herron and his wife, Ginger, to compete. Like most racers, Butner makes a horrible spectator, so this was more than just a vacation. While in Sweden, he drove the 2012 Cobra Jet Mustang belonging to local Hakan Prytz.

Butner faced long odds in Sweden for a number of reasons. First off, he’d never driven the supercharged 8-second Mustang, but more importantly, the car had never turned a tire on track before his arrival. Butner, Herron, and Prtyz tore into the four-year old Cobra Jet and made it race ready in less than a day. Before the weekend was over, they’d made the quickest Super Stock pass outside the United States with an 8.53 best.

Butner managed to win two rounds in eliminations before the race was cancelled due to rain, but it’s safe to say he made a lasting impression on his European hosts.

As an interesting side note, the European series uses the same rules and class structure as NHRA with the only major difference being a mandatory use of unleaded fuel. As you’ll see in the following gallery, the European class racing scene is vibrant and diverse with a little bit of everything to keep the fans entertained.

Bo Butner wheeled this 2012 Cobra to abest of 8.53, the quickest Super Stock pass outside the United States.

Anders Lindh returned to Tierp as the defending event champion after driving his beautiful 1967 GTO to the 2015 FIA Scandinavian Nationals title.

Finland’s Jarmo Gronman races the five-speed C/Stock Chevy Camaro that was formerly raced by Division 5 competitor Kevin Stubbs. Gronman recently traded the sinister all-black paint scheme for Mountain Dew colors.

Mopar Performance race cars are big in Europe, and one of the best is Uffe Edwardson’s B/SA 1970 Dodge Challenger.

Mathias Farm’s Killer Snake SS/GA Mach 1 Mustang is one of many strong Fords that can be found racing in the European series.

The Williams brothers’ haul their two-car operation from their native England to Sweden for the Scandinavian Nationals. Daniel Williams drives a big block Nova while brother Nic wheels this amazing AA/SA ’69 Camaro ZL-1. The car runs deep into the nine-second zone.

When is the last time you saw a Ramber American 220 racing in any class? Yrjo Wallius hauls his rare AMC Motors entry from Finland, and the manually shifted SS/J entry never fails to entertain with bumper-dragging wheelstands.

You like ’69 Camaros, we got ’em.

Lars Bjorklund’s Chevy Camaro should be very familiar to American fans. The car was raced by a number of NHRA drivers including Kyle Rizzoli and Scotty Richardson before making its way across the Atlantic.

How about a Shelby GT500 racing in AA/S. The L&L Racing entry was a perfect example of Ford Performance and of the diversity that helps boost the popularity of Class racing in Europe.

Bo Butner became a big hit with the Swedish fans after driving his borrowed 2012 supercharged Cobra Jet Mustang to an 8.53, the quickest Super Stock run to date in Europe.