Special from ButlerBuilt

ButlerBuilt Meets and Exceeds New SFI Standards for Seats

New Design for NASCAR Seats Passes with Flying Colors

CONCORD, NC (November 17, 2009) – In any business it is important to swing ahead of the curve.  That is the type of approach that has made ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems one of the industry’s leaders in safety.  This November, the North Carolina based company has taken another step towards proving why they are the leader of the pack.  ButlerBuilt is proud to announce its acceptance into the tough SFI 39.1 specification for stock car type racing seats specifically designed for NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Truck Series, and any other series that may specify this advanced build quality. ButlerBuilt is the only approved seat manufacturer to date that meets the new SFI specifications.   

The test sequence consisted of a static force vs. deflection criteria that establishes a minimum strength requirement of the head surround, shoulder support structure and the pelvic region in a lateral orientation.

“ButlerBuilt's goals were simple,” said ButlerBuilt founder Brian Butler.  “Create an engineering solution that would not change the basic principles of our seat design, which has been the staple in NASCAR competition for over 28 years.”

Everyone in racing knows that the safest equipment is not always the fastest.  That is the delicate balance most racers dance the line with.  ButlerBuilt is founded by racers and knows that weight is crucial for performance.  So the ButlerBuilt team has done their homework to exceed the SFI-specs without compromising weight.

“A lot of thought, time and effort was expended in meeting this goal with the additional benefits of exceeding the minimum standards by a wide margin and doing so without the additional weight that other seat designs are burdened with,” added a proud Brian Butler.  “It is incredibly easy to pass this standard by simply making all the seat components heavier, thus stronger.

“Other seat manufacturers have followed this simple path and ended up with cumbersome 50 lb. to 80 lb. seat structures that just barely passes the standards, in some cases by as little as 10 percent.  We feel that we have developed the lightest seat system available that passes the minimum standards with a wide safety margin.  The weight savings go even further when considering the weight distribution of our next generation seat system.  The ButlerBuilt seat system absolutely has the lowest CG height of any seat in this market segment, with the head surround structure being as much as 40 percent lighter than our competitor’s designs.  What teams aren't looking for any-and-all advantages they can get in these highly-restrictive rules packages?”

ButlerBuilt is proud of the recent SFI achievements and believes that it further proves why they are the best seat in the business while still being the best value for today’s racer.

“Every seat variation that ButlerBuilt tested at the NASCAR R&D Center passed the tests with as high as a 400 percent safety margin.  Our only SFI sample passed the 39.1 spec on the first test.  ButlerBuilt is able to produce this seat system at a price that is approximately 60 percent less than the price of the popular composite seat available. In these tough economic times, our price structure is very sensitive to the bottom line of most teams.”

ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems is proud that their seats have exceeded their own goals with this seat development, as they continue the legacy of being the winningest and most comfortable seat system in NASCAR history.