[1][2][3] Buttke made one foray into the NASCAR Winston West Series, running one race in 1996 for Spears Motorsports.
Buttke attempted nineteen races as part of a campaign for Busch Series Rookie of the Year,[11] qualified for seventeen, and recorded his first career top ten, at Hickory.
[15] He also ran the second half of the Craftsman Truck Series schedule that year for Spears Motorsports.
Attempting twelve more races, he posted three top ten starts and a best finish of eleventh at Bristol Motor Speedway.
He then joined Washington-Erving Motorsports for one race, falling out with brake issues at Dover International Speedway.
[17] His final Busch race came in 1999, competing at Myrtle Beach Speedway for NorthStar Motorsports, finishing 16th.