ASA: Glass City 200, Canadian Racing + Roots, Momentum, and Questions: Cole Butcher

Photo Courtesy of: WingNut Productions

September 18th, 2023

As the engines revved, roared, and filled Toledo’s air with an electrifying hum during the ASA Stars National Tour Glass City 200, a firm reality was further crystallized: Cole Butcher is a star that you can't ignore. This master of the wheel, manning the #28 for Donnie Wilson Motorsports, and the #53 for Butcher Racing, has already dominated revered events such as the Oxford 250 and the Easter Bunny 150 with PASS. In fact, going into Toledo, it was already clear that he is getting better and better.

Those Oxford & Easter Bunny wins represent the last 2 running’s of both: He's the back-to-back winner of the PASS Crown Jewel Oxford 250, and his last two other Marquee PASS races were both wins in the Easter Bunny 150. He's been a lock for a top-10 finish in the Snowball Derby for half a decade now, and looked like he could have had the winning car in his Winchester 400 debut, before bad luck took him out. He's either looked like he would run well, or has run well in the All American 400, but he needs a finish, and less incidents to his credit before he really deserves praise for that Crown Jewel; that is, relative to the calibre he ought to be judged by at this point - a top tier Super Late Model driver, period.

A Thrilling Duel, and What-Ifs

In a sport defined by milliseconds and millimeters, most cars in most races have their 'what-ifs', 'shoulda', 'oughta', 'if-not-for's', and 'could-have-beens.' For now, it would suit us to remove specifics from the race, and just consider the points, and the finish. By the end of the race, the red hot #28 amassed a near perfect 90 out of a possible 100 points, finishing as the runner-up. To put this in perspective, Majeski—the only driver to secure a flawless 100-point race this season (did so once)—stood as his only only real challenge through the first 3/4ths of the contest, and it took until the second half.

The Dilemma: When strategy and fuel meet

For the sake of recapping an exciting race, I would like to provide some context, though. The race's climax unfolded as Butcher and Majeski dueled. As fate would have it, Majeski’s fuel tank ran dry at the most critical juncture, right in Butcher's path. Butcher couldn't evade, and spun Majeski, as his car sputtered to a halt, the fuel gauge reading zero. Butcher, too, would soon follow suit. This occured with less than 10 laps to go in stage 2. The decision to stay out for track position nearly paid off.

The Dramatic Restart: A Sprint Towards Redemption

What came next was pure racing excitement. On the restart, Butcher's car roared back to life, possessed by urgency. He came out very fast, and almost immediately dove his vehicle into the fray, making it three-wide, nearly four-wide, all in a quest to regain what was lost, with dwindling time to do it for stage 2.

The Spin and The Climb: Defiance Against All Odds

His urgency invited a situation where Albert Francis' #33 car came down on Butcher, triggering a spin that hurled him into the grass in the infield. Despite compromised traction, a perilous spin, and now nose damage to the car, Butcher regained control and guided his vehicle back onto the track, the absence of a caution flag making the feat even more impressive, considering he began to regain track position by the time the next caution waved, as one of his team mates, too, ran out of fuel. Ultimately he would rebound with 4 laps left after that caution, to finish 5th in the stage. The loss of 5 potential points from stage 2, and the loss of 5 points by finishing 2nd in the race, instead of first, are what separated him from a perfect race. Still a great points day, now 63 pts separating Cole & Ty, instead of the 93 before the race. Ty would grab 60 points after a disappointing qualifying effort, and a mechanical issue forcing him out of the race at the end of stage 2.

The Role of Teams and Environment

Being part of Donnie Wilson’s stellar team is undoubtedly a feather in Butcher’s cap, and you can point to his status as a driver for that camp. It might be harder to argue Wilson’s team ISN'T the most dominant force in the discipline today, than to argue that it is. But Butcher's meteoric rise isn't merely a byproduct of Wilson's legacy; it is more than that. His dominance in PASS has come with his family team, not Donnie Wilson. And the majority of his races have come in the Maritime Pro Stock Tour (now East Coast International Pro Stock Tour). For an American viewer only familiar with Cole over recent years, you would be forgiven for thinking he must have dominated all of those races. This isn't the case, you could certainly argue that he was overall the best car over the course of his full-time tenure there, but he faced very tough competition.

The Canadian Racing Scene: A Crucible for Talent

But let’s widen the lens for viewers who may be from the USA, or otherwise just more recently became familiar with Cole through his USA racing. The racing environment in Canada, particularly in the Maritime region, is a cauldron of talent. Races like the one at Petty International Raceway in New Brunswick, Canada, coming in the first week of this October, are expecting 40 entries, of which, no less than 12 could easily drive off with that checkered flag by the end of the 254 lap marquee race, demonstrating the scope and scale of the competition. With $20,000 CAD to win, and $100 in lap leader bonus money per lap, the 10th Mike Stevens Memorial can stand on it's own. Some of the bigger races in the region offer purses rivaled or surpassed by only the richest paying races in the USA, and the crowds often surpass those of marquee races in the USA. Add in two healthy Pro/Super Late Model touring series, lots of drivers, history, tracks, big crowds, and big pay-days.

Now we are seeing Cole get more acclimatized to an ASA style SLM, getting lots more seat time, and compared to many who start at such young ages, Cole was a bit older getting here, and he is still just mid-20s now, he has plenty of time left.

SLM Standouts: The Ebb and Flow of Racing Fortunes

It's worth taking a moment to look at other racing phenoms like Stephen Nasse and Carson Hocevar. Their careers offer a lesson in the capriciousness of racing fortunes. Both have had their share of setbacks, only to rise from the ashes and dominate the tracks once more. Their stories serve as a reminder that the tables can turn at any moment, via the interesting role of momentum, hot streaks, and cold spells.

#51 Stephen Nasse. Always a good racer, 2019 saw him begin a very hot streak. First he had a dramatic come-back after an early setback in the US Short Track Nationals at Bristol Motor Speedway, then he led 392 of the 400 laps at Winchester Speedway for the Winchester 400. He led laps in the All American 400 before having brake issues, and crossed the finish line first at the Snowball Derby, before failing the intense Ricky Brooks post-race tech. Take last year, he struggled, by his standards, through most of the year, then won both the Winchester 400 & The All American 400 back-to-back. 2023 has so far been an uncharacteristically hard year for Nasse, but it isn't over yet.

Then you have Carson Hocevar, most known in a Late Model as piloting the #14, and most known now by most race fans for his NASCAR career. In 2020, Carson Hocevar found himself in the midst of his longest losing streak of his racing life. He broke this with a very exciting, resilient win at Lebanon I-44 Speedway for the ARCA/CRA Super Series. He would go on to win 5 straight Super Series races, including a Redbud 400 where he led 232 laps, and a Winchester 400 where he led 342 laps.

Racing Towards an Uncertain, Exciting Future

The point is, some drivers can undergo cold spells, as well as become the hottest driver in the sport. The question for Cole Butcher is how far does his ascent take him, and how consistent will he be? His consistency has been strong for a long time now, and his results have been showing it. He's been leading more laps in races he doesn't win, as well, and for those watching, his improvement is clear.

Time will tell, and it's going to be fun riding along.