Cole Butcher: From Nova Scotia to the ASA National Tour Series
July 17th, 2023
Introduction
In the fiercely competitive world of the ASA National Tour Series, we see an underrated driver sitting 2nd place in the standings - Cole Butcher. Born on August 31, 1996, at 26 years old, in the maritime province of Nova Scotia, Canada, this ambitious young racer has swiftly ascended through the ranks of American Late Model racing as a whole, as well as ASA racing. His steadfast combination of speed, consistency, and tenacity has allowed him to turn his name into a draw among stout fields of elite competition. As he trails series leader Ty Majeski by a mere 51 points with four races remaining, Butcher is a testament to the fact that talent truly knows no borders. In this article, we take a deeper look at Butcher's career, his significant achievements, his trajectory, and his current quest for championship glory in the 2023 ASA Stars National Tour series.
Early Late Model Career
Currently holding the distinction of being the longest-tenured driver for Donnie Wilson Motorsports, a testimony to his talent and the trust placed in him by the team, we need to look back to his first trip to Derby Weekend to trace the pairings' on-track origins.
His journey with Donnie Wilson Motorsports began on December 3rd, 2016, at the Snowflake 100 at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida. Despite it being his first experience on a fast track like Five Flags, Butcher impressed by finishing in the sixth position. In a field of notable names such as Augie Grill, JH Nemechek, and Chandler Smith, Butcher's debut performance was more than respectable, outpacing accomplished drivers like Stephen Nasse, Jeff Choquette, Travis Braden, and Casey Roderick, among others.
Away from the American circuits, Butcher carved out an impressive career in the Maritime Pro Stock Tour (Now East Coast International Pro Stock Tour) in the Canadian provinces. Here, he won many features, including the prestigious CAT 250 twice in a row in 2016 and 2017. The pinnacle of his achievements in this series came in the form of two Championship victories in 2016 and 2018. He showcased his resilience and tenacity in 2017, when he narrowly missed the Championship title, falling short to the multi-time series Champion, Shawn Turple, by just a single point.
This early career success, racing primarily in the Maritime Pro Stock Tour, laid a strong foundation for the young racer, setting the stage for his impactful presence in the American racing scene.
Embracing New Challenges (2019)
By 2019, Cole Butcher's focus shifted, his ambition steering him towards competing against the top echelon of Super Late Model (SLM) racing in the USA. Butcher was becoming known for his exceptional qualifying speed, particularly impressive given his limited or no previous experience at some of the renowned tracks where major races he would compete in were being held. This knack for adapting quickly and securing high qualifying positions became a defining trait.
In the late summer months, Cole would go on to post his best Oxford 250 finish to date, with a 6th place result.
In the All American 400, Butcher repeated his qualifying prowess. In 2018, a rained-out event saw him qualifying just outside of pole sitter and fellow-Canadian Raphael Lessard, and when the race returned in 2019, it was Butcher who claimed the pole position. His ability to perform under different conditions was clear, evidence of his talent and adaptability.
The Snowball Derby presented a similar story. Butcher showcased his skills by consistently qualifying in the top positions. In 2018 and 2019, he secured the second position, and in 2020, he qualified fourth, standing shoulder to shoulder with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Impact of COVID-19 (2020 & 2021)
The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically reshaped the racing landscape and posed unique challenges to racers worldwide. Cole Butcher was not exempted from these hurdles. His racing in the USA was significantly limited during these years, constrained exclusively to the Snowball Derby and an All American appearance in 2021, while running limited races back home in The Maritimes.
Despite these circumstances, Butcher continued to showcase that his previous success was not just beginner's luck, as he delivered commendable performances that were nothing short of impressive. Building upon his earlier track record in the Derby, which saw him finish 15th in 2017 in his Derby debut, 9th in 2018, and 3rd in 2019, Butcher managed to sustain his momentum through his one-off pandemic appearances.
In 2020, he secured a respectable 6th place finish, and the following year, 2021, saw him on the podium once again, as he pulled off his second third-place finish. This repeated success underlined his growth and consistency as a racer, reinforcing his status as one of the formidable contenders in SLM racing, even during unprecedented times.
A Successful Campaign and an Ambitious Pursuit (2022-2023)
Butcher made a significant comeback in 2022. Despite having less seat time and starting his career later than some of his competitors, Butcher showcased his remarkable potential. He registered his first win at Oxford Plains in a PASS 150 feature, besting a 30+ car field using his family-owned equipment, marking the beginning of a string of PASS successes with his family team.
Butcher then triumphed in the prestigious Oxford 250 in August, a victory that further underlined his growing upward trajectory in the sport. His first outing at Winchester Speedway, Indiana, saw him leading for 79 laps in the challenging Winchester 400, displaying his adaptability and speed, before a vehicle-related issue during a strong run would see him wreck and retire early.
Butcher capped off his successful 2022 campaign with a fifth-place finish at the Snowball Derby, marking his third top-five finish in four years, with the other finish being a sixth place effort.
In 2023, Butcher embarked on his most ambitious campaign yet, committing to the full 10-race ASA Stars National Tour schedule. A move that mirrors the steps taken by the late Scott Fraser, Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Famer, who ran as much ASA as his team could afford in 2000 and 2001. So far, he's doing an impressive job representing his province in ASA.
He kicked off the first half of the season strongly with placings of 4th, 14th, 8th on his biggest track to date, against a field that anyone could mix up with a top-tier Derby line-up, a 3rd at Hickory, and a 2nd on by far the biggest track he has ever run on. His only hiccup was in the second race, finishing 14th where a late mechanical issue led to a DNF, but his resolve never faltered. To note, he qualified for the race by virtue of provisional, and raced his way quickly into the top-10, where he would spend the rest of the race, before something broke.
During this time, Butcher took back-to-back PASS Easter Bunny 150's at the aforementioned Hickory (Motor Speedway, in Hickory, NC), extending his win streak in PASS races to three, marking four victories in his last five starts, all with his family owned #53. The Easter Bunny 150 triumphs came on the heels of his win at the historic Oxford 250, strengthening his status as a dominant force in PASS events.
Riding this wave of success, Butcher went on to clinch the prestigious Redbud 400, becoming the third Canadian to do so, after Junior Hanley in 2004, and Raphael Lessard in 2018. Worth noting, Butcher is also the first Canadian to win The Oxford 250 since Hanley achieved this feat in 1993.
Six races into the ASA Stars National Tour, Butcher has proven his consistency, finishing all but one lap throughout his Snowball Derby attempts, with an average start in the 8.xx range and an average finish in the 6.xx range. He exhibits both long-run speed and qualifying speed every time he shows up, making him a formidable competitor on any track.
With 402 points to his name, Butcher trails the ASA series leader, Ty Majeski, by 51 points. Despite the gap, he remains a strong contender for the championship. Over the remaining four races, Butcher needs to outscore Majeski by an average of 13 points per race to surpass him, assuming Majeski completes all 10 races.
Unofficially, but my calculations, the standing after the Redbud are:
Ty Majeski: 453 points
Cole Butcher: 402 points
Gio Ruggiero: 364 points
Casey Roderick: 341 points
Bubba Pollard: 320 points
Second place driver Gio Ruggiero requires almost double the average points per race relative to Majeski, in order to surpass him, meaning in a certain way of looking at it, despite the less than 40 pts total gap between Butcher & Gio, Butcher is in an almost twice as good position as 3rd place contender Gio, when it come to the task of catching up to Majeski.
A tactical, strategic/methodical, and versatile driver, Butcher is not one to shy away from aggressive moves when he deems them necessary. He has shown a particular fondness for brake-heavy, smaller bull-ring type tracks, as showcased by his latest triumph in the Redbud 400. With a history of coming close many times in significant races, this victory marks Butcher's first ASA feature win and the first win piloting a Donnie Wilson car. The rest of the season promises to be an exciting watch as this rising star continues his pursuit of the championship.
