Butcher’s Sizzling Streak Rolls Into May: Season Recap & Nashville–Hickory–Newport Preview
#28 Cole Butcher celebrating his first victory of the 2025 season. Photo courtesy of Reid Scott of Liberty Racing Review
April 17th, 2025
Cole Butcher continues to scorch the pavement in 2025. Through 6 starts between the ASA STARS National Tour and ASA Southern Super Series — including two co-sanctioned events — the Nova Scotian has emerged as a dominant force: He’s claimed 3 wins and 5 podiums, while managing to lead in every race.
Recapping Mobile: Calculated Gamble Falls Just Short
Cole Butcher’s 2025 campaign has been defined by consistency, dominance, and razor-sharp strategy — and the April 12th ASA Southern Super Series stop at Mobile International Speedway, his most recent race, was no exception. His runner-up finish in the Mobile Sports Authority 100 was another display of his championship-caliber form. Starting on the front row, Butcher fell through the field early in what appeared to be either a handling issue or a mechanical misfire, or seemingly less likely, a strategic gamble — but as the race unfolded, it became increasingly clear: this was calculated. Notably, the Southern Super Series does not award bonus points for leading laps, leading the most laps, or for stage positions. The only points incentives are qualifying and final race results.
After running near the very back of the field for most of the night, Butcher pitted late to swap tires — moving the rear left to the front left. Though fresh tires weren’t available, teams were permitted to reposition those already on the car. Upon the restart, in the late stages of the race, he began mounting a charge towards the front, and he was the fastest car on the track — but ultimately ran out of time to reel in #26 Bubba Pollard, who had executed a similar but slightly less aggressive saving strategy.
Butcher based his strategy on how the race played out last year — and it seems he may have just slightly miscalculated. Had he begun his charge a bit earlier, perhaps with 40 laps to go instead of about 32 to go, he likely had the winning car. A tougher tire compound this year, with less fall-off, also made executing the strategy even trickier. The runner-up result kept his points lead safe and underscored the tactical depth his team is bringing to each race weekend.
Cole Butcher's 2025 So Far: A Blistering Start
Leading the standings in both the ASA STARS National Tour & the ASA Southern Super Series, Butcher didn't get into that position through luck. His 2025 campaign has cemented him as a dominant presence.
Through a combined six starts spanning the two series (2 races were co-sanctioned):
ASA STARS National Tour
Race #1 – Clyde Hart Memorial 200
New Smyrna Speedway – New Smyrna Beach, Florida
📍 Finished: 11th | Laps Led: 35
Butcher’s STARS season opener was shaping up to be strong, leading 35 laps, and running second with 76 laps remaining when a caution came out. Unfortunately, his fuel strategy backfired and caused him to run out during the yellow, dropping him to 21st on the restart with 70 laps to go. Despite the setback, and many yellow flags, under which laps counted and kept ticking away, he charged back to 11th, salvaging a respectable finish in a deep field that was genuinely almost Snowball Derby calibre.
Race #2 – Sunshine State 200
Five Flags Speedway – Pensacola, Florida
📍 Finished: 1st | Laps Led: 130 (of 207)
Returning to Pensacola, Butcher defended his 2024 win in the same race with another commanding performance, leading 130 of 207 laps to take his second consecutive ASA STARS Sunshine State 200 victory.
Race #3 – Appalachian Sucker Punch 250 presented by Jones Utilities
Dominion Raceway – Thornburg, Virginia
📍 Finished: 1st | Laps Led: 91 (of 250)
In the field’s first-ever ASA STARS event at Dominion Raceway, as well as the first time anyone in the field had raced a Super Late Model at the track, Butcher once again rose to the occasion. He led 91 laps en route to another convincing victory, showing excellent adaptability and patience on a brand-new track for the series.
ASA Southern Super Series (SSS)
Race #1 – Protect Your Melon SpeedFest 150
Cordele Motor Speedway – Cordele, Georgia
📍 Finished: 3rd | Laps Led: 111 (of 150)
Butcher set the pace for most of the race, leading 111 laps. However, a late-race rally by #26 Bubba Pollard cleared the way for Pollard to win for his 4th straight time in the marquee Speedfest race. #18 Colby Howard would also edge him at the line for second by 0.001 seconds, in a photo finish.
Race #2 – Clyde Hart Memorial 200
📍 Co-sanctioned with ASA STARS (see above)
📍 Finished: 11th | Laps Led: 35
Race #3 – Sunshine State 200
📍 Co-sanctioned with ASA STARS (see above)
📍 Finished: 1st | Laps Led: 130
Race #4 – Pensacola Sports 100
Five Flags Speedway – Pensacola, Florida
📍 Finished: 1st | Laps Led: 100 (of 100)
In a pure display of dominance, Butcher started up front and never looked back, seizing clean air and leading every single lap to secure his second SSS victory of the year.
Race #5 – Mobile Sports Authority 100
Mobile International Speedway – Mobile, Alabama
📍 Finished: 2nd | Laps Led: 1
(See recap at the beginning of the article)
🔥 Cole Butcher: By the Numbers (First 6 Races of 2025) 🔥
🏁 Starts: 6 (3 ASA STARS, 5 SSS incl. 2 co-sanctioned)
🥇 Wins: 3
🏆 Podiums: 5
📉 Worst Finish: 11th
🔢 Laps Run: 1,007
🚀 Laps Led: 468
📊 Avg. Laps Per Race: 167.83
📊 Avg. Laps Led Per Race: 77.99
🔁 Led in 6 of 6 events
📈 % of Total Laps Led: 46.47%
Butcher’s dominance is both visual & mathematical: He’s out front nearly half the time.
Points Standings for ASA STARS National Tour:
| Pos | Car | Driver | Bonus | Stage | Race | Total | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Cole Butcher | 44 | 65 | 136 | 245 | – |
| 2 | 24 | Gavan Boschele (R) | 20 | 52 | 123 | 195 | -50 |
| 3 | 51 | Stephen Nasse | 15 | 32 | 125 | 172 | -73 |
| 4 | 54 | Matthew Craig | 24 | 36 | 111 | 171 | -74 |
| 5 | 81 | Carson Brown (R) | 48 | 35 | 88 | 171 | -74 |
| 6 | 26 | Dawson Sutton | 17 | 28 | 103 | 148 | -97 |
| 7 | 96 | Derek Thorn | 15 | 12 | 113 | 140 | -105 |
| 8 | 35 | Jake Garcia | 15 | 36 | 89 | 140 | -105 |
| 9 | 26 | Bubba Pollard | 17 | 13 | 109 | 139 | -106 |
| 10 | 22 | George Phillips (R) | 15 | 13 | 104 | 132 | -113 |
Points Standings for the ASA Southern Super Series:
| Pos | # | Driver | Hometown | Points | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Cole Butcher | Porters Lake, NS | 491 | – |
| 2 | 26 | Bubba Pollard | Senoia, GA | 459 | -32 |
| 3 | 24 | Gavan Boschele | Mooresville, NC | 457 | -34 |
| 4 | 51 | Stephen Nasse | Pinellas Park, FL | 450 | -41 |
| 5 | 18 | Colby Howard | Simpsonville, SC | 435 | -56 |
| 6 | 54 | Matt Craig | Kannapolis, NC | 411 | -80 |
| 7 | 81 | Carson Brown | New London, NC | 397 | -94 |
| 8 | 51F | Jake Finch | Lynn Haven, FL | 396 | -95 |
| 9 | 96 | Spencer Davis | Dawsonville, GA | 384 | -107 |
| 10 | 14 | Chase Pinsonneault | Belle River, ON | 334 | -157 |
Graphic listing top contenders expected to run full-time in both series’, top-to-bottom in order of combined points between both tours (this does not count for anything, but it was just my choice for ordering them), and STARS standing on the left, SSS standing on the right.
This doesn’t count for anything, but it was fun to look at the points combined.
What’s Next?
The May Swing: 3 Key Races, 3 Very Different Tracks
🟡 Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway — ASA Southern Super Series
Momentum Meets Music City
Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, Nashville, Tennessee
📅 May 3rd
🔧 Track Style: 0.596-mile paved oval, high-speed and aging surface
📍 Notable: Butcher has 5 starts here, all in the All American 400.
📉 Best finish: 14th (twice)
🛠️ 2024: First time he avoided a DNF due to crash/mechanical issues.
🔮 Outlook: Has had speed — just not luck. This could be the turnaround race. With momentum on his side, and Nashville serving as a tune-up race for this Fall’s All American 400, there’s plenty of motivation.
🔴 Hickory Motor Speedway — ASA STARS National & ASA SSS co-sanctioned
The Return of a Classic Track
Hickory Motor Speedway, Hickory, North Carolina
📅 May 22nd
🔧 Track Style: Tight 0.363-mile bullring, worn surface
📍 2024 winner (then called the Tar Heel 250)
📈 Track history: One of Butcher’s most dominant tracks
🏁 Outlook: A favorite to win — would mark three straight ASA STARS victories.
🟢 Newport Speedway — ASA STARS National & ASA SSS co-sanctioned
The Wildcard
Newport Speedway, Newport, Tennessee
📅 May 24th
🔧 Track Style: High-banked 0.4-mile oval
🆕 Series debut: Cole and the ASA STARS Tour’s first ever start at Newport
🔮 Outlook: The high-banked bullring is a new test, but if form holds, there’s no reason to think he won’t be a front-runner here too.
With three unique tracks ahead and championship stakes rising, May could be a defining month in Cole Butcher’s 2025 campaign. Whether it’s finally breaking through at Nashville, defending at Hickory, or conquering the unknown at Newport, the coming stretch will test every facet of his title pursuit. If early-season form is any indication, Butcher isn’t aiming to keep pace — he’s looking to set it.
