Cole Butcher to Make NASCAR Truck Series Debut at Bristol in Halmar Friesen Racing No. 62
Cole Butcher at his home track Scotia Speedworld with his family team #53 - Photo Courtesy of JT Racing Pix
September 10th, 2025
Porters Lake, Nova Scotia’s Cole Butcher will make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut on September 11th at Bristol Motor Speedway, piloting the Halmar Friesen Racing No. 62 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro with backing from long-time supporters Atlantic Tiltload and TOP Construction Ltd. He will be paired with driver Kaden Honeycutt, reuniting with his former one-off race Donnie Wilson Motorsports Snowball Derby teammate. While this marks his first NASCAR start, the high-banked half-mile at Bristol should have some familiarity to Butcher. He has built his reputation on high-intensity short tracks across North America, with a career spanning some of the most prestigious Super Late Model (SLM) events in the sport. This includes a local track which serves as a mini-replica of Bristol. Many of his Truck Series competitors — including Dawson Sutton, Ty Majeski, Giovanni Ruggiero, Jake Garcia, Chandler Smith, and Corey Heim — have been his rivals in SLM competition. In fact, he’s been Donnie Wilson Motorsports teammates with Ruggiero, Smith, and Heim for extended periods of time.
Proven Short Track Champion
Racing for his family-owned Butcher Racing No. 53 in the Maritimes, Butcher’s resume was already decorated with championships:
2016 Maritime Pro Stock Tour (now FGI Pro Stock Tour) champion.
2017: Finished 1 point shy of repeating, despite missing a race — a race in which a substitute finished several laps down, while the eventual champion won.
2018: Captured the championship despite missing a race and having a substitute finish 10th.
In 2025, he is chasing an unprecedented triple crown of championships:
ASA STARS National Tour — Leads the standings by 92 points after 9 of 12 races. With a maximum of 100 points available in a single event.
ASA/CRA Super Series — Currently 3rd, 43 points behind the leader with 2 of 7 races remaining - note that he did not compete in one of the races on this schedule.
ASA Southern Super Series — 12 points out of first with 2 races left, having traded the top spot multiple times this season with #26 Bubba Pollard.
Marquee Victories:
Butcher’s list of major wins stretches across both sides of the border.
With Butcher Racing (#53):
x2 Oxford 250 (Oxford Plains Speedway)
Mike Stevens Memorial (Petty International Raceway)
x2 CAT 250 (now Summer Clash 250) (Scotia Speedworld)
Swept the 2022 St. Patrick’s Day & Easter Bunny 150s (Hickory Motor Speedway)
With Donnie Wilson Racing (#28):
x2 Redbud 400 (Anderson Speedway)
Winchester 400 (Winchester Speedway)
Four top-5 finishes in 8 Snowball Derby starts, including 2 podiums
A Familiar Arena — With New Challenges
Though the trucks will drive differently (including the significance of aerodynamic grip/forces) than the sleek, lighter Super Late Models he’s accustomed to, Butcher’s short-track experience should be an asset at Bristol. The track’s 0.533-mile concrete oval rewards drivers who can adapt to changing grip levels, manage traffic, and find speed in multiple grooves — all skills Butcher has refined over years of top-level SLM competition.
Donnie Wilson Motorsports to NASCAR Pipeline
Butcher’s path to Bristol also highlights a familiar trend: Donnie Wilson Motorsports serving as a launching pad toward NASCAR. The powerhouse team has become a benchmark for developing elite Super Late Model talent, with many of its drivers advancing to the USA national stage.
When Kyle Busch Motorsports put it’s short track Super Late Model team operations on indefinite hiatus in 2021, this led to several significant changes to the landscape, including Bond Suss taking over at the Wilson stable. Given the people Wilson Motorsports is surrounded by, and it’s relationship with Toyota Racing Development, it is prime grounds for opportunity, when proven, and earned.
An incomplete list of Wilson alumni underscores the point: Chandler Smith, Sammy Smith, and Corey Heim have all scored NASCAR victories and exerted challenges for championships. William Sawalich and Giovanni Ruggiero continue to impress, as well, both seeking a first checkered flag.
Butcher is the most senior and longest-tenured driver in the Wilson stable — a fixture on their team going back to 2016. While many of his young, hot prospect teammates have moved to NASCAR, Butcher has stayed focused on mastering the short track world, moving full-time to the USA and now dominating the ASA STARS National Tour. His upcoming Truck Series debut represents both a reward for that consistency and a significant opportunity. While he is considered a bit old by modern standards to make this transition, ‘older’ drivers like Bubba Pollard have recently shown a trend of sheer talent and results at the grass roots level leading to opportunities, and Josh Berry has shown what can happen when given a shot, at any time, with the proper backing and support - all stemming from talent and years of hard work/strong results.
Looking Ahead
Butcher’s Truck Series debut is an opportunity to showcase Maritime talent on one of NASCAR’s biggest stages. With pressure and all eyes on him, with a challenging to handle truck facing foreign feeling aero effects, and a return to live pit stops, Butcher is not without obstacles to overcome. However, with familiar competition in the field, a trusted team in Halmar Friesen Racing, and long-time sponsors at his side, his first NASCAR foray could prove to be the beginning of another chapter in an already impressive career.
