Cole Butcher’s Road to a Championship, by Ken MacIsaac

EDITOR’S NOTE: This past Saturday at the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour Awards Gala, Cole Butcher was officially crowned the 2016 series champion, at 20-years-old the youngest title-holder in the series 16-year history. While it might seem to some that being a champion at 20 is a meteoric rise, Butcher is actually a seasoned racer with many years experience. And, like many Maritime champions before him, his title proves once again that stock car racing is a family sport.

He is a second-generation racer following his father, Darrin Butcher’s successful racing career in the 1990s. Cole drives for a team owned by his parents and is surrounded by and supported by family members including his younger brother, Jarrett, also a champion racer having earned the 2015 Maritime Legends Tour title as well as back-to-back Bandolero titles.

proud to be a longtime supporter of Cole Butcher

Young drivers like the Butcher’s are the future of stock car racing in the Maritimes and with Cole’s impressive championship run on the pro stock tour this year, we can be sure the future of our sport is in good hands.

We are pleased to present this congratulatory piece for Cole Butcher, by noted Maritime motorsports photographer and archivist, Ken MacIsaac, starting with a recent interview with Cole and followed by a gallery of Ken’s photos looking back at Cole Butcher’s road to a championship…

KM – First of all, congrats on your championship. I watched your dad race in the 90s and he won a lot of races, so it’s not a surprise to see how successful you’ve been. You started in a Bandolero. Tell me about that?

CB – I was eight years old when I started racing the Bando, and that was in 2006. Dad and Steve Henderson got that Bando for me in Ontario. I finished in the top five in points every year I ran and I won the championship in 2010.

KM – Did you find the transition from Bando to Legends difficult?

CB – That transition was pretty easy. We practiced a lot so when it was time to race I felt like I was up to pace. I did really well in Legends. Won a lot of races and championships. It was a brand new car from R&D, and we ended up selling it to Braden Langille.

KM – You didn’t move up to a Sportsman or Truck, you jumped right into a Pro Stock?

CB – That transition was a little harder. (The) Biggest thing was the horsepower. The power steering took some getting used to, and the full body, compared to the Legend.

KM – You had such a great year. Three first place finishes, three second-place finishes, a third place, couple of sixth-place finishes, three seventh-place finishes, and the worst was a 14th- place finish. I think your Atlantic Cat 250 win was my favorite.

CB –Oh ya, that was such a great win. I led 182 laps that day. Car was flawless.

KM – I’ve watched you run with the PASS guys at Oxford, and I’ve been so impressed at how competitive you are there.

CB – Oxford is tough. They are all good racers which makes it even more tough. At last year’s 250, the hardest part was just getting in the race. But last year, and this fall, we had a really good car which made it a bit easier to make it into the feature.

KM – Is there a big difference in the Maritime Pro Stock cars and the PASS cars?

CB – They run different tires than we do, and they have much better shocks, but they’re more expensive. The motors are pretty close, but we do have a PASS motor. I can’t really feel a difference, but I’m sure on a bigger track I would.

KM – When you started in Pro Stock, wasn’t it with one of Donald Chisholm’s Distance chassis’?

CB – Yes, and we still have that Howe SS car, that’s the one Jarrett ran a few races with, and the same car Jonathan Hicken ran a few times with this year. We have three other Taylor (Distance) chassis’ too.

KM – What’s 2017 looking like for you?

CB – I’m going to run the full schedule, and so is Jarrett. We also have a brand new Legends car.

KM – And you’re going to run the Snowball Derby in a couple weeks, but only the Snowflake portion.

CB – Yes. We’re renting a car for just the Snowflake race. They run the same rules as PASS pretty much. I’ve been talking to the car owner a lot lately, and he’s been helping me so much. We fly out this week and we’ll test at Five Flags Speedway all weekend. We should be in good shape come Derby weekend.

KM – I know you have a great crew. Want to mention them?

CB – David, James, Greg, Gordie, Adam, Pixie, Jarrett, Josh, Stevie, Joe…and mom & dad (Darrin and Ann). A great crew and couldn’t do it without them all.

KM – Good luck in Florida.

CB – Thanks.

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