Butcher, Naugle Have Strong Runs at Easter Bunny 150

HICKORY, NC – Cole Butcher, from Porter’s Lake, Nova Scotia, finished fourth in Saturday’s Easter Bunny 150 at the historic Hickory Motor Speedway. The event was a PASS National/South combination event and featured some of the best short track racers in North America including 2015 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch.

Nicholas Naugle, from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, finished eighth after making the show with a strong second-place run in the Last Chance race. Naugle missed time trials as his team made repairs following an issue in the afternoon practice.

Butcher had fast time in the first practice session and after the third and final session, his lap was still third quick among the 32 cars on hand, with Busch at the top of the board. Qualifying saw Butcher transfer to the feature with a fourth-place lap for the 2016 Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour champion and 2017 Kulwicki Development Driver; the PASS redraw among the top 10 relegated him to an eight-place start for the 150-lap feature. He battled multi-time PASS National champion Ben Rowe for fifth position much of the race and never ran lower than eighth. Butcher crossed the finish line fifth but gained a spot after third-place finisher Raphael Lessard, from Quebec, was disqualified because his spotter confronted race officials in race control post-race.

It was the first time either Butcher or Naugle had raced at Hickory Motor Speedway.

Preston Peltier was the winner with Rowe and Matt Craig rounding out the top three. Busch ran only 15 laps before parking his car due to mechanical issues.

Amherst, Nova Scotia’s Ryan Mackintosh finished third in the Legends Cars feature that ran prior to the Easter Bunny 150. Braden Langille, from Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, led laps early in the race but did not finish after what looked like a mechanical issue. Michael Womack won the race.

RESULTS – EASTER BUNNY 150

1) 33 – Preston Peltier – 150 Laps
2) 4N – Ben Rowe – 150
3) 54 – Matt Craig – 150
4) 53 – Cole Butcher – 150
5) 6 – Brandon Setzer – 150
6) 16ME – Travis Stearns – 150
7) 98 – Jody Measamer – 150
8) 08 – Nicholas Naugle – 150
9) 12g – Derek Griffith – 150
10) 45 – Kodie Conner – 150
11) 41 – Trevor Sanborn – 150
12) 55 – Tanner Thorson – 150
13) 8F – Tate Fogleman – 150
14) 29 – Spencer Davis – 150
15) 9 – Chris Dilbeck – 149
16) 7c – Tyler Church – 149
17) 51f – Eddie Fatscher – 149
18) 97 – Joey Polewarczyk Jr. – 149
19) 76 – Ryan Millington – 149
20) 7f – Dave Farrington Jr. – 149
21) 35 – Travis Kvapil – 145
22) 15x – Roy Hayes – 107
23) 15h – Mike Hopkins – 96
24) 89 – Lee Hansard – 80
25) 15e – Christian Eckes – 69
26) 75 – Dawson Cram – 60
27) 12h – Heath Hindman – 52
28) 12x – Mark Reedy – 30
29) 71 – Jimmy Doyle – 24
30) 51b – Kyle Busch – 15
31) 99c – Sarah Cornett-Ching – 8
DQ – 99x – Raphael Lessard