HALIFAX: A Halifax driver has picked up his first win on the ASA STARS National Tour over the weekend.
Cole Butcher drove the no. 28 Wilson Motorsports entry to the checkered flag in the Redbud 400 at Anderson Speedway on July 15.
Butcher took the lead from Gio Ruggiero with 97 laps to go, eventually winning by more than two seconds over his Wilson Motorsports teammate.
“It’s finally nice to get my first win, especially coming here,” said Butcher to RacingAmerica.com in victory lane.
“We have tracks back home [in Canada] just like this, so it feels extra special. Happy birthday to my father, this one’s for him.”
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Butcher’s win may have been keyed by a decision to use a different pit strategy, which saw him run the first 220 laps of the race on the same four tires while many others changed theirs.
He fell back to sixth before dropping to 11th when he took left-side tires at lap 220, and right side tires on 280 stage break. falling as far back as sixth in the process and restarting in 11th after taking left-side tires.
That left Butcher with fresher tires than anyone in the field for the fight to the finish.
“Bond [Suss] made such a good call to stay out late and have 80 lap fresher tires than the rest of the field,” said Butcher. “This win goes out to those guys.”
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Butcher tipped his cap to Ruggiero for breaking through to the top spot and opening the door to get by Majeski.
“Gio helped me. I let Gio make the holes, I was just following Gio. He was really good all weekend. I thought he was the car to beat all week,” Butcher said to RacingAmerica.com.
The last time a Canadian won an ASA National event was in 1992, when Cayuga, Ontario’s John Cadman won on the road course at Mosport Park (now Canadian Tire Motorsports Park). Butcher also becomes the second Canadian winner of the Redbud 400, joining Junior Hanley (2004).
The ASA STARS National Tour returns to Wisconsin for its next stop, going to Kaukauna’s Wisconsin International Raceway for the Gandrud Auto Group 250.
With information from RacingAmerica.com article.
