Cole Butcher didn’t win everything in Super Late Model racing in 2025 but the Maritime Canadian won enough that it’s a fair distinction to call him one of the Snowball Derby favorites following a victory in the 60th Florida Governor’s Cup at New Smyrna.
It’s not that the race on Saturday means anything ahead of the Super Bowl of Short Track Racing next month but it’s just a reminder that the Wilson Motorsports No. 28 is the class of the field practically every time it unloads.
Now, on Saturday, the GMS Race Cars house chassis driven by Spencer Davis put up a tremendous fight and it’s arguable that the results were flipped by a single moment.
Davis led the first 68 laps until he got trapped by an errant Bobby Good, fighting to stay on the lead lap, that allowed Butcher to pass both on the outside. From that moment forward, Davis made several charges but could never take the track position back.
Butcher led the rest of the way.
“This is definitely my best season of racing ever,” Butcher said in Victory Lane. “I can’t thank everybody enough between the shop and every one of the 22, 24 and 28 cars. Everyone sees the same notebook. We’ve had a dominant year. We’ve had some races get away from us that I try not to worry about. But the races we could control, we’ve executed.
“I think Spencer was better than me tonight, but we were able to hold him off. I think we had better turn and I had better drive. Luckily enough, we were able to keep him pinned down and kill his momentum. We got ourselves a Gov Cup trophy.”
Davis said the only thing holding back him and GMS-001 is a notebook.
“We just need a couple more weekends at the track, to be honest,” Davis said. “We’ve made strides since we first brought it down to Pensacola as a Pro car. Track position is key in these races when everyone is so even. When you have two identical cars, it comes down to who controls the restart.
“We got ran down to the flat by a lap car and I’m not going to say that ended our day but it made it a lot harder. The 28 was awesome like they have been all year. We were tit for tat with them, nose to tail, and maybe I could have moved him and went about my race but I’m not going to do it that way.
“Cole is a real hard racer and I’d hope he’d race me the same way if the roles were reversed. He’s never given me a reason to race him that way and I don’t plan to. We need to be one spot better. No place like the Derby to do it.”
Butcher was appreciative.
“I cannot thank Spencer enough for racing me clean,” Butcher said. “I think he was a little bit better than me, but I was just able to clog up the bottom lane.”
Driving the Wilson Motorsports No. 24, Gavan Boschele finished third.
“We were alright. Just really, really tight. [We] brought an okay car. The whole week we were really, really fast and then just okay during the race,” Boschele said. “Not enough speed to pace with those guys. Just got really tight at the end there.
“It just sucks to lose.”
Colby Howard (Anthony Campi Racing) and George Phillips (Wilson) completed the top five.
Phillips had a run-in with Chase Pinsonneault with 79 laps to go following a 50 lap battle between them. Phillips ended up going around.
in a near-50-lap battle for the fifth position. That battle ultimately ended with Phillips going for a spin off the front bumper of Pinsonneault’s car with 79 laps remaining. Pinsonneault crashed out of the race in Turn 3 nearing the closing laps.
Butcher claimed the Southern Super Series championship but somewhat by default as Bubba Pollard did not enter the last two races. Pollard had a two point lead coming into this weekend had he chosen to defend the position.
Florida Govenor’s Cup 60 New Smyrna Speedway November 15 2025
Matt Weaver is the owner and founder of Short Track Scene. Weaver grew up in the sport, having raced himself before becoming a reporter in college at the University of South Alabama. He also has extensive experience covering NASCAR, IndyCar and Dirt Sprint Cars.
