The home track for the ASA STARS National Tour delivered yet another spectacle in short track racing with the 59th annual Redbud 400 at Anderson Speedway.
During a night which saw Cole Butcher emerge victorious once again in ASA STARS competition, extreme heat and a theme of attrition throughout the night provided a multitude of storylines to reflect on.
With those in mind, here are three takeaways from this year‘s running of the Redbud 400.
Death, Taxes, and Cole Butcher Victories
There’s not much left to say at this point. Butcher has been the fastest man in Super Late Models throughout the entire course of 2025, with the Canadian driver picking up his fourth win of the season on Saturday night at Anderson. Butcher’s victory was also his second in the Redbud 400 after winning the event for the first time in 2023.
This year’s race was won by decisive pit strategy. Electing to stay out on old tires for a long stretch of the race, Butcher waited until the end of the second stage to put fresh tires on. This decision gave him an advantage over the rest of the competition during the final stage. Once he found his way to the front, there was no looking back.
With qualifying being an extremely decisive factor in the discipline of Super Late Model racing, it’s often a tall task for drivers to climb their way through the field if their qualifying runs leave something to be desired. But in a year where he’s been unstoppable, this seemingly wasn’t an issue for Butcher. Starting the race from the 12th position, Butcher began working his way forward from the drop of the green flag, scoring podium finishes in the first two stages.
It’s clear that whatever Butcher and Wilson Motorsports have going on for them has yet to be matched by any of the other ASA teams. As the ASA STARS National Tour season starts to wind down, time is running out if anyone has hopes of catching up to Butcher before season’s end. While it’s certainly too early to conclusively call the championship race, there’s little doubt that Butcher will likely emerge as the 2025 title winner if things continue the way they are.
A Hot and Humid Night in Indiana
One substantial factor in this year‘s Redbud 400 was the unsavory weather that plagued the entire day. Mother Nature decided to make her presence known at Anderson Speedway, with scattered rain showers popping up and interrupting practice earlier on Saturday.
Along with the afternoon showers came increased humidity that lasted long into the night, proving to be a substantial issue for the competitors. With numerous drivers reporting helmet fan failures and suffering from a lack of fluids, it was a daunting task to make it to the end of the race. Those that did survive to the finish proved that Super Late Model drivers are athletes like in any other sport.
“I lost water on like Lap 5 and I’m absolutely exhausted,” runner-up finisher Gavan Boschele said after the race. “I didn’t have any water the rest of the way, so I’m gonna have to go get an I.V. later.”
Boschele was just one example of many, with several individuals at the track (competitors and fans alike) remarking how unseasonable the weather was. The Redbud 400 has always been a summer tradition, but this year‘s substantial heat and humidity proved to be a much bigger variable than in years past.
No Bubba Pollard Once Again
It was considered to be huge news when Bubba Pollard signed onto the ASA STARS Platinum Program at the start of the year – and rightfully so. Locking down the biggest name in Super Late Model racing (if not short track racing as a whole) was a big accomplishment for the series.
But Saturday’s Redbud 400 proved to be another case where Pollard didn’t appear at an ASA STARS event he had already announced entry for. The first instance of Pollard missing an ASA race weekend happened just a few weeks ago, when he was unable to make it to Wisconsin for the ASA STARS Father’s Day weekend doubleheader. Pollard had business obligations in his hometown of Senoia, Ga., that took priority over that weekend’s races.
This time, however, mechanical issues were what set Pollard back. During a test earlier in the week at Owosso Speedway, Pollard experienced overheating issues with his VanDoorn Racing machine that couldn’t be fixed, sidelining him for the Redbud 400 at Anderson. With only the one Super Late Model in his stable, Pollard and crew elected to instead run a Pro Late Model at Berlin Raceway over the weekend.
Occasionally things come up that can’t be planned for ahead of time. Life throws curveballs at all of us. Still, for Pollard to miss three ASA stars races in a row is a big deal. Fans eager to see the short track star dubbed as ‘Redneck Jesus’ have been left saddened and the series has lost one of its biggest draws.
Pollard falling out a full-time ASA STARS competition isn’t a new phenomenon if you look at the trends of prior years, but it’s still disappointing for fans of the Senoia racer. Hopefully it won’t be long before the veteran returns to the national Super Late Model stage.
The ASA STARS National Tour will return to action on Wednesday, Aug. 20, with the running of the Michigan 300 at Owosso Speedway. The race will be streamed live on TrackTV with a tape-delayed broadcast to follow on the RACER Network.
