Cole Butcher will run the No. 62 for Halmar Friesen Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Bristol Motor Speedway, HFR announced Aug. 10.
Should he qualify HFR’s part-time truck, it’ll be Butcher’s Truck debut.
Atlantic Tiltload will sponsor the effort.
“I’m excited to make my Truck Series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway with Halmar Friesen Racing,” Butcher said in a team release. “It’s a big opportunity, and I’m looking forward to the challenge.
“Bristol is such an iconic track, and I’m hoping we can put together a solid run and bring home a top-10 finish. I’m thankful to everyone at Halmar Friesen Racing for the chance to be part of this race.”
“Cole has been on our radar for the past few years,” HFR’s Stewart Friesen added. “I’ve watched what he’s been able to do against some of the toughest Late Model competition in the country and he’s been impressive. Already part of the TRD [Toyota Racing Development] family, he’s the perfect fit as we continue to grow the team.”
How He Finally Got Here
Talent was never the problem. Confidence was. It’s no secret that Butcher has struggled with self-doubt for years. At 29, most drivers have already made it or moved on. He knows this is his shot. Last season almost derailed everything. He needed heart surgery for Afib, a procedure that kept him out for two months. His wife was pregnant. The timing couldn’t have been worse.
But he came back and didn’t miss a step. Maybe that scare gave him the perspective he needed. Sometimes you have to almost lose everything to realize what matters.
Butcher will be a teammate to Kaden Honeycutt, who’s piloting the No. 52 in place of Friesen, who’s out for the rest of the season due to injury.
This is an audition for something bigger. Yahoo Sports calls him one of the top short trackers in America, and he wants a full-time ride in 2026, starting with Daytona. One good night at Bristol could open that door.
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Kevin Rutherford is the executive editor of Frontstretch, a position he gained in 2025 after being the managing editor since 2015, and serving on the editing staff since 2013.
At his day job, he's a journalist covering music and rock charts at Billboard. He lives in New York City, but his heart is in Ohio -- you know, like that Hawthorne Heights song.