Jeb Burton, driver of the No. 13 Estes Express Toyota Tundra qualified a track-best ninth for Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway (HMS), but contact with another competitor early in the 134-lap event relegated Burton to a 13th-place finish in his second start at the 1.5-mile track.
Starting from the inside of row five in the ninth position, Burton made contact with the No. 05 machine in Turn 2 to bring out the races first caution at lap 6. Crew chief Jeriod Prince brought the No. 13 Toyota Tundra to pit road twice to fix damage to the right side splitter and nose of the Estes Express machine and change tires. When racing resumed on lap 9, Burton was scored 33rd.
The ThorSport driver worked his way up to the 17th position before the races second caution flag was displayed on lap 25 for a spin in Turn 2. Prince would bring the Estes machine back to pit road for four tires and fuel, including adjustments, to aid in a “free on entry and tight center to exit” feel. When racing resumed on lap 28, Burton was scored 16th.
The Halifax, Va. native would work his way up to the seventh position by the races half-way point, but fade back to a top-12 position in the closing laps, fighting a “tight center and off” feel, causing him to lose time on entry into the corner. After 134 laps, Burton would cross the stripe in the 13th position, his 14th top-15 finish in 22 starts this season.
Notes:
• Jeb Burton’s sixth-place qualifying effort was a track-best in two starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway
• Burton ran as high as seventh and as low as 33rd, but crossed the stripe 13th
• In 22 starts in 2014, Burton has two top-five and seven top-10 finishes
• The Estes driver gained one position in the 2014 NCWTS driver point standings following his top-15 result on Friday night. Burton closes out his sophomore season eighth in points, his second top-10 result in two seasons
Quote – Jeb Burton:
“I hate that we had damage early on, we were fast before it and even fast after it. Our Estes Tundra was just free on entry and tight off the rest of the night. I’m proud of this team though. No one gave up and we were able to salvage a decent night. We gained a spot in the points and finished out the season strong.”
Practice: 7th; 32.64 seconds/165.396mph
2nd Practice: 7th; 32.72 seconds/165.032mph
Qualifying: 9th; 32.63 seconds/165.48mph
ABOUT ESTES EXRESS LINES:
Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, Estes is a leading, full-service freight transportation provider offering a complete range of shipping solutions including LTL, time critical, volume & truckload, global and custom solutions. Founded in 1931 by W.W. Estes and still owned by the Estes family, today’s Estes is the largest, privately-held LTL carrier in the nation. With more than 210 terminals across the country and a global service footprint, Estes has grown into one of the most respected total-solutions providers in the industry.
ABOUT THE CAROLINA NUT CO.:
Using unique handcrafted family recipes, The Carolina Nut Co. creates gourmet snacks and flavored nuts that are sure to please every nut lover. The Carolina Nut Co. is family-owned and located in Henderson, N.C. We have been creating delicious gourmet nuts and flavored nuts for more than 60 years. Our unique flavors and high-quality products are making their way across the country. Please keep an eye out for us at your local retailer and ask them about our nuts! For information go to www.carolinanut.com.
ABOUT THORSPORT RACING:
ThorSport Racing, based in a state-of-the-art 100,000-square-foot facility in Sandusky, Ohio, is the longest-tenured NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team. ThorSport, which has run in the Truck Series since 1996, in 2014 will run the No. 88 Menards Toyota Tundra driven by 2013 drivers’ champion Matt Crafton, the No. 98 Nextant Aerospace/Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff/Carolina Nut Co./Curb Records Toyota Tundra driven by Johnny Sauter and the No. 13 Carolina Nut Co. Toyota Tundra driven by Jeb Burton in the Truck Series and the No. 13 Toyota Camry in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.