Jeb Burton finished a season-high fifth at Chicagoland Speedway after overcoming handling issues in the rain-delayed Lucas Oil 225 on Saturday night. The fifth-place effort was Burton’s first top-five finish of the 2014 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) season and his best finish in two starts at the 1.5-mile D-shaped oval.
After qualifying was washed out on Friday, Burton took the green flag from the third position and immediately battled an extremely loose condition in the race’s opening stages while running in the top five. On the lap 30 competition caution, Burton came to pit road for four tires, fuel, and adjustments to rectify the loose balance. Under the caution, Burton was forced to make a second stop on pit road, giving up valuable track position, to repair a loose window. Restarting 20th on lap 66, Burton spent the middle portion of the 150-lap event coping with a loose-handling Toyota Tundra as he made his way through the field.
With 40 laps remaining, the race leaders began making their way down pit road for scheduled stops under green. When the final caution flag was waved on lap 113, with 37 laps remaining, the ThorSport Racing driver was scored sixth. Burton was able to make his final scheduled stop for multiple chassis adjustments, four tires and fuel under yellow, regaining valuable track position. The Halifax, Va. native restarted sixth on lap 118 and was able to gain one more position in the closing laps to finish fifth, behind race winner Kyle Busch.
Notes:
• Jeb Burton’s fifth-place finish in the Lucas Oil 225 marks the ThorSport Racing drivers track-best finish in two starts at Chicagoland Speedway, and his first top-five finish of 2014
• Burton ranked fourth in the Pass Differential category in NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics with a +9 rating
• Through 15 races, Burton has amassed one top-five and five top-10 finishes
• Burton remains 10th in the 2014 NCWTS driver point standings after 15 of 22 races
• Kyle Busch won the Lucas Oil 225, totaling 12 NCWTS wins for Toyota in 2014
• ThorSport Racing teammate and defending NCWTS champion Matt Crafton reassumed the NCWTS point lead with seven races remaining in the 2014 season
• Up next for the No. 13 ThorSport Racing team is the UNOH 175 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, on Saturday, September 20
Quote – Jeb Burton:
“It was a long night. At the beginning, we took off pretty good and we were running our teammate down for the lead. We had a loose window and the truck was sideways. It was a handful, but these ThorSport Racing guys never gave up. We got the Estes Express Toyota Tundra better throughout the night and I’m really proud of that. It was a good effort, and hopefully some momentum to end the year out right.”
Practice 1: 2nd, 30.849 seconds (175.046 mph)
Practice 2: 3rd, 30.774 seconds (175.473 mph)
Qualifying: Cancelled due to rain, starting line-up set based on rule book.
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.