The legendary high banks of Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway will play host to Jeb Burton and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) for the second restrictor-plate venue of the 2014 season on Saturday. While Burton’s ThorSport Racing teammates lead the NCWTS championship standings, Burton and his Estes Express team are looking for an opportunity to seize the spotlight and visit Talladega’s famed victory lane. The fred’s 250 will mark the ninth NCWTS race at “‘Dega,” while Burton is making his second start at the 2.66-mile superspeedway.
One year ago, in his Talladega Superspeedway debut, Burton notched one of his seven career Keystone Light Pole Awards, and led one lap en route to an 18th-place finish. In three restrictor-plate starts since 2013, Burton has displayed an average finish of 10.0, including his first career NCWTS top-five finish of fifth at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (Feb. 2013).
The No. 13 ThorSport Racing team enters Talladega on the strength of three consecutive top-12 finishes, including a season-best fifth-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway. With momentum on his side, Burton is aiming to play spoiler this weekend by capturing his first victory of 2014.
Sounding off – Jeb Burton:
“You never know what to expect at Talladega. We all know it’s the biggest wild-card race of the season and anything can happen. At the same time, it provides a great opportunity for a lot of teams to win, including our Estes Express team. We’ve had some good runs and success at Daytona, so hopefully we can translate that experience to Talladega this weekend. To be in contention you have to make it to the last 10 laps or so, get hooked up with the right trucks, and find momentum at the right time.”
Burton’s Talladega Superspeedway Stats:
• One start (2013)
• One pole
• Finished: 18th
• Laps Led: 1
• According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Burton ranks
º Sixth in Average Running Position (12.01)
º Eighth in Driver Rating (83.3)
Jeb Burton 2014:
• Following an eighth-place finish in the Rhino Linings 350 at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway, Burton remains ninth in the 2014 NCWTS driver point standings, 117 markers behind leader and ThorSport Racing teammate, Matt Crafton
• Recorded a season-best fifth-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, IL (9/13/2014)
• Recorded a season-best second-place start at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio (7/23/2014)
• In 17 starts, Burton has one top-five and six top-10 finishes
• Has completed 2512 of 2583 laps attempted (97.3%)
• Has led seven laps (Eldora)
• Average start: 10.4
• Average finish: 13.1
• Second full-time season in the NCWTS
• According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Burton ranks
º 10th in Average Running Position (12.9)
º 10th in Driver Rating (78.5)
º 10th in Laps in Top 15 (1538)
Jeb Burton’s Career Truck Series Stats:
• 44 starts
• One win (Texas, June, 2013)
• Six top-five finishes
• 18 top-10 finishes
• Seven poles
• 6615 laps completed
• 296 laps led
• Average start: 9.3
• Average finish: 12.7
Estes Delivers:
Estes Express Lines offers direct freight transportation service to all fifty states, the Caribbean, Canada and Mexico. With a network of more than 200 terminals located from coast to coast, including six in Tennessee – Chattanooga, Greenville, Jackson, Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville – the strength of this regional network ensures that no matter where your shipment needs to go or when it needs to get there, Estes delivers. For more information, please visit: www.Estes-Express.com
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.