Jeb Burton and the No. 13 Estes team head into Thursday night’s UNOH 225 in the “Bluegrass State” hoping to turn their luck around at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. Following an 18th-place finish in the last NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) event at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Ill., the 21-year-old driver is optimistic as he enters the eighth Truck Series event on the 2014 schedule. In a state known for horse racing and horsepower, Burton’s hoping to jockey for a position in victory lane following the 150-lap event, and be the first driver in ThorSport Racing’s stables to accomplish the feat at the 1.5-track.
Sounding off – Jeb Burton:
What kind of challenges does Kentucky Speedway present for a driver?
“Kentucky is a little rough, so you have to get your truck handling well over the bumps. Also, track position is key in having a good night, so qualifying will be important. I’m looking forward to getting back to the track and improving on our program this season. My guys have been working really hard and we feel like we’re a better team than we’ve shown, we’ve just had some bad luck, but that’s all going to change this weekend. The truck I’m taking is the truck I ran so well with at Kansas and Charlotte earlier this year, so I’m looking forward to a solid run Thursday night.”
Burton in the Bluegrass State:
• One NCWTS start at Kentucky Speedway (2013) – started 11th and finished ninth
• According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, has a driver rating of 86.9 going into Thursday night’s 17th annual Truck Series race at Kentucky Speedway
• Made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at Kentucky Speedway (September, 2013) – started 13th and finished eighth
ThorSport Racing at Kentucky:
ThorSport Racing has a combined 31 starts by 10 different drivers at Kentucky Speedway since 2000. The Sandusky, OH team has claimed two poles, and led 86 laps en route to four top-five and 13 top-10 finishes.
Jeb Burton 2014:
• Ranks 10th in the 2014 NCWTS driver point standings heading into Thursday night’s UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway, 33 points behind fifth-place Ryan Blaney and 50 markers behind the leader Johnny Sauter
• Recorded a season-best 6th-place finish at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (May)
• Recorded a season-best 6th-place start at Kansas Speedway (May) and Gateway Motorsports Park (June)
• In seven starts in 2014, Burton has two top-10 finishes
• Has completed 98.6% of laps attempted (1167/1184)
• Second full-time season in the NCWTS
Burton’s Career Truck Series Stats:
• 34 starts
• 1 win (Texas, June, 2013)
• 5 top-5 finishes
• 14 top-10 finishes
• 7 poles
• 5270 laps completed
• 289 laps led
• Average start: 9.1
• Average finish: 12.7
Catch the Action:
Fox Sports 1’s coverage of the Truck Series at Kentucky Speedway will begin on Thursday, June 26 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time(ET) with Truck Series qualifying, followed by the NCWTS Setup at 7:30 p.m. ET and the UNOH 225 at 8 p.m. ET. The race will also be broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR radio channel 90.
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 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.