In three starts at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Jeb Burton has been tested, and the 22-year-old driver stepped up to the challenge in Friday night’s American Ethanol 200. From the drop of the green flag Burton battled an ill-handling Estes Toyota Tundra and after 200 laps, corralled the No. 13 machine to a 14th-place finish in the ninth race on the 2014 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) schedule.
From practice, to pole qualifying, and through the 200-lap NCWTS event, Burton battled handling issues that robbed him of overall speed, which proved critical in a race that featured long green flag runs. Burton was looking for security and a consistent feel in the corners throughout the day, but battled a tight Estes Toyota Tundra in the lone practice session on Friday morning.
After posting the 13th-quickest lap in qualifying, Burton’s Toyota jumped the fence and faced an extremely loose handling condition throughout the race. Burton, who claimed, “I’ve got my hands full”, battled different handling characteristics throughout the event, while fighting to gain track position. Crew chief Jeriod Price and the No. 13 ThorSport Racing team attempted numerous adjustments each time Burton came down pit road, and made improvements towards night’s end. Over the final 40 laps, Burton regained a handful of positions, and brought his Estes Tundra home in the 14th position. The solid effort was the Halifax, Virginia native’s second top-15 finish at Iowa Speedway and fifth top-15 finish of the 2014 season.
Notes:
• Burton’s top-15 finish in the American Ethanol 200 was his second top-15 finish in three starts at Iowa Speedway
• According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Burton ranked second among Closers – positions improved in the last 10 laps of the race – at Iowa Speedway
• In 2014, Burton has two top-10 finishes
• The American Ethanol 200 was the 11th straight win for Toyota, dating back to Phoenix International Raceway (November 2013) when Erik Jones visited victory lane – marking the longest active win streak by any manufacturer in the NCWTS
Quotes:
“We unloaded pretty tight and spent most of the practice trying to free-up this Estes Toyota Tundra. We weren’t too bad during the race when we were by ourselves, but in traffic we were just sideways-wrecking loose.”
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.