Martinsville Speedway was the site of Jeb Burton’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) debut more than two years ago (April, 2012) and the Halifax, Va. native’s first Keystone Light Pole Award in 2013 (April). So, to say the ThorSport Racing driver was looking for success in Saturday’s Kroger 200 would be an understatement.
Burton’s home track debut started strong when the Estes Express driver posted the quickest time in Round 1 of NCWTS pole qualifying and the ninth-fastest time in Round 2, lining the Virginia native up on the inside of the fifth row for the 200-lap race. Burton worked his way into the top-10 by lap 50 and a top-five position by lap 80 before bringing his Estes Express Toyota Tundra to pit road under caution at lap 102 for an accident in Turn 1. Crew chief Jeriod Prince called for four tires and fuel and when racing resumed on lap 107, Burton was scored in the 14th position due to pit strategy by the leaders.
As the Estes driver began to navigate his way through traffic around the half-mile oval, Burton fell victim to a five truck pile-up in Turn 2 on lap 138. Prince brought the No. 13 Tundra to pit road under caution for four tires, fuel and to repair the damage on the left rear quarter panel. Unfortunately, Burton would find himself back on pit road just three laps later to fix extensive damage on the right front fender of his Toyota Tundra after getting into someone when the No. 05 and No. 33 machines collided in Turn 1.
Burton would restart 25th with 42 laps remaining and never looked back. The skilled driver carefully navigated his way back through the tight confines of Martinsville Speedway to finish 12th behind race winner Darrell Wallace, Jr. in the 19th race on the 2014 NCWTS schedule.
Notes:
• Jeb Burton finished 12th in the Kroger 200 on Saturday, his fourth top-15 finish in five starts at the half-mile oval
• Burton ran as high as fourth and as low as 25th during the 200-lap race
• In 19 starts in 2014, Burton has one top-five and six top-10 finishes
• Burton remains ninth in the 2014 NCWTS driver point standings following the Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway
• Darrell Wallace, Jr. won the Kroger 200 at Martinsville followed by Timothy Peters (2nd), Crafton (3rd), Erik Jones (4th), and Ryan Blaney (5th)
• The NCWTS heads to Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth for the WinStar World Casino 350k on Friday, October 31
Quote – Jeb Burton:
“It was a frustrating day for this Estes Express team. We had a top-five truck and just got in that wreck. I’m proud of all the guys on this team though, we rallied back to finish 12th and you can’t ask for much more at Martinsville – never give up.”
Practice: 12th, 20.09 seconds/94.91mph
Final Practice: 7th, 19.80 seconds/95.60mph
Qualifying: 9th, 19.82 seconds/95.50mph
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.