Burton rallies for second straight top-10 finish at Michigan

Jeb Burton scored his second top-10 finish at Michigan International Speedway (MIS) with an eighth-place result in the Careers for Veterans 200 on Saturday. Burton and the Estes Express Toyota team showed speed through the course of the event and overcame a pit road miscue to post their fourth top-10 finish of the 2014 campaign. As the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) heads into the final 10 events of the season, Burton remains 10th in the championship point standings.

After an unusual turn of events in the final round of Saturday’s knockout pole qualifying, Burton took the green flag from the seventh position. In the early stages, Burton anchored his position well inside the top 10, running seventh at lap nine when the race’s first and only caution flag was displayed. Knowing that MIS is famous for its fuel mileage strategies, crew chief Jeriod Prince called Burton down pit road for fuel only under the caution on lap 11. The pit call would put Burton in position to capitalize on pit strategy in the final laps.

 

Following the restart on lap 14, Burton ran inside the top-10 in the opening laps and broke into the top-five on lap 26. During the second run, Burton informed his team that he “couldn’t stand for the truck to be any more free into the turns or tighter on corner exit,” and opted for a small adjustment during the only four-tire pit stop of the race, just past the halfway point. A slower-than-usual stop on pit road cycled Burton to 10th after the green flag stops.

 

Rebounding from the issues on the previous trip to pit road, the Estes Express Toyota team made a quick gas-and-go stop for Sunoco race fuel with less than 10 laps remaining. By taking fuel only, Burton spent less time on pit road, and gaining positions through the cycle of pit stops. The 22-year-old chased down positions right to the checkered flag, earning his fourth top-10 of the season with an eighth place showing

 

MIS PR