Burton scores season-best finish at Texas

Jeb Burton drove his No. 13 Estes Express Toyota Tundra to a season-best, second-place finish in Friday night’s WinStar World Casino & Resort 350 at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) in Fort Worth. The runner-up result marks Burton’s second top-five finish of 2014, moving him to eighth in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) driver point standings with only two races remaining this season.

Burton showed speed through both practice sessions on Thursday, and continued that performance in qualifying on Friday afternoon with a sixth-place effort. From the drop of the green flag, Burton moved forward and ran inside the top-five until the evening’s first yellow flag on lap 23. Under the caution, crew chief Jeriod Prince gave Burton four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment to alleviate his “free” handling condition. Restarting fifth on lap 27, Burton continued his strong showing in the top-five, holding his position through a cycle of green-flag pit stops at lap 71. Burton received an alternative air pressure adjustment to improve a tight condition under the green flag, and was scored seventh at the race’s second caution period on lap 77.

 

On the ensuing run, Burton reported his Estes Express Toyota was “really free”, and received four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment during a lap 97 caution. Prince’s adjustments allowed Burton to advance to fourth as numerous caution flags waved in the late stages of the 147-lap event. When the fifth caution flag was displayed on lap 139 for a three-truck accident on the frontstretch, Burton opted to give-up track position, pit for four tires and restarted 13th on lap 142. In three laps, Burton rocketed through the field to the fifth position before making contact with his teammate on the frontstretch at lap 146, which brought out the sixth caution flag of the night, ultimately setting the field up for a Green-White-Checker finish. On the final restart at lap 147, Burton charged through traffic to take the checkered flag in the second position behind race winner Kyle Busch.

 

Thorsport PR