(Daytona Beach, FL) February 24, 2012 Staying clear of the mayhem allowed Ward Burton to bring his #27 State Water Heater Chevy truck to the checkered flag without a single scratch and a solid eighth place finish.
To help kick off the beginning of his son Jeb’s racing career in NASCAR, Burton climbed behind the wheel tonight for the Daytona NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Jeb Burton, will make his debut in the #27 truck the second race of the season in Martinsville, as he was not yet cleared to drive at Daytona.
Burton took the green flag and was quiet on the radio for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series NextEra Energy Resources 250, as he was just getting use to the feel of the truck and finding himself dancing with different drafting partners when the first caution came out on lap 19. Burton was unsure if he had run over debris so crew chief Trip Bruce brought Burton down pit road changing four tires and fuel, and as Burton began to leave pit road, that’s when the #27 team started to experience trouble.
An unknown vibration plagued the #27 truck forcing Bruce to bring Burton back down pit road not just once, but twice changing tires as the second set still found the truck handling with a terrible vibration. The crew popped the hood and climbed under the wheel well looking for caught up debris, put the original set of tires back on the truck and as Burton took to the track again, the vibration and handling issue disappeared. Burton and his Hillman Racing #27 Chevy decided to just hang back off the draft of cars ahead, chilling at the rear of the field avoiding the “big” one that was inevitable to occur at Daytona.
The big one happened all right, not just once but three times. The green–white-checker finish hit the max at the third attempt and that’s when Burton turned up the heat on the remaining field and charged to the front of the field to land his Hillman Racing/State Water Heater team an impressive eighth place finish.
Burton was pleased at the outcome of the race and for the fact that his team will bring home the truck in one piece. “There is a lot of torn up trucks out here in this truck garage and I am sure glad we are not one of them,” stated Burton. “It was a good race, we learned some things as a new team together and with this being my first time in one of these trucks I learned a bit about the handling. I am looking forward to sharing some of that info with Jeb and helping kick off his career in Martinsville next month. I really appreciate team owner Mike Hillman Sr., Trip Bruce and all the guys here on the #27 team for their hard work tonight.”
Next up for the #27 Hillman Racing/State Water Heater will be the Kroger 250 in Martinsville,Virginia March 31, 2012 as Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Jeb Burton will be behind the wheel for the first time in the NCWTS.
Ward Burton TWITTER: @ward27burton Ward Burton Website: www.wardburton.com Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation: www.wbwf.com
Jeb Burton Website: www.jebburtonracing.com FaceBook Fan Page: Jeb Burton Racing Jeb Burton TWITTER: @jebburtonracing
