Toyota Racing – Harrison Burton
NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series (NGOTS)
Martinsville Speedway – March 22, 2019
Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Harrison Burton was made available to the media in Martinsville:
HARRISON BURTON, No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports
You’re only 18 years old and have been racing much of your life. How have you been able to balance having a career and going to school?
“I’ve had to balance so many things in my life. I’ve been racing since I was four. I’ve been in school throughout the whole time. I’m still a high school student. I have a girlfriend and she helps me a lot with that. I have all these friends and being kind of versatile in that and learning to balance all these different things in my life has helped me a lot with that. I had to grow up really young because I wanted to be a professional race car driver. I’ve had a full-time job probably since I was 11 years old and on top of that, school. I’ve kind of just grown up quickly because of that and I’m thankful for that. I’m thankful for the experiences. Even if racing doesn’t work out, I’ve learned more from the experiences I’ve had racing and had more fun in the experiences that I’ve had racing than anywhere else really and that’s something I’ll value forever.”
How do you prepare after Texas when there’s a few weeks off in the Truck Series?
“As a driver, you know I’m always racing. I have that opportunity where I can race ARCA, I can race Super Late Models, I can race trucks, who knows what else I can fit in there. I have the opportunity right now to be racing more than a lot of people, so that’s an advantage I think. The Truck Series has a lot of breaks, but after these first few breaks, it’s game on. A bunch of weeks in a row and we’re rolling through it. I’m excited for that.”
How did you make your decision on college?
“For me I’m at a spot in my life where I have an opportunity. I want to harness that and race, but a month ago I just thought there’s not a lot of job security for drivers. If you don’t succeed and do well, no matter what the circumstances are, then your name falls to the bottom of the list. For me, I have to – first off, I have to perform consistently. This is what I love to do. I wake up in the morning excited about race cars and racing and all that, so that’s pressure I put on myself and there’s also the pressure of this is a privilege, it’s not a right. I don’t have any right to be in this race car any more than anyone else. I have to work for it and prove that I’m one of the best. I have to win some races and I’ll work my butt off trying to do it. For me college was important because I want to have something to fall back on.”
What do you want to major in?
“I want to major in business. I might minor in sports marketing. I want to be in NASCAR no matter what. I want to be in this sport whether it’s in the driver seat, driver coach, crew member, I just love this sport.”
Are you ready to graduate high school in June?
“Yeah, I’m ready. I’m nervously ready. I’m really committed to this racing deal. I’m going to continue my education though on an online program , but I’ll be more focused on racing. I want to pace myself on my college and really focus on my racing. It’s a one-shot opportunity . It seems that if you taper off and don’t really get an opportunity, then it’s really hard to get it back. For me, I have to take advantage of this opportunity that I have. I’m out of the safety net now of high school and going into the real world and becoming an adult. Everyone has anxiety at that when they’re a kid and I have that too. I’m excited, but nervous at the same time.”
