Jeb Burton 2014 UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway Race Preview

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SM Archive

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June 24, 2014

Jeb Burton, No. 13 Estes Toyota Tundra

Kentucky Speedway

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

UNOH 225 Race Preview

Race Information:

Date: Thursday, June 26, 2014

Race: 8 of 22

Track: Kentucky Speedway

Track Details: 1.5-mile oval

Distance: 150 laps/225 miles

Team Information:

Current Driver Point Standings: 10th

Current Owner Point Standings: 15th

Crew Chief: Jeriod Prince

Team Website: www.ThorSport.com

Driver Website: www.JebBurton.com

Estes Website: www.estes-express.com

Social Media: @ThorSportRacing, @JebBurtonRacing, @EstesExpress

BURTON HOPING TO GET LUCKY IN KENTUCKY

Sandusky, OH (June 24, 2014) – Jeb Burton and the No. 13 Estes team head into Thursday night’s UNOH 225 in the “Bluegrass State” hoping to turn their luck around at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. Following an 18th-place finish in the last NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) event at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Ill., the 21-year-old driver is optimistic as he enters the eighth Truck Series event on the 2014 schedule. In a state known for horse racing and horsepower, Burton’s hoping to jockey for a position in victory lane following the 150-lap event, and be the first driver in ThorSport Racing’s stables to accomplish the feat at the 1.5-track.

Sounding off – Jeb Burton:

What kind of challenges does Kentucky Speedway present for a driver?

“Kentucky is a little rough, so you have to get your truck handling well over the bumps. Also, track position is key in having a good night, so qualifying will be important. I’m looking forward to getting back to the track and improving on our program this season. My guys have been working really hard and we feel like we’re a better team than we’ve shown, we’ve just had some bad luck, but that’s all going to change this weekend. The truck I’m taking is the truck I ran so well with at Kansas and Charlotte earlier this year, so I’m looking forward to a solid run Thursday night.”

Burton in the Bluegrass State:

One NCWTS start at Kentucky Speedway (2013) – started 11th and finished ninth

According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, has a driver rating of 86.9 going into Thursday night’s 17th annual Truck Series race at Kentucky Speedway

Made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at Kentucky Speedway (September, 2013) – started 13th and finished eighth

ThorSport Racing at Kentucky:

ThorSport Racing has a combined 31 starts by 10 different drivers at Kentucky Speedway since 2000. The Sandusky, OH team has claimed two poles, and led 86 laps en route to four top-five and 13 top-10 finishes.

Jeb Burton 2014:

Ranks 10th in the 2014 NCWTS driver point standings heading into Thursday night’s UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway, 33 points behind fifth-place Ryan Blaney and 50 markers behind the leader Johnny Sauter

Recorded a season-best 6th-place finish at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (May)

Recorded a season-best 6th-place start at Kansas Speedway (May) and Gateway Motorsports Park (June)

In seven starts in 2014, Burton has two top-10 finishes

Has completed 98.6% of laps attempted (1167/1184)

Second full-time season in the NCWTS

Burton’s Career Truck Series Stats:

34 starts

1 win (Texas, June, 2013)

5 top-5 finishes

14 top-10 finishes

7 poles

5270 laps completed

289 laps led

Average start: 9.1

Average finish: 12.7

Catch the Action:

Fox Sports 1’s coverage of the Truck Series at Kentucky Speedway will begin on Thursday, June 26 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time(ET) with Truck Series qualifying, followed by the NCWTS Setup at 7:30 p.m. ET and the UNOH 225 at 8 p.m. ET. The race will also be broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR radio channel 90.

ABOUT ESTES EXPRESS 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 runs 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 Estes Toyota Tundra driven by Jeb Burton in the Truck Series.

Matt Crafton 2014 UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway Race Preview

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June 24, 2014

Johnny Sauter 2014 UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway Race Preview

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June 24, 2014

McClure Posts 20th-place Finish at Road America

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June 23, 2014

Gardner Denver 200 Post-Race Report Road America

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June 23, 2014

Team BCR and Enfinger Win Akona 250 at Elko Speedway

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June 23, 2014

The Final Word – Why Can’t NASCAR on TV Always be Like Sonoma?

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Ron Thornton

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June 23, 2014

Carl Edwards wins at Sonoma June 2014 — Photo Credit: Robert Laberge/Getty Images

It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Interesting race, a few surprises, great topography and scenery, and top notch announcing. What was not to like?

If you were Carl Edwards, not much. He came on strong over the final quarter of the race at Sonoma to march off with his 23rd career victory, and his second of the season. It marked his first win on a road course, and it ended a string of five straight wins by Team Hendrick. Well, barely, considering that Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr were contenders all day to conclude things in the Top Three. Jamie McMurray and Paul Menard put some spark into their seasons with Top Fives. Jimmie Johnson had a Top Ten, for those who do not things to change too much from week to week.

Matt Kenseth got the biggest surprise, when Junior bounced off a curb to clip him into the tire barrier. That tore the front end, radiator included, off his beast to leave him steaming. The driver, Kenseth, not the car. Didn’t I mention the radiator was no longer attached? 42nd was his fate.

Junior also managed to lay a late touch on A.J. Allmendinger, who then spun to get hit by Kasey Kahne and Brian Vickers to tear up his front end. A.J. went from a contender to finish 37th, and probably burned his Junior Nation t-shirt afterwards.

Kevin Harvick had a car to beat, and beat it he did when he got squeezed into Clint Bowyer’s spun car. Happy wasn’t, as his hopes faded to leave him 20th on the day. Notice that Earnhardt had nothing to do with that one.

Danica Patrick finished 18th, just ahead of Tony Stewart, ahead of Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Larson. That should give you some indication as to how lousy the day was for those boys.

Now, I would truly love to be a big Danica supporter, but despite her experience, her quality equipment, her lucrative sponsorship, and a loyal fan base, she just does not matter most weeks. To find her on the charts, you usually start at about 25th and look a few spots either way. Sunday was a good day, for her. Even great open wheelers have had trouble making the transition, and while she was popular, she was not great. Still, at 32, I guess there is still time.

Time to turn our attention to this Saturday night, where Kentucky hosts just its fourth Cup event. Kyle, Keselowski, and Kenseth have won the first trio and I would expect them somewhere near the front again this year. Also, do not be surprised to see a Mr. Gordon or a Mr. Johnson up there close, as they have been the past three years. They have not yet won there, but Saturday has not yet arrived, so that could change.

Change, like Home Depot leaving Joe Gibbs Racing and that same owner possibly about to welcome Edwards to the fold. Yet, not all things change. Check out the top of our leader board.

SWEET SIXTEEN
1 – Jimmie Johnson – 3 WINS (560 Pts)
2 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 2 (555)
3 – Carl Edwards – 2 (509)
4 – Joey Logano – 2 (483)
5 – Kevin Harvick – 2 (472)
6 – Jeff Gordon – 1 (580)
7 – Brad Keselowski – 1 (512)
8 – Kyle Busch – 1 (465)
9 – Denny Hamlin – 1 (453)
10 – Kurt Busch – 1 (347)
11 – Matt Kenseth – 515 POINTS
12 – Ryan Newman – 473
13 – Kyle Larson – 470
14 – Paul Menard – 459
15 – Clint Bowyer – 452
16 – Greg Biffle – 444

CONTENDERS & PRETENDERS
17 – Kasey Kahne – 429
18 – Tony Stewart – 427
19 – Austin Dillon – 427
20 – Jamie McMurray – 425
21 – Brian Vickers – 424
22 – Marcos Ambrose – 407
23 – Aric Almirola – 400
24 – A.J. Allmendinger – 391
25 – Casey Mears – 373
26 – Martin Truex, Jr. – 360
27 – Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. – 320
28 – Danica Patrick – 299
29 – Justin Allgaier – 280
30 – Michael Annett – 249
31 – David Gilliland – 232
32 – Cole Whitt – 228