Date: Nov. 8, 2019
Event: Lucas Oil 150 (Race 22 of 23)
Series: NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series
Location: ISM Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. (one-mile oval)
Format: Three Stages; 45 laps/45 laps/60 laps
Start/Finish: 32nd/7th (Running, completed 150 of 150 laps)
Winner: Stewart Friesen of Halmar Friesen Racing (Chevrolet)
After pacing final practice, Harrison Burton and the No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass team had high hopes for Friday night’s Lucas Oil 150 at ISM Raceway. Unfortunately, Burton had an issue with the power shutting off during his qualifying lap and would have to start the race from the back of the field.
In the early stages, Burton made his way to the top 20 and then crew chief would use pit strategy in the middle of Stage One to improve the track position for his young driver in the later stages. After getting four fresh tires under caution on lap 25, the No. 18 team set themselves up to start Stage Two inside the top five and would run inside the top 10 for the remainder of the event.
At the end of 150 laps, Burton would cross the stripe in the seventh position. The top-10 result was his 11th of 2019.
Stage One Recap:
- After failing to complete a lap in qualifying, Burton started at the rear of the 32-truck field. By the time his KBM teammate Brandon Jones spun and brought out the first caution of the race on lap two, the No. 18 Toyota had advanced to the 22nd position.
- When the second caution of the race occurred on lap 24, the second-generation driver was scored in the 19th spot.
- Veteran crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. elected to bring his young driver down pit road for four fresh tires, a full load of fuel and made a trackbar adjustment to improve the handling of the Safelite Tundra.
- Burton was scored in the 25th position for the lap-28 restart and over the final 17 laps of the stage would make his way up to 15th.
Stage Two Recap:
- Having already pitted for four fresh tires in the middle of Stage One, Burton remained on track between stages and when Stage Two went green on lap 53 was scored in the third position.
- Stage Two would proceed start to finish under green, with the rookie driver falling back to fifth to complete the stage as he reported that his Tundra was “tight off four.”
Final Stage Recap:
- Hillman Jr. summoned his driver to pit road between stages for a four-tire and fuel stop with a chassis adjustment.
- With teams on varying pit strategies, Burton was scored in the 10th position when the Final Stage went green on lap 99.
- Burton continued to battle a tight-handling Tundra throughout the remainder of the race and would cross the stripe in the seventh position.
Harrison Burton, driver of the No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports:
How was your race?
“We started in the back, which didn’t help us any. We had to find our way through a lot of traffic and a lot of crazy moments. Air is really big here, bigger than it was here last year. We really struggled with getting tighter behind people. I don’t know if that’s something we did different, or something that is different about the package. The splitters are a little different. It was a tough race. We were really, really good in practice and I thought we were going to have a shot at the pole, and a shot to win and lady luck just had other ideas.”
Lucas Oil 150 Recap:
- Stewart Friesen collected his second NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series victory. KBM driver Brandon Jones finished 0.860 seconds behind Friesen in the runner-up spot. Another KBM driver, Chandler Smith, finished third, while Ben Rhodes and Grant Enfinger rounded out the top-five finishers.
- The race featured five cautions for a total of 30 laps. There were nine lead changes among seven drivers.
How Burton’s KBM Teammates Fared:
- Brandon Jones, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished second
- Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 46 Toyota, finished third
- Todd Gilliland, driver of the No. 4 Toyota, finished 14th
Gander Trucks Driver Standings:
Burton maintained the 12th spot in the Gander Trucks driver point standings.
Next Race:
Burton will be back behind the wheel of the No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Tundra when the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series resumes action Nov. 15 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway in. Live coverage of the Gander Trucks season finale begins Friday at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.
