Safelite Driver Moves Up to Second in the NGOTS Championship Standings
Date: March 1, 2019
Event: The Strat 200 (Race 3 of 23)
Series: NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series (NGOTS)
Location: Las Vegas (Nev.) Speedway (1.5-mile tri-oval)
Format: Three Stages; 30 laps/30 laps/74 laps
Start/Finish: 3rd/5th (Running, completed 134 of 134 laps)
Winner: Kyle Busch of Kyle Busch Motorsports (Toyota)
Harrison Burton had another solid outing to start his first full-time campaign in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series campaign, coming home fifth in The Strat 200 at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway. With his first top-five finish on a mile-and-a-half track, the talented youngster moved up three spots to second in the Truck Series championship standings. After three races he sits six tallies behind points leader Grant Enfinger.
Stage One Recap:
- Burton posted the third fastest time in Friday afternoon’s qualifying session. In the early stages of the race he battled side-by-side with Brett Moffitt for the runner-up position but was unable to complete the pass. Shortly after battling Moffitt, another multi-lap side-by-side battle ensued with Austin Hill.
- The Safelite Tundra had fallen back to the fourth spot when Stage One came to a close on lap 30. Burton communicated to veteran crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. that his No. 18 Toyota was “tight center.”
Stage Two Recap:
- When pit road opened, crew Hillman Jr. summoned the Safelite Tundra to pit road for four fresh tires, a trackbar adjustment, and a full tank of fuel.
- Burton returned to the track scored in the 10th position when Stage Two went green on lap 37. He diligently maneuvered his way back towards the front of the field, reinserting himself into the top five momentarily on lap 55, before settling into the sixth position when the field took the green-white-checkered flag at the completion of Stage Two on lap 60.
Final Stage Recap:
- Burton communicated that his Safelite Tundra was “tight throughout the corner,” before hitting pit road for four fresh tires, a wedge adjustment and a full tank of fuel. He would start the Final Stage from the fifth position.
- The second-generation driver would swap back and forth from the fifth and sixth positions as the Final Stage went through a long-green flag run. On lap 112 he surrendered the fifth position to hit pit road for right-side tires and fuel.
- When pit stops had cycled through on lap 116, Burton was scored in the sixth position. He was able to gain one position over the final 14 laps to secure his first top-five finish on a mile-and-a-half track in the Truck Series.
Harrison Burton, driver of the No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports:
How was your race tonight?
“It was all right. We had a great Safelite Tundra. It was a little bit too tight. I was worried about killing our last pit stop so we didn’t make a huge swing on it at the end. I don’t think it would have mattered, it got so stretched out anyway. Really proud of my guys. We fought hard. Had a good Tundra. I am learning, so if I am a little bit more aggressive in the beginning of the race, maybe we come out with a better finish. We also have a truck that’s in one piece and have stage points, which is important. That’s good and we’ll build on that and go to the next one.”
The Strat 200 Recap:
- KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch collected the 53nd win of his NGOTS career and his 196th in NASCAR’s top three divisions. Brett Moffitt finished 1.211 seconds behind Busch in the runner-up spot. Matt Crafton, Stewart Friesen and Burton rounded out the top-five finishers.
- The race featured three cautions for a total of 15 laps. There were seven lead changes among five drivers.
How Burton’s KBM Teammates Fared:
- Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished first
- Todd Gilliland, driver of the No. 4 Toyota, finished seventh
NGOTS Championship Standings:
Burton moved up three positions to second in the NGOTS championship standings. After two races he finds himself six tallies behind points leader Grant Enfinger.
Next Race:
Burton will be back behind the wheel of the No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Tundra when the Truck Series resumes action March 23 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Live coverage of the NGOTS 200 begins Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on FOX.
