Date: Oct. 12, 2019
Event: Sugarlands Shine 250 (Race 20 of 23)
Series: NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series
Location: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (2.66-mile tri-oval)
Format: Three Stages; 20 laps/20 laps/58 laps
Start/Finish: 3rd/11th (Running, completed 98 of 98 laps)
Winner: Spencer Boyd of Young’s Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Harrison Burton had an eventful race in his first start in any series at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Burton started third, but brought out the first caution of the event when things in front of him got bottled up on lap 10 and he spun while trying to avoid making contact with another competitor.
The talented teenager was able to avoid contact with the wall, but flat spotted all four tires and was forced to limp back to pit road. After getting four fresh tires on the Safelite Tundra, he returned to the track one lap down. When Stage One ended Burton received the Lucky Dog and would spend most of the remainder of the race running inside the top five.
Burton would get caught up in the “Big One” with seven laps remaining when Ross Chastain made an aggressive move while leading and clipped Grant Enfinger, who was directly in front of Burton. Once again, Burton was forced to pit road for four fresh tires and repairs to the nose and left side of the No. 18 Toyota.
The Safelite Tundra would restart 14th when the field took the green with three laps to go, but rocketed up the middle lane and one lap later when the caution flew was in the fourth spot. Burton was scored third when the field took the white flag, but got shuffled back on the final lap and crossed the stripe 11th.
Stage One Recap:
- Burton earned the third starting position in Saturday morning’s qualifying session.
- The 19-year-old rookie experienced his first setback of the event after spinning on lap 10.
- After bringing his Tundra to the attention of his pit crew, Burton restarted one lap down in the 30th position.
- At the completion of Stage One, he was awarded the Lucky Dog and returned to the lead lap.
Stage Two Recap:
- The Safelite Tundra visited pit road for four fresh tires and a full load of fuel between stages. Burton was scored in the 30th position when Stage Two went green on lap 26.
- After the third caution of the event occurred on lap 30, crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. summoned his driver to pit road for a fuel-only stop.
- Burton took the lap-34 restart from the 22nd position, but over the final six laps of the stage was able to maneuver his way up to 12th.
Final Stage Recap:
- The Safelite Tundra visited pit road between stages to top off with fuel and Burton returned to the track scored in the third position when the Final Stage went green on lap 47.
- On lap 67, Hillman Jr. was inside his pit window and ordered up another fuel-only stop.
- On lap 74, when pit stops had cycled through, the Safelite Tundra was scored in the third position, one of just 14 trucks on the lead lap.
- Burton was running third, one of nine trucks that had broke away from the second pack, when a one-truck spin brought out the caution for the fifth time in the event.
- Shortly after the ensuing restart, Chastain tried blocking Sheldon Creed and caused a 10-truck accident that included Burton.
- After a visit to pit road for minor damage repair and four fresh tires, Burton lined up 14th for the restart with three laps remaining.
- After catapulting up the middle, the No. 18 Toyota was scored in the fourth spot when another caution occurred just before the field took the white flag and set up NASCAR overtime.
- Burton was scored third when the field took the white flag, but got shuffled back on the final lap and crossed the stripe 11th
Harrison Burton, driver of the No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports:
Talk about your eventful race.
“We had an up-and-down day. Kind of like Daytona, we went a lap down and came back. Got spun early — I’m not really sure why, I think I might have got touched or maybe just the air. Later in the race I was in a really good position to go for the win in the end and they wrecked in front of us and we got more damage. Fight back to the front again and have a chance to win and then I just didn’t do my part blocking the very top on the last lap. Tough deal, it’s crazy racing like that and a lot of fun racing like that. It’s definitely tough to do, but it was fun to go out and give it a shot.”
Sugarlands Shine 250 Recap:
- Spencer Boyd picked up his first career NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series victory after Johnny Sauter was penalized for forcing KBM driver Riley Herbst below the double yellow line on the final lap. KBM driver Todd Gilliland finished .027 seconds behind Boyd in the runner-up spot. KBM driver Riley Herbst, Brett Moffitt and Stewart Friesen rounded out the top-five finishers.
- The race featured seven cautions for a total of 29 laps. There were 24 lead changes among 15 drivers.
How Burton’s KBM Teammates Fared:
- Todd Gilliland, driver of the No. 4 Toyota, finished second
- Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished third
Gander Trucks Driver Standings:
Burton fell one spot to 11th 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 Oct. 26 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Live coverage of the NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 begins Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
