NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Overview
Event: Corrigan 200 (Race 16 of 23), 100 Laps – 20/20/60; 200 Miles
Location: Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn (Two-mile oval)
Date/Broadcast: Aug. 10, 2019 at 1 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90
The Beat on Burton:
- As the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series heads to Michigan International Speedway (MIS) in Brooklyn for the final race of the regular season, Harrison Burton finds himself in a must-win situation to make the playoffs. Burton has teetered in and out of the eighth and final spot in the playoffs over the last month, but saw his chances of making it in on points take a hit last week at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, when he got caught up in a 14-truck accident in Stage Two and, after spending 23 laps on pit road for damage repair, limped around to a 31st-place finish.
- Saturday’s Corrigan 200 will be Burton’s first career start in any series at MIS. The talented teenager has posted an average finish of 6.75 at the four other venues where he made his first-ever Gander Truck Series start this season. Most recently, he started sixth and finished third at Kentucky Speedway. He also made his first start this season at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga., (eighth), Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway (fifth) and Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (11th).
- Burton has scored top-five finishes in each of his last four Gander Trucks starts on intermediate tracks, tracks between one-and-a-half miles and two-and-a-half miles. Most recently, he won Stage Two and finished third at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa.
- The 18-year-old driver has posted seven top-five and nine top-10 finishes while recording an average starting position of 7.5 and an average finish of 10.8 across 15 Gander Truck Series starts this season. Burton currently leads the Rookie of the Year standings by 56 points over Sheldon Creed.
- Burton’s crew chief, Mike Hillman Jr., is a two-time champion atop the pit box in the Gander Truck Series. He guided Todd Bodine to Toyota’s first-ever National Series title in 2006 and the duo won the championship again in 2010. Across 24 starts working together since October of 2017, Hillman Jr. and Burton have posted an average starting position of 8.1 and an average finish of 9.3. Hillman Jr.’s drivers have posted one pole, four top-five and nine top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 8.6 across 12 starts at Michigan.
- The No. 18 Tundra will carry co-primary sponsorship this week from FIELDS and Sports Force Parks.
FIELDS is an award-winning sports general contractor whose projects include natural grass and synthetic turf sports field construction for professional sports teams, universities and municipalities. Headed by principals with a combined 100 plus years of industry experience, expertise and creativity is applied to every project that’s undertaken.
Sports Force Parks operates exceptional youth tournament facilities that provide children and their families with a thrilling tournament experience from start to finish. “SPORTS. FAMILY. FUN.” is incorporated into every amenity, so that families can make lifelong memories together through sports. Sports Force Parks operates Sports Force Parks at Cedar Point Sports Center in Sandusky, OH and Sports Force Parks on the Mississippi in Vicksburg, MS.
Harrison Burton, Driver Q&A
This is your first start in any series at Michigan. Is there another track in the Truck Series that you feel is similar and you can draw on that experience?
“I think that Las Vegas and Michigan will be somewhat similar, but Michigan will be kind of its own animal. I’m excited to get on track for two practices on Friday and learn the nuances of Michigan and be ready to go for the race on Saturday.”
How do you feel about your chances of being able to win on Saturday and earning a spot in the playoffs?
“I feel great about our chances this weekend because I know that KBM will bring me a bad fast Fields/Sports Force Parks Tundra. We just have to go out and execute as a team. Take away Eldora and we’ve had a stretch of races recently where we’ve been really solid –we’ve been running inside the top five every week. Now we just have to step it up a couple notches and end the day in victory lane.”
Harrison Burton Career Highlights
- Across 30 career Gander Trucks starts has collected one pole, 86 laps led, 11 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 10.5.
- Has one top-five and two top-10 finishes in three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts for Joe Gibbs Racing this season.
- Has three career ARCA Racing Series victories across 16 starts, including the 2019 season opener at Daytona.
- Captured the 2017 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East title after registering a series-high five wins
- Has numerous Super Late Model victories including the 2018 Rattler 250 at South Alabama Speedway in Kinston, Ala., and the 2017 ARCA/CRA SpeedFest at Crisp Motorsports Park in Cordele, Ga.
- Son of former Monster Energy Cup Series driver and current NBC Sports Analyst Jeff Burton.
Harrison Burton’s No. 18 FIELDS/Sports Force Parks Tundra:
KBM-59: The FIELDS/Sports Force Parks team will unload KBM-59 for Saturday’s Corrigan Oil 200 at Michigan. The Tundra has finished inside the top 10 in all three of its starts with Burton this season, most recently a fourth-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill.
KBM Notes of Interest
- KBM drivers have collected one win, 326 laps led, 10 top-five and 12 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 10.2 across 20 starts at Michigan
- Kyle Busch led a race-high 44 laps to collect his team’s lone victory at the two-mile oval in 2015.
- KBM holds the NGOTS records for most career wins (74) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). In addition to collecting a series-record six Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers; Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
- The No. 18, the number which was on the first Tundra that went to victory lane for KBM in 2010, has 21 career victories.
