NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Overview
Event: Digital Ally 250, Race 7 of 23, 167 Laps – 40/40/87; 250.5 Miles
Location: Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile tri-oval)
Date/Broadcast: May 10, 2019 at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90
The Beat on Burton:
- Harrison Burton and the Safelite AutoGlass Racing team head to Kansas Speedway in Kansas City for Friday’s Digital Ally 250. Burton is coming off a strong showing at Dover (Del.) International Speedway last week, where he challenged for the victory late in the race and ended the event equaling his career-best finish of third. Last week’s result helped the 18-year-old driver move up two spots to seventh in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series championship standings after six races. In addition to currently occupying one of the eight spots on the Gander Trucks Playoff grid, Burton sits atop the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings.
- Friday’s 167-lap event will mark Burton’s first Gander Trucks start at Kansas. Burton did, however, race in the ARCA Racing Series event last October, where he qualified third and finished second. The second-generation driver has made five starts on mile-and-a-half tracks in Gander Trucks action since turning 18 last October, earning a best result of sixth last November at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.
- KBM’s No. 18 is the defending race-winning number. Noah Gragson captured the pole, led a race-high 128 laps and swept all three stages in last year’s event at Kansas.
- Before he hits the track on Friday, Burton will visit the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Kansas City Wyandotte County Unit Thursday afternoon. Burton’s primary sponsor, Safelite AutoGlass, will be hosting a cookout for children who attend the location and will also be making a monetary donation to the club as part of the event.
- Veteran crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. and the No. 51 team that worked with Burton for his eight-race schedule in 2018 have moved over to guide the 18-year-old’s rookie campaign in the No. 18 Tundra this year. Hillman Jr. is a two-time champion crew chief in the 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. Burton has produced one pole, six top-five and 10 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of. 9.1 in 15 starts with Hillman Jr. calling the shots since he joined KBM in October of 2017.
- Hillman Jr.’s drivers have posted 129 laps led, five top-five and nine top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 9.1 across 12 starts at Kansas. Bodine won the 2005 event with Hillman Jr. calling the shots.
- Safelite AutoGlass, the nation’s largest provider of vehicle glass repair and replacement services, will adorn the hood of Burton’s Tundra for 19 of the 23 events on the NGOTS schedule in 2019.
Harrison Burton, Driver Q&A
How can you apply what you learned in last year’s ARCA Series race at Kansas to your first Truck Series start there?
“I think ARCA is always a really good way to build yourself into the Truck Series. Getting mile-and-a-half experience in anything can help you a ton for the Truck Series. That’s definitely experience that I’m going to use from last year at Kansas — I think I finished second in that race, which was my first mile-and-a-half ever. I love Kansas. I love that race track — it gives you a lot of options as a driver as far as where you want to run and if you’re in traffic you can kind of move around and find somewhere else to go and get out of the dirty air. It’s a fun place for drivers and I’m excited to go tackle it.”
Your mom is one of your biggest supporters. What would it mean to get your first Gander Trucks win on Mother’s Day weekend?
“To get my first win on Mother’s Day weekend would be amazing. My mom has been everywhere with me since I was a little kid racing and has only missed one race in my entire life – and I’ve raced a lot of times. It would be really cool to get a win this weekend for mama bear – hopefully we can do that and celebrate Mother’s Day in style.”
Harrison Burton Career Highlights
- Across 21 career NGOTS starts has collected one pole, 78 laps led, six top-five and 10 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 10.9.
- Has three career ARCA Racing Series victories across 13 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, two poles, 142 laps led, 12 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes and an average finish of 3.3 across the series’ 14 events.
- 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 Safelite AutoGlass Tundra:
KBM-59: The Safelite AutoGlass team will unload KBM-59, a brand-new Tundra, for Friday’s Digital Ally 250 at Kansas.
KBM Notes of Interest
- KBM drivers have collected four wins, four poles, 597 laps led, nine top-five and 14 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 9.7 across 21 starts at Kansas.
- Noah Gragson led a race-high 128 laps and swept all three stages in last year’s event at Kansas. Owner-driver Kyle Busch has collected two of the wins at Kansas (2014 & 2017) and William Byron earned his first career Gander Trucks victory there in 2016.
- KBM holds the Gander Trucks records for most career wins (72) 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.
