FIELDS/Sports Force Parks Tundra Driver Finishes 11th
Date: Aug. 10, 2019
Event: Corrigan Oil 200 (Race 16 of 23)
Series: NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series
Location: Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn (two-mile oval)
Format: Three Stages; 20 laps/20 laps/60 laps
Start/Finish: 5th/11th (Running, completed 105 of 105 laps)
Winner: Austin Hill of Hattori Racing Enterprises (Toyota)
Harrison Burton put himself in position to win Saturday’s Corrigan Oil 200 at Michigan International Speedway and earn a spot in the NASCAR Gander Truck Series Playoffs, but after pushing eventual winner Austin Hill to the lead at the start of NASCAR overtime got shuffled back over the final two laps and finished 11th.
Stage One Recap:
- Burton earned the fifth starting position for the 100-lap event, but fell back one spot to sixth once the green flag waved.
- As the opening stage played out caution free, Burton fell back to the eighth spot when it reached its completion on lap 20.
- He communicated to crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. that the FIELDS/Sports Force Parks Tundra was “free on entry, tight center and exit.”
Stage Two Recap:
- Hillman Jr. ordered up a fuel-only stop with a wedge adjustment attempting to improve track position and the handling of the No. 18 Toyota.
- Burton was scored in the sixth position when Stage Two went green on lap 27. By the time the field came back to the stripe, he had improved three spots and settled into third.
- The FIELDS/Sports Force Parks Tundra was running fourth when KBM driver Christian Eckes spun and brought out the second caution of the race.
- Burton was summoned to pit road for fresh left-side tires and a full tank of fuel and returned to the track scored in the 13th position for the lap-36 restart.
- With the outside being the preferred lane, Burton got shuffled back several spots and crossed the stripe in the 17th spot when Stage Two came to completion on lap 40.
- The talented teenager reported that his No. 18 Toyota was “little free on entry.”
Final Stage Recap:
- Between stages, Burton brought his Toyota back down pit road for four fresh right-side tires and a full load of fuel. He was scored in the 11th position when the final stage went green on lap 47.
- A strong restart propelled Burton to the eighth position, where he remained when a one-truck accident slowed the field on lap 57.
- Burton reported that his Tundra was “pretty tight,” before being summoned to pit road for another fuel-only stop.
- The FIELDS/Sports Force Parks Tundra emerged from pit road in the third position. Being on the inside lane for the restart proved costly again as Burton quickly fell back to the eighth position.
- On lap 64, Burton was able to gain two spots one lap before the field was slowed for the fifth time on lap 66.
- With two trucks in front of him hitting pit road, Burton was scored in the fourth position for the lap-69 restart. After pushing teammate Todd Gilliland to the lead, Burton got caught on the inside trying to make a pass for the lead and got shuffled back to the fourth spot.
- With 27 to go he made his way into the third spot and then with 25 laps remaining completed a dazzling three-wide pass for the lead.
- Burton remained out front for just two laps before he began falling backwards. When Eckes spun again and brought out the sixth caution of the race on lap 87, the No. 18 Toyota was scored in the sixth position.
- Burton restarted fifth on lap 90, and was scored sixth when Eckes had another tire issue and spun for the third time with eight laps remaining.
- On the ensuing restart, Matt Crafton got into the back of the leader, Tyler Ankrum, and collected nine trucks.
- Burton avoided the melee and would be scored in the fourth position for NASCAR overtime. He pushed Austin Hill to the front of the field and then through turns one and two got put three wide and fell back to the fifth position. Another three-wide battle ensued on the final lap and saw Burton get shuffled up the track. After collecting the FIELDS/Sports Force Parks Tundra he would cross the stripe in the 11th position.
Harrison Burton, driver of the No. 18 FIELDS/Sports Force Parks Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports:
Talk about your race.
“It’s kind like our season; it was up and down. We ran really bad at the beginning; we weren’t very fast. Towards the end, we made good adjustments on the truck and we got better. Led a couple laps, and then we lost the lead. The 16 (Austin Hill) got a good run from behind me and took the lead. He was really fast and hard to catch.”
Corrigan Oil 200 Recap:
- Austin Hill picked up his second career NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series victory. Sheldon Creed finished 0.125 seconds behind Hill in the runner-up spot. Tyler Dippel came home third, Brett Moffitt was fourth and Austin Wayne Self rounded out the top-five finishers.
- The race featured eight cautions for a total of 35 laps. There were 17 lead change among 10 drivers.
How Burton’s KBM Teammates Fared:
- Christian Eckes, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished 15th
- Todd Gilliland, driver of the No. 4 Toyota, finished 24th
Gander Trucks Championship Standings:
Burton finished sixth in the regular season driver point standings, but without a victory ended up 10th on the playoff grid.
Next Race:
Burton will be behind the wheel of the No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Tundra when the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series resumes action Aug. 15 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Live coverage of the UNOH 200 begins Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
