By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
The Burton name returned to the NASCAR XFINITY Series last weekend at Richmond Raceway. This time in competitive equipment.
Jeb Burton has been in and out of smaller teams from Monster Energy Cup to Camping World Trucks for more than five years. And following a 2017 season that saw only seven national series starts, the 25-year-old is pumped up for arguably his biggest opportunity yet with Richard Childress Racing.
And it officially kicked off at Richmond, where Burton finished 12th in his first of three starts in RCR’s No. 3 Chevrolet in 2018.
“I felt I did a pretty good job,” Burton told Kickin’ The Tires of his Richmond performance. “After a couple laps, we went right to the front. Even good teams, you miss it sometimes. It definitely makes it a lot easier to know you have the resources to go fast. That’s what I’m really excited about here at RCR. The whole team has rallied behind me, they’re excited to have me.”
With State Water Heaters and Estes backing the entry, Burton will race this weekend at Dover International Speedway before June 30 at Chicagoland Speedway. Though only three races on tap in 2018, Burton feels lucky to drive the XFINITY No. 3 and hopes his culmination of experience can be put to work at race time.
“I just feel I have something to prove again,” he said. “I’ve won races, won poles, had some success. But at the same time, I’ve had it all ripped away from me before with not having sponsorship.
“It’s tough, this sport is right now. It costs a lot of money. I’m lucky to have the support I do. I know I can do it, I just have to put all the tools together and go do it.”
Though racing is Object No. 1, the Virginian continues to exercise his passion of hunting, a side-project that’s often thrown under scrutiny from outsiders. The negative stereotype of hunting, which has been a popular activity among NASCAR drivers for decades, has all developed a thick skin for Burton and has given him reason to do it the right way.
“I know some fans aren’t hunters,” he said. “I definitely don’t go out just to kill something. I eat what I shoot. I’d rather eat deer meat than go buy a steroid-up cow from a food line. We definitely give back more than we take that’s for sure.
“A lot of people don’t understand it, so they’re against it. It’s hypocritical because they’ve never done it and they don’t understand what I’m doing, where I came from and why I’m doing what I’m doing. People are going to think what they’re going to think.”
One spokesman for hunting and outdoorsmen is Cameron Hanes, a backcountry bowhunter and Under Armour athlete who Burton has enjoyed following through social media.
“He definitely has a big following, a really unique guy,” he said. “A badass, too, if you’ve watched some of his workouts. I met him briefly one time, but I didn’t really get to talk to him that much. I follow him, he follows me. Maybe we’ll meet up one day.”
Away from the track, Burton spends more time with his father and 2002 Daytona 500 champion Ward in the wilderness, tying his racing and hunting life into one.
“Dad doesn’t really shoot that much,” he said. “He just loves enjoying the outdoors and hunting in general. We have a lot of fun.”
(Below is a video capture of our conversation with Jeb Burton)
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https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh4q3Sqlftt/?taken-by=jebburtonracing