By RaceScene Publisher on Sunday, 23 April 2023
Category: The Checkered Flag

Jeb Burton snaps top 10 dry spell with JAR’s first win

Jeb Burton last scored a NASCAR Xfinity Series top ten forty-seven races ago at Talladega Superspeedway in 2021, so it is fitting he snapped the drought there when he edged out Sheldon Creed to win Saturday’s Ag-Pro 300. The victory also marked the first triumph for Jordan Anderson Racing, fulfilling their namesake owner’s goal of making the playoffs in just their first year as a multi-car operation.

Burton and Creed traded the lead throughout the final ten laps, which were overshadowed by multiple wrecks. One crash came with three laps to go and caused Daniel Hemric to flip onto his roof in turn four. Oddly, he was not the only car to go over as Blaine Perkins went around on lap 49, resulting in his car barrel rolling multiple times down the backstretch. It was the first NASCAR race with multiple flips since the Cup Series’ 2016 Talladega spring race, while the most recent case in Xfinity was the 2000 Daytona opener.

Amid the carnage, Burton held off Creed to score his second Xfinity win, the first also coming at Talladega two years prior. His JAR team-mate Parker Retzlaff finished seventh to wrap up a strong day for the team.

Interestingly, Burton’s victory came in the #27, with which his father Ward Burton scored his maiden Xfinity victory at Rockingham in 1992. His uncle Jeff Burton even has twenty-seven career Xfinity wins.

“The only thing I’m disappointed about is I didn’t get to do a burnout—blew the transmission out of it,” quipped Burton. “I’m pumped up. I’m out of breath from yelling. Went through some stuff in the offseason and I’m more focused now than ever. These guys have made racing fun again for me.

“Our little team, you have no idea how good this feels. This is huge. Locked into the playoffs. I can promise you one thing: we’re gonna drink a lot of beer tonight.”

Others to enjoy breakthrough finishes include Caesar Bacarella and Joey Gase with career bests of sixth and ninth, respectively. Ryan Ellis nearly added a second top ten for Bacarella’s Alpha Prime Racing in eleventh.

On the other hand, Saturday was a day to forget for JR Motorsports as three of their four drivers wrecked together on lap 100 with Derek Kraus. Brandon Jones, the only survivor from JRM mustered a fourteenth, though Jones had his share of trouble when he was caught up in a wreck with JRM ally Sam Mayer and Riley Herbst on lap 76.

Race results

FinishStartNumberDriverTeamManufacturerLapsStatus
1827Jeb BurtonJordan Anderson RacingChevrolet121Running
222Sheldon CreedRichard Childress RacingChevrolet121Running
33848Parker KligermanBig Machine Racing TeamChevrolet121Running
41800Cole CusterStewart-Haas RacingFord121Running
5176Brennan PooleJD MotorsportsChevrolet121Running
62843Caesar BacarellaAlpha Prime RacingChevrolet121Running
7431Parker RetzlaffJordan Anderson RacingChevrolet121Running
82608Gray GauldingSS-Green Light RacingChevrolet121Running
93335Joey GaseEmerling-Gase MotorsportsFord121Running
102392Josh WilliamsDGM RacingChevrolet121Running
113645Ryan EllisAlpha Prime RacingChevrolet121Running
121025Brett MoffittAM RacingFord121Running
133253C.J. McLaughlinEmerling-Gase MotorsportsFord121Running
14219Brandon JonesJR MotorsportsChevrolet121Running
152728Kyle SiegRSS RacingFord121Running
16294Garrett SmithleyJD MotorsportsChevrolet121Running
171319Ryan TruexJoe Gibbs RacingToyota121Running
18121Austin HillRichard Childress RacingChevrolet121Running
193751Jeremy ClementsJeremy Clements RacingChevrolet120Accident
202538Joe Graf Jr.RSS RacingFord113Running
21911Daniel HemricKaulig RacingChevrolet110Accident
223139Ryan SiegRSS RacingFord110Accident
231598Riley HerbstStewart-Haas RacingFord110Accident
243026Kaz GralaSam Hunt RacingToyota110Accident
251116Chandler SmithKaulig RacingChevrolet110Accident
263591Josh BilickiDGM RacingChevrolet110Accident
271410Derek KrausKaulig RacingChevrolet110DVP
2877Justin AllgaierJR MotorsportsChevrolet100Accident
29161Sam MayerJR MotorsportsChevrolet100Accident
30208Josh BerryJR MotorsportsChevrolet100Accident
311944Jeffrey EarnhardtAlpha Prime RacingChevrolet83Transmission
32320John Hunter NemechekJoe Gibbs RacingToyota81Accident
331218Sammy SmithJoe Gibbs RacingToyota63Accident
343402Blaine PerkinsOur MotorsportsChevrolet47Accident
352266Dexter StaceyMBM MotorsportsChevrolet47Accident
3655Jade BufordBig Machine Racing TeamChevrolet47Accident
37678Anthony AlfredoB.J. McLeod MotorsportsChevrolet37Accident
382424Parker ChaseSam Hunt RacingToyota37DVP
DNQ13Jason WhiteMBM MotorsportsFord
DNQ34Jesse IwujiJesse Iwuji MotorsportsChevrolet
DNQ07David StarrSS-Green Light RacingChevrolet
DNQ74Mike HarmonCHK RacingChevrolet
Italics – Competing for Rookie of the Year
* – Ineligible for points
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