Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate to replace Whitt in No. 26 Toyota
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Jeb Burton had hoped to work his way up the NASCAR ladder and eventually land a ride in the Sprint Cup Series.
But even the 22-year-old didn't expect the opportunity to arrive this soon.
BK Racing officially announced the hiring of Burton to a three-year contract on Monday to drive the organization’s No. 26 Toyota in the Sprint Cup Series.
"It's mixed emotions," Burton said during Monday's press conference at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. "Just making sure that I'm ready for it. I feel like I am.
"It's a great opportunity for me to prove myself, to show people that I can do it, and to carry that role off the race track as well."
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Burton, the son of former Daytona 500 winner Ward Burton, has completed two full seasons in the Camping World Truck Series, winning at Texas Motor Speedway in 2013 and finishing fifth in points that year with Turner Scott Motorsports. He finished eighth in points last season while running for ThorSport Racing.
He has two career XFINITY Series starts, with a best result of eighth at Kentucky.
It's the second time that Burton has landed a ride shortly before the season has begun. After the loss of sponsorship at Turner Scott left him without plans for '14, the ThorSport ride materialized. When that ride wasn’t continued for ’15, Burton was once again looking for employment.
"I didn't have a ride," he said. "This is a great opportunity to get to where I want to be. That's why we’re doing it. We've got a great plan in place with people and equipment to make things better at BK Racing. It's been a bumpy (career) for them … just like mine."
The off-season defection of Cole Whitt and Alex Bowman opened the door for Burton, as well as fellow driver J.J. Yeley, who will pilot the team’s No. 23 Toyota. Yeley made nine starts for the organization last year.
Whitt, 31st in points last season with BKR, has moved on to Front Row Motorsports while Bowman (35th) has joined Tommy Baldwin Racing for '15.
Johnny Sauter will join Burton and Yeley at BKR when the season gets underway later this month at Daytona International Speedway in the team's No. 83 entry, although additional starts for the NCWTS regular haven't been announced.
Selected starts for XFINITY Series driver Matt DiBenedetto are planned, according to team officials.
Patrick Donahue will serve as crew chief for Burton, while Joe Williams will be paired with Yeley. Competition director Doug Richert will be crew chief for Sauter at Daytona.
"It's a lot (to bite off)," Donahue said of Burton's quick ascension. "But you can either do this or you can't and he's proven he has talent. I certainly think he deserves an opportunity.
"But until you get out there Saturday afternoon at Daytona and they're shoving you down into Turn 1 three-wide, then you're going to find out what he's made of. I think he's aware of that. We'll deal with it accordingly.
"Is he going to make mistakes? Yes. Is the team going to make mistakes? Yes. But the race team wants to build with him and build around him for the future. … Hopefully it's someone we can have for a few years and get some continuity."
Sponsorship is expected to be provided by Dr. Pepper, Maxim Magazine, Dustless Blasting, Schluter Systems, Lumilor, and the alternative rock group 311.
The 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season officially kicks off Sunday, Feb. 22 with the running of the 57th annual Daytona 500 (FOX, 1 p.m. ET).
"It’s totally different," Burton, who will be competing for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors, said of the move. "The pressure, there's more practice time, more media obligations, everything.
"I'm soaking it all in and I look forward to getting to Daytona and making the 500."