MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Jeb Burton will return to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series next weekend, driving the JR Motorsports No. 00 Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway.
Burton, a Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, talked Friday at Martinsville Speedway about the ride. A formal announcement is expected Monday.
Burton, 23, will become the fifth Sprint Cup regular to fill the seat in the No. 00, joining Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson -- all of whom have one truck series start each for JRM. Primary driver Cole Custer, a NASCAR Next product, has fielded the part-time entry in eight races.
Burton was quick to thank JRM team principals Joe Custer, Gene Haas, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kelley Earnhardt Miller and L.W. Miller for the opportunity, which comes at the site of his first NASCAR national series victory -- in the truck tour in 2013.
"It's been a great place for me in the trucks," Burton said. "We've got a pole there, a win and a second, so I've always been good there. I just went and talked to Cole and them and they're pumped up to have me in the truck. I went by the shop and (crew chief) Joe Shear, and all of them are pumped up. Those guys work very hard. Kasey won in it and Larson had a really good showing in Chicago, so the truck's really fast and hopefully we can go Thursday, have a good practice and try to be fast all weekend."
Custer has been limited to tracks of 1.25 miles and shorter because of NASCAR's minimum age requirement, but that restriction will be lifted after he turns 18 next January in advance of a full-time truck campaign for JRM in 2016. Burton is the latest in a series of Sprint Cup regulars helping the team to gather data and experience to help Custer make the full-time leap next season.
"Cole's always been really fast, and I've been right there with him," Burton said. "Hopefully we can help him get a notebook. I think their mile-and-a-half stuff's already there, but they just want to make sure one more time."