By: Mitchell Breuer

It has been a strong start to the 2021 season for Jeb Burton.  

In his first six races with Kaulig Racing, Burton has done well making the most of what he calls a “dream opportunity,” scoring three top-five’s and five top-ten’s.  

While Burton is satisfied with the start of the year, there are some things he needs to improve on for him and the No. 10 team to get to the next level. For starters, Burton emphasized race management, noting throughout his career he has been able to do a good job finishing races, but has struggled with the beginning stages, which results in him playing catch-up come crunch time.

“I have got to do a little bit better of a job of not losing so much ground at the beginning of the race so, I am putting myself in a better position to win the race on that last restart,” Burton told News From The Pits. “I am normally fourth or fifth, I need to be sitting first, second, or third. I think if the races were a hair longer that would help me a little bit.” 

When you look at the statistical side of things, it seems to backup Burton’s point; while he is sixth in the overall points standings, he ranks 13th when it comes to stage points collected in the opening and middle parts of the race.

“When I can do a little better job of that; we already have the consistency, and we want to turn those into a lot of wins,” Burton said.  

Winning is something Kaulig Racing has become used to doing over the last few years, already having a win in 2021, and five times in 2020. This is another stat Burton is familiar with, referring to the team as a “powerhouse” in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and saying how he wants to contribute to that success as the season progresses.

“We want to dominate these races with all three cars and be one, two, three,” Burton said. “The men and women here at Kaulig are doing everything they can to be even better. I promise you that. I feel like we could be a little better in spots, and I could be better as well. We are not stopping, and I am really excited about things we are working on to be better.” 

The chance for a breakout performance could be coming sooner than later for Burton, as the series heads to Martinsville this weekend, a track where he owns a fourth-place finish in his most recent start.