CHARLOTTE, NC :: Throughout the stock car racing fraternity, there are families that are synonymous with certain speedways. That is certainly the case with the Burton family and South Boston Speedway. Jeff Burton and his older brother Ward honed their skills at their hometown track throughout the late 80’s and early 90’s as they began their ascent up the racing ladder. Likewise, Ward’s son, Jeb, was a staple in the track’s Late Model Stock division in recent years and has since moved on to the Truck Series. On Saturday night, Jeff’s 13-year-old-son, Harrison will continue the family tradition as he competes with the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South Super Late Model division in the South Boston 150.
Harrison Burton has emerged as one of Super Late Model racing’s top young talents, but will only be competing at South Boston Speedway for the second time in his brief career. He has to be considered one of the favorites Saturday night after electrifying the partisan crowd this past June by leading the most laps in his first ever start at South Boston before eventually finishing a solid fourth.
“South Boston Speedway is where my family started racing stock cars and it’s definitely got a lot of history for us,” said Burton, driver of the Dex Imaging/Morton Builders/Cessna #12 Chevrolet. “I feel more excitement than pressure racing at places that my dad started out at, like Orange County and South Boston. Just to run the same laps that he ran and feel the same track that he felt, it’s a really cool experience for me. I can’t wait to add to that history and possibly get a PASS win there.”
Harrison’s impressive run at South Boston Speedway in June against some of Super Late Model racing’s top talent certainly turned a few heads and the significance was not lost on many, particularly with his dad, Jeff.
“It’s fun for us as a family going back to South Boston,” said Jeff Burton. “Harrison thought it was cool to race there because myself, his Uncle Ward, and Jeb all raced there. We always have a lot of great supporters at South Boston that know our family and we’re looking forward to going back since he led a lot of laps there in June. It’s always a fun experience.”
Despite the success Harrison had at South Boston a couple of months ago, the Burtons know they will have their work cut out for them as he seeks his first career PASS South Super Late Model win. And even though the team had one of their best runs of the season, Jeff believes it will take a different approach on Saturday night in order to beat a tough field of great competitors.
“I’ve never raced in this type of car and, honestly, I don’t have a lot of experience at South Boston in its current configuration,” says Jeff Burton. “Jeb ran a Late Model Stock there, but the PASS Supers that Harrison races run a much more different line around the track than the Late Models do. So, we almost gave Harrison too much information last time because the cars are so different. He’s had own experience at South Boston now and that should help him a lot this weekend.”
But, a win at South Boston Speedway is never easy and, with one of the strongest groups of pre-entries signed up, this weekend’s race will be no exception. PASS South points leader Tyler Church and championship contenders Jared Irvan, Tyler Dippel, and Trevor Noles lead the list of drivers currently pre-entered for this weekend’s action at South Boston Speedway, along with June race winner, Cole Timm. Brandon Setzer will be looking for another strong run following a string of podium finishes as of late. Jared Fryar returns after a strong fifth place finish at SoBo in June along with Tate Fogleman, who is coming off a career best third place finish at Southern National Motorsports Park. The Woodman Racing team will field two cars piloted by PASS North front runner Joey Doiron and PASS South veteran Kevin Powell. Veterans Brandon Ward and Clete Caywood return as they seek strong runs at South Boston. Virginia’s Tanner Rumburg will also be back as he competes at a track he has seen great success in while competing in the Modified ranks, along with fellow commonwealth drivers Tim Pinion, Trey Jarrell, and Alex Malycke. With an off weekend for the PASS Pro Late Model division, newcomers Lucas Jones and Nick Robinson will be making their first career PASS South Super Late Model starts this weekend.
Action gets under way on Friday, August 15th at South Boston Speedway with rotating practice for all divisions from 10 AM – 4 PM. On Saturday, August 16th, practice will start at 2 PM, followed by qualifying at 4:45 PM and racing slated to start at 7 PM. The PASS South Super Late Models will race for 150 laps, along with a Twin 75s for the NASCAR Late Model Stocks, and 25 laps for the Legends.
PASS South Super Late Model entry forms and this weekend’s schedule at South Boston Speedway can be found at ProAllStarsSeries.com.
