SOUTH BOSTON, Va. (April 25, 2017) – South Boston native Jeff Burton, who won 21 NASCAR Cup Series races during a 22-year career, will be the grand marshal for the May 6 whosyourdriver.org Twin 100 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at South Boston Speedway.
Burton, who is now a NASCAR race analyst for NBC Sports, was reared in South Boston, cutting his racing teeth at South Boston Speedway.
“We are delighted that Jeff agreed to be the grand marshal for this race,” said Cathy Rice, South Boston Speedway general manager. “This is where Jeff got started in racing and he’s never forgotten his roots. It should be a real treat for fans having a hometown hero back at SoBo.”
The May 6 event will be special for Burton and his family for several reasons. Obviously, it is a homecoming, but it will also be the first race since his son Harrison notched his inaugural K&N East win at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday.
Jeff Burton broke through in the Late Model Stock division at South Boston in 1986 with three wins. He and his brother Ward both had a win in 1987 and Jeff followed that up with three wins in 1988 before moving up to what is now the Xfinity Series.
Jeff had eight starts in the Xfinity Series at South Boston and picked up a win in a 300-lapper on his home track in the summer of 1991. He wound up with 27 Xfinity Series victories in his career.
He scored six Cup wins in 1999, his career high. From 1998 to 2001 Burton finished in the top-five in Cup Series points. He made 306 Cup starts in his 20-year career.
Burton was the first hire NBC made for the broadcast booth in 2014 when they won the rights to broadcast the second half of the Cup Series season beginning in 2015.
For the first time in the history of the K&N Pro Series East, the race format for the whosyourdriver.org Twin 100s will feature twin 100-lap races, each one a championship points-paying race.
In addition, the night’s four-race card will include a 20-lap race for South Boston Speedway’s Budweiser Hornets Division and a 25-lap race for the regional touring Southern Ground Pounders.
Grandstand gates open at 4:30 p.m. on May 6.
An autograph session for all drivers will be held trackside from 5:40 p.m. until 6:40 p.m. Pre-race activities start at 6:45 p.m. and the first of twin 100-lap races for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East competitors will get the green flag at 7 p.m.
Advance adult general admission tickets priced at $10 will be available at the South Boston Speedway office until 5 p.m. on Friday, May 5. Adult general admission tickets on race day will be $15. Admission for youth ages 7-12 will be $5. Kids ages six and under will be admitted free with a paying adult.
Also on May 6, the 14th Annual Halifax County Heritage and Antique Machinery Festival will be held at the Halifax County Fairgrounds adjacent to the speedway. Anyone presenting a wristband from the Heritage Festival will receive $5 off the cost of admission to the whosyourdriver.org Twin 100s.
