(Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
DOVER, Del. (September 29, 2017) – Toyota driver Harrison Burton captured the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) championship with a victory in the season finale at Dover International Speedway on Friday, marking his first career NASCAR title and the fifth East Series championship for Toyota.
“It was a hard battle and I’m kind of speechless,” said Burton. “I remember being at the banquet last year after a pretty bad season and saying, ‘I want to win this championship,’ and that’s why I made the decision to come back and run again was for this moment right here. It’s totally worth it – I can tell you that much.”
The 16-year-old, Huntersville, North Carolina-native captured the title following a close, season-long battle with fellow Toyota driver Todd Gilliland. Burton claimed the championship on the strength of five wins and top-10 finishes in all 14 series starts this season.
The son of former Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Jeff Burton, Harrison won the title in his second full-time NKNPSE season, while also competing part-time for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS).
“Harrison Burton is an incredible talent and we’re certainly proud he’s winning races and championships in a Toyota,” said Keith Dahl, motorsports general manager for Toyota Motor North America (TMNA). “It’s remarkably impressive to see a teenager best his peers to capture a NASCAR championship and we’re eager to see what Harrison does in the years to come.”
Burton is the fourth Toyota driver to capture a NKNPSE title, joining Ryan Truex (2009 and 2010), Max Gresham (2011) and Kyle Larson (2012), and is the first Toyota driver since 2012 to take the championship. He is set to close his 2017 NCWTS schedule at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, Oct. 28.
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He won thanks to a tire failure on the #16 team driven by Todd Gilliland. It would have been interesting to see the two drivers battle for the championship. That would have been some great racing, and what the sport needs at all levels, but that’s part of it.