Q&A with JEB BURTON

Second-Generation Racer Hopes to Recapture Frontrunning Form

BY JARED TURNER

After a disappointing 2022 season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Our Motorsports, Jeb Burton is eager to return to the frontrunning form he enjoyed in 2021 when he scored his first career Xfinity Series victory at Talladega Superspeedway and made the playoffs while driving for Kaulig Racing.

The son of retired NASCAR Cup Series driver Ward Burton and cousin of current NASCAR Cup Series driver Harrison Burton has taken his talents to Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport for this season, wheeling the No. 27 Chevrolet for team owner Jordan Anderson – a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series veteran who’s also made occasional Xfinity Series starts over the last few years.

Although Burton is with his fourth Xfinity Series team in as many seasons, at least some of the Halifax, Virginia, native’s surroundings are familiar – and among the most familiar is State Water Heaters, one of his primary sponsors. State Water Heaters has partnered with the Burton family for more than 15 years, first with Ward – the 2002 Daytona 500 winner – and later with Jeb.

In the following wide-ranging Q&A with NASCAR Pole Position, Jeb Burton discusses his longtime relationship with the State Water Heaters brand, his thoughts on a tough 2022 season, life with new team owner Jordan Anderson, his goals for this year and much more.

WHAT’S YOUR PRIMARY GOAL FOR THIS SEASON?

I think it’s just making the playoffs, limiting mistakes and trying to win a race. If we could win a race, that would be icing on the cake, but we really just want to try to make the playoffs. I think that would be a really big deal for the team to do that.

HOW IS JORDAN ANDERSON AS A TEAM OWNER?

Jordan’s trying to build a program to make it better, with John (Bommarito), and Jordan’s done a good job to get where he’s at, and he’s a hard worker. I feel like Jordan and I get along well, and we’re around the same age. I just want to make him proud, man, and glad that he’s got me behind the wheel, and go do a good job for him.

WHAT’S IT LIKE HAVING A RACER AS A BOSS?

He gets it, you know what I mean? That’s a good thing. He gets what’s going on, and he knows where we need to be better, and he’ll listen to what we’ve got to say.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT CONTINUING YOUR LONGTIME SPONSORSHIP FROM STATE WATER HEATERS IN 2023?

It’s not many times you see a company stay with one driver like they have, and they’ve helped me from the start of my career. That means a lot. We really enjoy spending time with their customers, and it’s just been a great fit for me and dad. We’re just kind of part of the State family, and those folks are family to us. I just appreciate everything they’re doing, and, hopefully, we can have some good runs with them.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT YOU AND YOUR DAD HAVE SHARED A PRIMARY SPONSOR?

I think you’ll see it some with some other guys coming up through the ranks maybe, but it’s pretty special that State was on dad’s car and now they’re on my car. You definitely don’t see that much.

HOW HARD IS TO HAVE A SEASON THAT FEELS LIKE A STEP BACK?

Last year sucked. It wasn’t any fun. We had some decent runs, but last year was a survival year just to get through and do the best we could with what we had. That’s pretty much what it was, but we did build some partnerships and grew some things. But better days are ahead. I’m glad to have had that opportunity last year – there were some positives there – but I’m just glad to be in a better situation now.

WHAT’S GOING ON WITH YOUR LATE MODEL TEAM THESE DAYS?

Me and (brothers) H.C. and Peyton Sellers have a Late Model team. A kid that works on Jordan’s team is actually going to drive 10 races for us this year, so that’s pretty cool. We’re doing some other cool stuff around it. I’m going to run a couple more races this year. It’s just a cool little program, I have a lot of fun doing it and it’s pretty neat to see how much it’s grown.

Whether you’re looking for utility, recreation or fun, Aluma has the perfect trailer for you! Aluma offers a complete line of durable, lightweight and maintenance free aluminum trailers.

WHAT’S IT LIKE FOR YOU GOING BACK AND DOING THE LATE MODEL STUFF?

It’s fun, but it’s not fun when the car’s not doing what you need it to do. The last race we got it decent. We finished eighth, but it’s just still not where we need it to be. But we’ve got a brand new car, and we just need to race it a little bit more, and I think we’ve got some good ideas now of what we need. It’s tough when I don’t race those cars much and they’re trying to figure out what I want in the setup. It’s taken us a couple of races to figure that out, but I think they’ve got a good idea now, and that should help us for the races coming up.

WHAT’S BEEN YOUR BIGGEST IMPROVEMENT AS A DRIVER AND IN WHAT AREA CAN YOU STILL IMPROVE?

I feel like just my information of what the car needs that I’ve gotten a lot better with that and understanding where I need to go fast for the car that I’m driving. I think where I need to be a little bit better is sometimes just not putting myself in bad situations on the race track, and trying not to get too much out of the car that I’m driving. I’m really competitive and want to win, and sometimes I’m not in winning race cars so it’s easy to overdrive and put yourself in bad situations. So, I think sometimes I need to remind myself of that.

YOU EXCHANGED WORDS AFTER THE RACE WITH OTHER DRIVERS ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS IN 2022. ARE GUYS BECOMING TOO OVERLY AGGRESSIVE?

Last year, I got in some altercations because I let my frustration with the race car carry over to after the race sometimes. Yeah, I think sometimes some guys are too aggressive. Everybody makes mistakes, but some guys do drive over their head sometimes. We all do it sometimes, but some do it more than others. There’s just some guys you’ve got respect for and some guys you don’t, and that’s just part of it.

WHAT’S THE ULTIMATE FUN DAY AWAY FROM TRACK FOR YOU?

I would say a hunting trip with my buddies – going somewhere and hunting and eating good and having a good glass of Bourbon at night; and playing pool and playing darts. That’s a fun little weekend getaway for us.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE TRACK AND WHY?

I would say Richmond because it’s close to home and the driver can do a lot at that race track – saving tires – and it’s just a fun little short track.

OTHER THAN YOUR DAD, WHO WAS YOUR HERO GROWING UP IN RACING?

I didn’t really have a hero besides family, but when I first came on the scene, I really talked to Jimmie Johnson a lot. He spent some time with me. I came on the scene and was winning all these poles and running really well, and he kind of took a liking to me and helped me some. So, I would say Jimmie.

DO YOU AND HARRISON TALK MUCH?

Yeah, I actually took a shower in his bus after my Xfinity race at Daytona in February. So, we do.

ARE YOU TWO PRETTY GOOD FRIENDS?

Yeah. The age difference is big – I’m 6 or 7 years older than Harrison, so it’s not like we’re hanging out all the time, but I’ve got no problem with Harrison. We talk some.

AFTER BECOMING A PRIMARY sponsor of 2002 Daytona 500 winner Ward Burton in 2007, State Water Heaters expanded its relationship with the Burton family by signing as the first major sponsor of Ward’s son, Jeb, in 2012 and later serving as a sponsor of the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation and Jeb’s outdoors TV show, “Crossroads with the Burtons.”

When Jeb announced during the offseason that he was leaving Our Motorsports to compete for Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport in the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, the Ashland, Tennessee-based manufacturer of commercial and residential water heaters was eager to come along for the ride.

“There was never really any question that we were going to stick with him and continue our partnership,” said Jeff Storie, State Water Heaters’ marketing director.

Although Burton struggled a bit last year in his first and only season with Our Motorsports after a strong 2021 with Kaulig Racing, it didn’t do anything to dampen State Water Heaters’ enthusiasm for maintaining its longstanding sponsorship of his racing efforts.

“Performance is a nice touch, but with the relationship side and the willingness to participate in customer calls and customer events and things like that, the Burtons are always willing,” Storie said. “Never have I ever called Ward or Jeb and said, ‘I need a favor,’ that they haven’t said, ‘Sure.’ So, it’s the relationship side of it that’s the cake, and the performance is icing on the cake if you have that as well.”