Story By: JORDAN WOOD / WOOD BROTHERS RACING – HAMPTON, GA – Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team turned in an impressive performance on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, overcoming early adversity and dodging numerous incidents on track en route to an 11th-place finish in the Ambetter Health 400.
Burton started the race from 16th place and was swept up in a 16-car crash on Lap 2. He managed to avoid significant damage to his Mustang Dark Horse and after a quick pit stop returned to the track and began working his way forward.
That scenario was repeated numerous times in a race that saw eight caution periods for on-track incidents and only a handful of drivers not involved in wrecks.
Burton, who ran in the top 10 for most of the race – and in the top five at times, saw most of the race’s incidents unfold just ahead of him. But each time he steered clear of trouble.
He cracked the top 10 for the first time in the closing laps of Stage One, but made a pit stop just prior to the end of the Stage and ended that 60-lap segment in 17th place.
The pit strategy allowed Burton to keep the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang on the track when those ahead of him made pit stops during the Stage break, and he restarted Stage Two from seventh place.
He immediately moved into the top five and ran in the top 10 – and often the top five – for most of the second Stage. He steered clear of a wreck on the last lap of the Stage to finish eighth and earn three Stage points.
In the third and final Stage of the race, Burton and the No. 21 crew again ran among the top 10 while narrowly avoiding crashes by drivers including Kaz Grala, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Corey LaJoie and others.
With 20 laps left to run, Burton spun avoiding a crash by Chase Briscoe, but lost track position and fell from 11th place to 23rd.
He had worked his way back to 16th place when the race was restarted with five laps remaining.
He gained five spots over the final laps to post his best finish of the young season.
Eddie Wood said he liked what he saw from the Motorcraft/Quick Lane crew in a challenging race.
“The team chemistry is really good right now,” Wood said. “Harrison did a great job behind the wheel, missing all those wrecks and running in the top 10 for most of the race.
“Jeremy Bullins and the team had a great race car, the pit crew was flawless and our spotter Jason Jarrett did a great job as well.
“I am really proud of them all.”
Burton and the No. 21 team now head to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Pennzoil 400 on March 3.