Rookie Jeb Burton put himself in good position to make an early-season run at victory lane Friday by winning the pole for Saturday’s Kroger 250 Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway.
Burton, son of former Sprint Cup driver Ward Burton, turned a lap of 96.666 miles per hour to break the track record of 96.411 held by Timothy Peters.
Burton edged fellow rookie Darrell Wallace Jr. (96.553), who also broke the record. Peters was third.
Burton was the final qualifier in the session. He was unusually emotional after scoring the top starting spot.
RESULTS: Kroger 250 Camping World Truck Series Qualifying
“I was crying like a baby when I got out of that race car,” said Burton, whose family is from South Boston, VA. “It means a whole lot to me and my family. I worked really hard to get here.
“This is what I’ve wanted my whole life. I’m just thankful to be here. I live it. I eat it. I sleep it. If I’m not running good, I don’t sleep at night. It’s a passion of mine.”
Qualifying fourth through 10th were series point leader Johnny Sauter, German Quiroga, Ty Dillon, Matt Crafton, Chase Elliott, Ron Hornaday Jr. and Brennan Newberry.
Saturday’s race, the second of the Truck season, will be broadcast by SPEED, starting with the 1 p.m. Setup.
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 31 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.