Dover, Del. – Two members of one of NASCAR’s great racing families are locked in a tight battle at the Xfinity Series playoff cut line.
Jeb and Harrison Burton entered Dover Motor Speedway separated by 16 points for the 12th – and final – NXS playoff spot. Now, that gap is down to just seven markers following the BetRivers 200, which actually turned into the BetRivers 134 thanks to race-ending rain on Saturday (July 19).
Harrison, son of Jeff Burton, finished 11th. Ward Burton‘s son, Jeb, wound up 20th when the race was called due to weather after 134 laps at the Monster Mile.
The two cousins started side-by-side on the fifth row, Harrison in ninth and Jeb in 10th. Neither Burton collected stage points as they faded back in the early going. Harrison rallied to a near top-10 to gain ground after a tough practice session in his No. 25 AM Racing Ford.
“Just up-and-down a little bit,” Harrison told Frontstretch of his race. “We had runs where I was really fast and felt like a top five car, had runs where I (fell) off. Just not quite an optimized day, but a big jump forward from where we were in practice. So (I’m) really, really thankful to my guys for continuing to work hard to get our car faster.”
Jeb wasn’t as fortunate. The 32-year-old didn’t bounce back nearly as well after dropping back in his No. 27 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet. He needed the race to run longer for a chance to overcome early handling woes.
“Not very good,” Jeb said of his day. “We just had two different issues going on, loose on entry to the center and then tight center off. At the end there, we were just really loose but got the front end where it needed to be.
“There’s no time in these races to struggle like that and be able to fix it. This is one of my better race tracks. Probably my worst Xfinity finish ever here, (that’s) disappointing.”
Racing for a playoff spot is stressful on its own. But according to Harrison, competing with a family member for that spot adds another layer of intrigue.
“It’s always hard racing family no matter what, but this situation in particular is really hard,” Harrison said. “It’s something we both really want. We race each other really hard, and eventually, you’re scared to step over the line. It’s anxiety-inducing. I’m happy that he’s having a good season, happy that we are as well.”
Jeb, for his part, downplayed the impact of going up against family for the final playoff spot.
“No, it’s no different,” Jeb said of racing his cousin for a playoff spot. “He races me hard and clean, and I do the same for him. It’ll probably come down to us two. We’re always right around each other, and it’s going to come down to the last race.”
The Burton family’s cut-line duel now heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the running of the Pennzoil 250 next Saturday (July 26). Both Burtons are eager for a good run at The Brickyard.
“I think it will be a great race for us,” Harrison said. “I had a good experience first time in the oval there last year in the Cup car. I have confidence going there and have confidence in our package there, and hopefully show some speed.”
“We go to Indy next week, so that should be a good track for us,” Jeb said.
With only six regular season races left, the NXS playoff cut line will be an interesting new wrinkle to a longtime family rivalry, as Harrison and Jeb follow in the footsteps of Jeff and Ward in the second battle of the Burtons.
Andrew Stoddard joined Frontstretch in May of 2022 as an iRacing contributor. He is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College, the University of Richmond, and VCU. He works as an athletic communications specialist at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va.