BK Racing is set to announce Monday that Jeb Burton will join the team full-time as a Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2015 and beyond.
Burton is scheduled to replace Cole Whitt as the driver of the No. 26 Toyota for team owner Ron Devine, starting with his Sprint Cup debut in the season-opening Daytona 500 (Feb. 22, 1 p.m. ET, FOX). Team co-owner Anthony Marlowe confirmed the move Sunday afternoon to NASCAR.com, saying that it has signed a multiyear agreement with the 22-year-old driver.
A formal announcement is scheduled Monday morning at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Burton is scheduled to be joined at Monday’s news conference by his father, Ward Burton, who will assist BK Racing as a driving coach and team ambassador. The elder Burton, 53, scored five wins in NASCAR’s premier series, including the 2002 Daytona 500.
The Monday introduction will mark the second driver announcement for BK Racing in a span of three days. Saturday, the team said that Johnny Sauter — Burton’s teammate with ThorSport Racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series last season — will attempt to qualify the team’s No. 83 Toyota in the Daytona 500. The team announced earlier this month that veteran JJ Yeley is scheduled to drive the BK Racing No. 23 entry this season.
Burton has yet to turn a lap in Sprint Cup competition, but Marlowe said having a solid support system in place should help the young driver develop over the long haul.
“With mentorship from JJ Yeley and Daytona 500 champion Ward Burton, we believe his learning curve will be reasonable,” Marlowe told NASCAR.com via text message. “55 percent of the time, in major NASCAR series races, Jeb has finished in the top 10. He has finished an insane percentage of his races running. He’s very talented, marketable and committed to be loyal for years to come.”
Reports stated that sponsors for the team include Dr. Pepper and a fantasy sports application for Maxim magazine.
Burton, a product of the NASCAR Next youth initiative, has two full seasons of experience in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, including a breakthrough victory at Texas Motor Speedway in June 2013. He has also competed in two XFINITY Series events with a best finish of eighth in his Sept. 2013 series debut.
Before this latest step in his career, Burton faced an offseason of uncertainty for the second straight year. After the 2013 season, a sponsor defaulted on its commitment to his efforts with Turner Scott Motorsports, but Burton landed on his feet with ThorSport Racing on an interim basis, a hiring that eventually turned into a full-time ride.
Just last month, however, another sponsorship setback forced him into limbo again, and he tweeted Jan. 28 that he was not associated with a truck team for 2015.
