🇺🇸 Ward Burton

Ward Burton was an established professional stock car racing driver who competed primarily in NASCAR Xfinity between 1990 and 2007, driving for Brewco Motorsports. He ran almost entirely on oval circuits, with only three starts on road or street courses across his 161 Xfinity appearances. A single NASCAR Truck Series start in 2012 marked the end of his racing career. His record across all series totalled 162 starts, four wins and twelve podiums.[1]

Burton spent his competitive years in a national series field that mixed amateurs, semi-professionals and graded professionals in the same races. He was closely matched against regular opponents including his brother Jeff Burton, a Bronze-graded professional, and Tommy Houston, an entry-level professional with over 400 Xfinity starts. Burton's most notable scalps came against drivers of significantly higher standing; he beat Denny Hamlin, an elite professional with 164 Xfinity starts and a deep Cup Series record, twice, and finished ahead of Tony Stewart, an established professional and 1997 IndyCar champion, on three occasions. His final Xfinity season in 2007 placed him 41st in the championship standings across 16 rounds.[2]