Richard Petty Motorsports Locks Jeb Burton for XFINITY Series Ride in 2016

Jeb Burton

Richard Petty Motorsports announced today that NASCAR driver Jeb Burton will compete full time in the NASCAR XFNITY Series for the 2016 season. Burton will debut the No. 43 Ford Mustang this Saturday in the XFINITY Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

Burton comes from a long family line of racing in NASCAR's premier series. Burton's father, Ward, is a former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver and Daytona 500 Champion, and Burton's uncle, Jeff, is also a former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver and current NBC Sports broadcaster. Along with his family's racing background, Burton brings four years of NASCAR experience to Richard Petty Motorsports. He competed full time in the Camping World Truck Series in 2013 and 2014, earning one win, seven Top-Five finishes and 20 Top-10 finishes in 50 starts. In the Sprint Cup Series, he competed for BK Racing in 2015 with 28 starts.

"I'm really excited to be competing full time in the XFINITY Series for Richard Petty Motorsports this season," Burton said. "When you think NASCAR, you think Richard Petty, and I'm really looking forward to continuing their winning tradition and contributing to the legacy that is Richard Petty."

Veteran Sprint Cup Series crew chief, Drew Blickensderfer, will be atop the pit box for Burton in the 2016 season. Blickensderfer joined Richard Petty Motorsports in 2013, serving as the crew chief for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Marcos Ambrose and Sam Hornish Jr. Blickensderfer also worked with Richard Childress Racing and Roush Fenway Racing, winning twice with Matt Kenseth including the Daytona 500 and once with David Ragan.

"We have worked with Jeb on a few opportunities over the past couple of years, and they just didn't fall into place," commented Brian Moffitt, Chief Executive Officer at Richard Petty Motorsports. "We feel Jeb is an extremely talented young driver, and I'm happy we have him in our organization. He's proven he can win races and compete at a high level in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and we believe he can do the same in the NASCAR XFINITY Series."

Jeb Burton and the No. 43 Ford Mustang will hit the track on Friday, February 19 for practice in preparation for the NASCAR XFINITY Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway. A sponsorship announcement is expected to be made prior to Friday's first practice session.