ROCKINGHAM, N.C. -- Jeb Burton and Jordan Anderson Racing did not have the smoothest afternoon at Rockingham Speedway, but they capitalized on a fast Chevrolet and some well-timed strategy.
The result is that Burton left the race with a ninth-place finish and 44 points, the second-most in the field. He also scored a series-high 15 stage points while moving to 11th in the Xfinity Series standings. The finish moved to eighth after NASCAR disqualified race-winner Jesse Love.
"I've got pretty good statistics here," Burton said on pit road after the race. "I finished 11th, seventh in a truck, and then ninth today. And my cousin (Harrison) ran good too, so Burtons like The Rock."
Jeb Burton and @JARnascar didn’t have the smoothest day at Rockingham, but they had a stage points-focused strategy and a car capable of maintaining track position.
The result? A 9th place finish and the second-most points (43). #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/AAHvJmAr0Q— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) April 19, 2025
How did Burton pull off this points-heavy day?
The starting point was a car that was the fourth-fastest during Friday's practice session, but that could only get Burton so far, considering that the drivers had considerable difficulty passing each other on the repaved surface.
He and the No. 27 Jordan Anderson Racing team adapted. They took advantage of late cautions in the opening two stages and gained track position by staying out while other drivers headed down pit road.
The fresh tires were less of a factor on Saturday, so Burton was able to maintain his spot inside the top 10 during two short sprints to the stage ends. He finished fifth in stage 1 and second in stage 2.
"We had the speed, and I just wanted to take the chance to get the stage points," Burton told AltDriver. "We need them, especially where we are. A lot of times, we don't have the speed to get stage points.
"That's what we did, and we capitalized on it."
That's not to say that this points-heavy day was uneventful. Burton was on the "razor's edge" on the fresh asphalt, and he came very close to "busting his butt."
One incident in particular featured him almost spinning after being pinched between Connor Zilisch and Brennan Poole, which Burton took the blame for after the race.
Zilisch lost control and slid to the bottom of the track, where he made contact with Sam Mayer. Burton straightened the No. 27 out and continued moving forward into the top 10.
"We needed that," Burton said about his ninth-place finish. "We've had a lot of good runs get taken away the last couple laps. I don't know how the hell I saved it there, but I was fully turned right, in the throttle. Got lucky."
Luck aside, Burton is above the playoff cutline heading to one of his favorite tracks -- Talladega Superspeedway. This gives him confidence, considering that he has six top-10 finishes in the last eight races at the Alabama track.
Two of these races ended with Burton in victory lane.