Jeff Burton defends Tony Stewart after Michigan finish

BROOKLYN, MI - AUGUST 17: Jeff Burton, driver of the #14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, stands on the grid prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 17, 2014 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, MI - AUGUST 17:  Jeff Burton, driver of the #14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, stands on the grid prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 17, 2014 in Brooklyn, Michigan.  (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, MI – AUGUST 17: Jeff Burton, driver of the #14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, stands on the grid prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 17, 2014 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images)

After leaving Richard Childress Racing at the end of 2013, this season Veteran NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Jeff Burton was going to make a few starts for Michael Waltrip Racing then move to the broadcast booth in 2015.  That plan changed a bit this past week when Burton was called upon by Stewart-Haas Racing to fill in for Tony Stewart Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.  Stewart elected to sit out his second NASCAR race in a row after being involved in an accident while racing a dirt track in New York State that resulted in a fatality.

Stewart made the decision Wednesday to sit out Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 and Burton got the call. Burton started 27th but was forced to the garage with an electrical issue on lap 82.

“I started smelling something and then just before we pitted I got a lot of smoke in the cockpit,” Burton said MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.