Apr 23, 2021 4 min read

Jeff Burton the former NASCAR driver sees some benefits to his son making his Cup Series debut at Talladega Superspeedway.

Jeff Burton the father is more anxious about it.

“As mom and dad, it’s going to be a little nerve-racking,” Jeff Burton said. “Obviously, Talladega is a nerve-racking place.”

Harrison Burton, all of 20 years old, will make his debut on NASCAR’s top circuit Sunday, barrelling onto a track that can prove harrowing even for the most veteran drivers. It’s not always easy on the parents either, even one who won 21 Cup races, though none of the victories came on the 2.66-mile oval known for its wrecks.

The elder Burton, now a commentator for NBC Sports, said he even got nervous walking in on Harrison’s film session from old Talladega races. Harrison, the reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series rookie of the year, will drive the No. 96 Toyota for Gaunt Brothers Racing this weekend.

He is set to become the first driver born in the 21st century to run a Cup Series race. This will be his eighth stock car start on a superspeedway and fourth at Talladega. He was 23rd in ‘Dega last October, his best finish at the massive track.

Burton said he definitely doesn’t feel comfortable about Talladega racing, but feels “comfort with the discomfort.” He is familiar with the track and the intensity of stock car racing’s top drivers from growing up in a racing family.

“Those Cup guys are aggressive, man,” Harrison said. “Those guys are all about wrecks every lap. And being prepared for that and understanding that there’s going to be discomfort and trying to find a way to handle that adversity is something I’m excited about.”

Hunter-Reay credits aeroscreen: Ryan Hunter-Reay saw the scuff marks on the safety screen surrounding his cockpit and went to find video of the crash he’d just walked away from.

It was then that Hunter-Reay learned the right front wheel of Josef Newgarden’s car went airborne over Hunter-Reay’s car on the first lap of IndyCar’s season opening race and was deflected by the aeroscreen, a cockpit safety device introduced to the series last year.

“I knew it was going to be a big impact. All of a sudden his car was in front of mine,” Hunter-Reay said Friday. “Natural human reaction at that point is you brace for it, close your eyes, kind of you just flinch – like you would blink if somebody clapped their hands in front of your face. And that was as quickly as it happened. I had no idea what the scenario actually looked like until I saw the video.”

Hunter-Reay went to the IndyCar trailer where he found series President Jay Frye and patted him on the back for, essentially, pushing for the safety device that probably saved Hunter-Reay’s life Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. The aeroscreen most likely kept Newgarden’s tire from striking Hunter-Reay’s helmet.

“It wasn’t overly dramatic or anything,” said Hunter-Reay, “I just said ‘This absolutely made a difference. So thank you for it.'”

Andretti Autosport repaired Hunter-Reay’s car and aeroscreen and it was approved to race Sunday on the street course in downtown St. Petersburg. He finished last in the opener when he was collected in Newgarden’s spin in the opening moments.

The aeroscreen was developed by Red Bull Advanced Technologies to cover the open-air cockpit with a clear screen that is anchored by a titanium framework. Its purpose is to protect drivers from flying debris and it delivered when first tested by two crashes at Iowa Speedway last July.