Talladega triumph carries special meaning for Jeb Burton, Jordan Anderson

Long after multiple heaps of metal had been hauled to Talladega’s temporary scrap yard and much of Saturday’s paying public had filed out, the Victory Lane celebration rolled on for Jeb Burton and Jordan Anderson under a slivered moon. For Burton, the day marked his third NASCAR national-series victory and his first in two years. For Anderson, it was an all-time first after nearly 10 seasons as a driver and team owner.

For that alone, the festivities might be especially raucous. But Talladega Superspeedway’s Victory Lane was lined with fans eager to join in with the underdog team and its journeyman driver. Many had seemingly filled the two red-flag delays in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race with steady intake of fermented beverages. Several begged for freebie hats from the stock used for photo opportunities like they were gold doubloons.

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The photo combos — Burton with family, Anderson with family, both with their Jordan Anderson Racing team — progressed until it was just driver and owner. Both Anderson and Burton flanked their newly won hardware and signaled No. 1 as a chant rose up from the masses: “Pick it up! Pick it up!” Fueled by that prodding and the still-rushing adrenaline, the two partners suspended the Hammer & Anvil trophy — all 50-plus pounds of solid iron of it — above the Xfinity Series pedestal.

“It took Jeb and I both to pick it up,” Anderson said.

Both drivers had been carrying their own weight of hardships through the offseason, and the elation for two self-described grinders was shared after their first win together in last weekend’s Ag-Pro 300. Anderson had only launched his racing operation in 2018, starting in Craftsman Trucks and venturing into the Xfinity Series ranks just two years ago. The team expanded this season, with young prospect Parker Retzlaff joining the fold. The addition of Burton provided a stabilizing, veteran force.

“I think that’s why we get along so good. We both haven’t had nothing given to us,” Burton said in the winner’s press conference. “We’ve worked our ass off, and today is what it’s about.”

Burton’s agreement with Anderson was formally announced Jan. 4, ending another offseason of uncertainty. The well-traveled driver’s tenure with Our Motorsports drew to a close last fall, and his new link with Jordan Anderson Racing became his fourth team in as many years.

Concurrently, Burton’s personal life was also thrown into disarray with a split from his wife, Brandi. He opened up about the topic for the first time last weekend and said he had grown stronger through the adversity. Getting back behind the wheel for an offseason test session became therapeutic.

“I probably lost 10 pounds over the offseason. It was tough. I was not in a good way,” Burton said. “But when I got to the race track at Charlotte and put that helmet on, it rejuvenized me and showed me that this is what’s important right here. The guys, they had my back.”

It’s part of why Burton was in an especially thankful mood after Saturday’s triumph — to the family that’s grown closer, to the longtime sponsors who had stuck with him through the team changes, and the new car owner who bet on him with the team’s expansion in the offseason. “Y’all have made racing fun again for me,” Burton told his team after crossing under the checkered flag.

“To give that to all those people that have helped me the last 15 years is just very special,” Burton said. “And like with Jordan, I mean he’s busted his tail, and to be the guy to win the first oval stage, and then to win a race today for him, that was awesome. I’d rather win for him and do that with this little team and build this team than anybody else.”

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Anderson’s weight came in returning to the scene of a terrifying crash last October at the 2.66-mile track. The 32-year-old was making one of five spot starts in the Craftsman Truck Series last year when his No. 3 Chevrolet combusted, the result of an oil-line failure under the hood. Anderson tried to escape his still-moving truck as it skidded to a halt, and the flames that shrouded the vehicle left him with significant burns.

Back in Talladega this spring, he recalled arriving through the infield tunnel but leaving by helicopter to an area hospital.

“Just had a little moment, just taking it all in and it’s like, wow, all that we’ve been through with that,” Anderson said. “I’m usually pretty tough. Growing up, I broke bones, knocked teeth out with BMX and did a lot of crazy stuff. And that was a lot of pain, emotional and physical, to go through all that stuff, and it was tough on my family and all that stuff. But at my heart and core, that was an opportunity race for me. I mean, I hadn’t raced a lot last year, and we were running fourth when it happened, and it’s like, man, just took a lot, took kind of the wind out of my sails and knocked me out, kind of on a little different scale than Jeb.”

Since the accident, Anderson says he’s put more focus on the ownership side, hoping to foster the team’s growth with Burton and the 19-year-old Retzlaff, who rallied to finish seventh last weekend at Talladega. His upstart group has tried to make inroads against more established Xfinity Series teams, including some with a Cup Series lineage. Now the team has a playoff spot in hand as the 2023 campaign rolls forward.

Through it all, Anderson has carried an independent, short-track ethos and an “embrace the journey” mantra that honor his humble start — with a high-mileage heavy-duty truck and a primitive trailer that carried his racing equipment. Saturday, a weight lifted for both owner and driver.

“I just hope that for our sport, I know there’s thousands of kids, people out there like myself that are racing Legend Cars, Late Models at a short track across the country,” said Anderson, who began his driver career in Legends and Bandoleros. “They’re going out there with their mom and dad and brother and sister, and they’ve got the brother putting tires in the car and the dad spotting and they’re working all they can do to get that car to the race track every week. Hopefully, our story is for those people that watch and said hey, the grassroots dream is alive and well in our sport that if you set your mind to it and you work hard enough, you surround yourself with good people, you can get here and you can win one. And it’s just, this is really cool. This is one for all of them, for sure.”