Ward Burton returns to racing at Orange County Speedway

2002 Daytona 500 winner Ward Burton will return to racing in March as he competes in a Late Model exhibition race at Orange County Speedway in Virginia.

Burton will compete in the Rogers Heating & Cooling Orange Krush 200 on Thursday, March 28th. He will race against his son, Jeb Burton, and former Cup Series competitor Jeremy Mayfield.

Burton made 375 Cup starts between 1994 and 2007. He won five races, including the 2001 Southern 500 at Darlington.

Burton also has previous success at Orange County Speedway. He won the 1993 Busch Series — now Xfinity Series — race at the short track after leading 259 of the 300 laps. This win was one of three during the 1993 season as Burton finished sixth in the championship standings.

The full entry list for the Orange Krush 200, which will be announced in the coming weeks, also includes CARS Tour winner Deac McCaskill and 2021 NASCAR's Weekly Racing Series national champion Peyton Sellers.

Ticket sales for the $15,000 to win event will raise money for The Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization focused on sustainability of natural resources through conservation, land management, outdoor outreach and education.

“We’re so excited to partner with Rogers Heating & Cooling for this event," Burton said in a statement. "I’m looking forward to having some fun out there on the track again with some of the best in the business and have the opportunity to race against my son!

"I can promise we’ll put on a great show for the fans and hopefully raise a lot of money and awareness to further The Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation’s conservation and outreach efforts, including continuing to expand opportunities to host Veterans and their families at our properties and events.”