Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team fought hard throughout Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway only to end up just one spot better than they started.
Burton started 34th and held on to the lead lap in the early going of the caution-free first Stage but fell a lap behind as it ended at Lap 80.
After a pit stop during the Stage break, he moved into the top 30 and into the free pass position for a time, but a tussle with several drivers in the latter portion of Stage Two left him 32nd at the end of that 100-lap segment.
Despite running the entire Stage on the same set of tires, he remained just one lap behind.
Burton and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team pitted during the caution period at the end of Stage Two and then again following a yellow flag at Lap 206, which put them in position to rejoin the lead lap should a caution flag send the leaders to pit road.
But that scenario never materialized, and Burton lost a second lap on the 246th circuit. He held on until finally making a green-flag stop at Lap 324, costing him another lap.
He was able to regain one spot during an Overtime run to the checkered flag, and finished 33rd.
Up next for Burton and the No. 21 team is the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway next Sunday.