The year 2021 has already been a memorable one for the Midwest-based Team Platinum, seeing Late Model success as early as February in Florida at New Smyrna Speedway when Kody Swanson piloted one of the team’s cars to the Pro Late Model World Series title. During Speedweeks, there was also another great success story.
Team principal Bill Burba has competed regularly in Open Wheel Modifieds over the years. During 2021 Speedweeks, Team Platinum found their stride with Burba’s No. 26 Modified, winning two of the seven World Series races in route to the Florida Modified title.
Since then, the magic hasn’t stopped as Burba has kept the momentum up in the early half of the Modifieds of Mayhem Tour in the Deep South, winning last time out at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, and heading to Five Flags Speedway this Friday night with the points lead.
“It means a lot, my team gives me a great car that can win every time it comes out of the trailer. I know the rest is up to me, there are some tracks I’m good at and there are some that I struggle with. But, I got a great team behind me that gives me confidence when I’m driving,” Burba told Speed51.
The rise in performance has nothing to do with new equipment or team personnel, just plenty of hard work and finally hitting the right setup before 2021 even began.
Everything is still the same, we just have been working extra hard on the racecar. After the Governor’s Cup at New Smyrna last year, we went home and worked on some stuff that we believed would make it better, and I think what we did then has really paid off for this year.
The New Smyrna title, Nashville win, and early points lead have been quite the experience for the humble Burba who is just grateful to have the car and ability to mix it up against the toughest Mod stars in the Deep South.
“It’s amazing, these guys are really good; Augie Grill, Ricky Moxley, Johnny Walker, those BMF cars are really good. I got a Stacy Mod which is a really good Mod. We got it to where we can take on all these guys.”
A win Friday in Pensacola at Five Flags Speedway would be yet another career mark for Burba, and could possibly open the door to even more before year’s end.
“It’d be pretty exciting. Plus, we could really set our sights on a championship, winning at Montgomery and all the races through the season. Hopefully, if I can keep from burning the right-rear tire off the car, we got as a good a shot as anyone to win.”
-Story by: Connor Sullivan, Speed51 Northeast Correspondent – Twitter: @Connor51CT
-Photo credit: Speed51