John Burr

John Burr (born March 19, 1953 in Durham, North Carolina) is an American race car owner/driver and small business owner who is most known for his exploits in the FARC Lowe Dollar Series, where he has raced and maintained his own cars starting in 1985 and continuing in the present day. His racing career is highlighted by an upset victory at Talladega Superspeedway in 1996, but scarred by a hiatus between 2002 and 2009 after he was seriously injured in an accident at the same track.

Burr established a towing business, JB Tow, in his home town of Durham in 1978 when he bought his first tow truck for a song upon the shutdown of a small towing chain. By 1982, he was able to hire back some of the former drivers and his business was in position to help sponsor the upcoming FARC race at a dirt track close to Durham. One condition of the deal was that Burr himself would participate with the cleanup crew in his personal truck, which the promoters welcomed. Burr met with (and went on to clean up after) several drivers, mechanics, and officials that weekend and was surprised by the number of people in similar positions to him who were still able to maintain a full time FARC racing schedule. He enjoyed his role and experience, leaving the track that night convinced to find his own car and follow the tour around.

Burr soon got his hands on a fourth-hand 1970 Saar Eagle that once belonged to Elmer Farley, who won the 1979 Texas 500 in the same model. It wasn't the 500 winner, but it was still in his garage at one point. Nonetheless, Burr taught himself to turn wrenches on the unique but outdated machine, piecing his first No. 54 car together (the number was chosen to represent his birth year, which he misremembered at the time) over months out of the cheapest castoffs he could find from other teams.

Burr's first FARC race was the 1985 season opening round at Daytona. He brought his completed Eagle to the track on his personal flatbed, accompanied by his next door neighbor and JB Tow employee Butch Higley, whose long tenure as Burr's crew chief began with this race. The pit crew themselves were recruited at the track, volunteering for beer and fast food.

Burr was directed by inspectors to remove the Eagle's large wing, which he replaced with the blade spoiler from Higley's personal passenger car. Having satisfied the rulebook, Burr qualified 38th out of 41 starters for the 200-mile race, and was able to last until the checkered flag, bringing the car home in 16th, seven laps down. Team Burr continued to appear regularly on the FARC tour from that point.