WELCOME, N.C. — Jeff Burton, driver of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet Impala SS in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, will trade in his fire suit and helmet for an acting role on ABC Daytime’s “General Hospital.”
Burton, a 21-time winner in NASCAR’s premier division, will visit the set of General Hospital Feb. 19 and take part in scenes with top neurosurgeon and Port Charles resident Dr. Patrick Drake. Drake’s character, which is played by Canadian actor Jason Thompson, is an avid fan of racing on the popular daytime Emmy award-winning series.
“I’m excited about going to the set of General Hospital and taking on a role with Jason,” explained Burton. “I’ve been in commercials and was a guest star on a sitcom a couple of years ago so I’m hoping those appearances prepped me for my soap opera debut. Luckily, I get to play myself and talk racing, which will help take some of the pressure off.”
After Thompson teaches Burton the ins and outs of being a soap opera actor, the roles will reverse when Thompson visits Auto Club Speedway, located in Fontana, Calif., to shadow Burton on the day of the Auto Club 500. The South Boston, Va., native will treat the actor to a pace car ride before heading out to his sponsor’s hospitality tent where both will participate in question-and-answer and autograph sessions. Before taking a seat atop the Cat Racing team’s pit box for the Sprint Cup Series race, the Edmonton, Alberta, Canada native will participate in the race track’s pre-race festivities by attending the driver’s meeting and driver introductions.
Scheduled air time of Burton and Thompson’s episode is slated for mid-March.
