Born on June 29, 1967, Burton was exposed to racing at an early age through his father, who introduced Burton and his brothers to go-kart racing. He later progressed to late model stock cars and late models, competing at South Boston Speedway. His family ancestry can be traced back through Colonial Virginia to the 1630s.
Burton began his NASCAR career in 1988, driving in several Busch Series races in the No. 69 car owned by his father, John Burton. In 1989, he competed for Busch Series Rookie of the Year in the No. 12 Burton Autosports Pontiac. He secured his first career Busch Series win in 1990, driving the No. 12 Armour Lower Salt Bacon Buick for Sam Ard, though a subsequent financial dispute led to legal action. Burton moved to J&J Racing in 1991 before joining FILMAR Racing in 1992, driving an Oldsmobile sponsored by TIC Financial Systems, and a Ford sponsored by Baby Ruth in 1993. He made his first Winston Cup start in 1993, piloting the No. 0 car owned by Martocci.
In 1994, Burton embarked on his rookie year in the Winston Cup Series, driving the No. 8 Raybestos Ford for Stavola Brothers Racing. He achieved a season-high 14th-place finish in the overall standings and earned 1994 NASCAR Rookie of the Year honors, besting a competitive class including Joe Nemechek, Jeremy Mayfield, and his brother, Ward. He signed with Roush Racing in 1996, driving the No. 99 Exide Batteries Ford Thunderbird. From 1997 to 2000, Burton experienced a period of sustained success, consistently ranking in the top-five in points. He earned his first career Cup Series win in 1997 at Texas Motor Speedway, and would go on to win fourteen more races during this four-year span.
In 1999, Burton achieved a career-high six race wins, including both the Coca-Cola 600 and the Southern 500, securing the No Bull 5 $1 million bonus and finishing fifth in points. He led the point standings for five consecutive races after winning at Darlington in March. He finished third in the points standings in 2000. In 2001, Burton won two races, bringing his career total to seventeen, and finished tenth in points. Despite failing to win a race in 2002 or 2003, he finished 12th in points in both seasons.
In 1994, Burton was disqualified at the Miller Genuine Draft 400 for illegal holes drilled on the roll cage, a safety violation. In 2006, Burton won the pole for four races – the Daytona 500, the USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway. He won the Dover 400 in 2006, breaking a 185-race winless streak, and briefly led the championship standings. In 2007, Burton passed Matt Kenseth on the final lap to win the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. In 2008, Burton won the Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, securing his first multiple-win season since 2001.
Burton participated in the International Race of Champions series. In 2013, he ran a limited schedule for Michael Waltrip Racing’s research-and-development team, Identity Ventures Racing, making his debut in the No. 66 at Las Vegas. He later substituted for Tony Stewart in the No. 14 car at Stewart–Haas Racing in 2014.
Burton was named the 1994 NASCAR Rookie of the Year. In 2023, he became part of a consortium that purchased the CARS Tour. His son, Harrison, is a current NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series driver, winning the 2024 Coke Zero Sugar 400.
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