JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CINGULAR WIRELESS MONTE CARLO SS, TALKED WITH MEDIA ABOUT THE UPCOMING DAYTONA 500, RULES VIOLATIONS AND PENALTIES, AND THE INTERNATIONALIZATION OF NASCAR:
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PREPARATIONS THIS WEEK AND YOUR THOUGHTS GOING INTO THE 500.
"Certainly after qualifying on Sunday we were pretty down with the speed we were able to lay down. But my guys are a pretty resilient bunch. We felt pretty good about racing yesterday pretty well. Hopefully we'll bolt in a little more horsepower for the 500 and we'll try to make the car drive even better than it does. So far the car has driven really well and I feel really good about our chances. I feel optimistic about the 500 and I feel very optimistic about the year in general. We'll see: this race has a habit of odd things happening pretty consistently. We just want to go out, stay out of the way and get in the middle of it when we need to and when we don't, don't - position ourselves to have a chance to win the Daytona 500. It's something I've never been able to do. I have a huge desire to make it happen and I think I've got as good a chance as I've ever had."
HAVE YOU FOLLOWED THE SITUATION REGARDING RULES VIOLATIONS THIS WEEK AND WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT?
"First of all, I'm a proponent of big penalties. I think that in any sport the more severe the penalty, the more prone people are to do the right thing. Any time you have a competitive nature and you have a competitive group and winning or losing is at stake, if you don't make people do the right thing then they never will. I learned that at a very early age with my father cheating with me as a seven year old (did I just say that?). It's just what happens. Competition brings out the best in people and it brings out the worst in people. So NASCAR's job is to make sure it's a level playing field for everyone and when someone steps out of the bounds, whack them. I believe the bigger the hit the less it happens. I know personally - we have conversations about what we're willing to do and what we're not willing to do - and because the penalties are so large we're willing to do very little that we think can get us into trouble. This is a risk-versus-reward business and the higher the risk the less opportunity for reward. So I'm a proponent of big penalties, I'm a proponent of points (penalties) and a proponent of suspensions - but I think points are the biggest.
"I say this now as I know it's coming: the 24 car not having points taken away. I was concerned about that this morning, the part was confiscated so I went and looked at the part and it's my opinion that what happened to the 24 car was a screw-up. And I'm also of the opinion that probably on the race there wasn't much performance gain. Because on the race track the car's different than it is in the high sticks. When you look at the part it was beat up pretty badly. It wasn't machined to work one way which I suspected it was until I went and looked at it. It seemed by me to be an honest mistake. So the question is: what should the penalty be? There has to be a penalty. Mistake or not, there has to be a penalty. My concern was that the penalty wasn't steep enough in relation to the other penalties. So . what was the advantage? It seemed to me that the advantage was he won the race - they took that away - then should there be points and a suspension?"
ACTUALLY HE KEPT HIS WIN.
"Well, so did Richard Petty - I don't know how that works. That's how it's always been, I'm not saying that's how it should be. At some stage they're going to say 'It's not like that any more, if you get caught, you're not going to get the race and we're going to penalize you.' I don't know how you win the race but that's the way it's always been.
"It seems to me that the penalty met the crime. I really do and I believe that one of the worst things that can happen to anybody in life or anything else, you have to look at each situation for what it is and I'm not defending Jeff Gordon and Steve Letarte. I'm looking at what the situation is. It's my opinion that if you look at what Michael Waltrip's group did and what the 17 did - if the 17 got 50 points, or whatever the penalty is, then the 55 should have been 10 times that. In this case (the 24) I don't think they deserved a point penalty or suspension because there was probably a negligible gain on the racetrack and if you look at the part it wasn't intentional. So . it probably wasn't much of a gain, it wasn't intentional, it's not like they set out to intentionally cheat which should be dealt with differently if they did. So I went in there very uncomfortable about the penalty. After looking at the part, I'm very comfortable with the penalty. Because I think they looked at the situation for what it was, the way it happened, they looked at all the evidence and made the decision based on that. In some ways I'm very proud of them for that because they held - I'm sure they had a lot of pressure on them to (fine) points too following the week's incidents. But I'm sure that after looking at it, they've done the right thing.
DID MICHAEL (WALTRIP) GET OFF TOO EASILY?
"Yes. In comparison to the 17 and 9, it's my opinion . you can make the case that the 17 and 9 were penalized too harshly, you can make that case. But I'm not going to say that - like I've just said, I believe in harsh penalties. But based on their penalties I think the 55 got off exceptionally easy. That's nothing personal against Michael - that's nothing to do with it - I just think they got off exceptionally easy in comparison to the other penalties."
WITH THIS SITUATION AND ALL THE MEDIA COVERING EVERYTHING BUT WHAT'S HAPPENING ON THE RACETRACK, HAS THIS BEEN A BAD WEEK FOR NASCAR? DO YOU BUY THE "THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS BAD PUBLICITY" MANTRA"?
"I don't buy that . I think it's been a bad week for our sport. I believe that you can make the case that NASCAR has done the right thing in most instances. Again the difference in penalties between those teams was too small, I think it should have been a bigger difference but I think NASCAR has taken a stance in saying: 'Hey, this is wrong and we're not putting up with it. You broke the rules, you're going to be penalized.' Anything else might be worse. Now we may not know about it but if NASCAR didn't take a stand and do the right thing, then that would be worse than them taking a stand and doing the right thing. So I think it's been a bad week for our sport, I don't think it's been a bad week for NASCAR."
ON THE CHEATING THIS WEEK IN GENERAL
"I think it's a shame we've spent the week talking about cheating. This is the start of probably the most competitive year we've had in our sport, this is the start of debatably the biggest race of the year, it's the start of a lot of things that are going to happen during the year, yet here we are talking about cheating and it's disappointing that that's where the conversation is. By the way, you guys haven't created the conversation - the topic's been created because there it is. It's in our face - how can you walk away from it? That's why it's been a bad week. We should be talking about competitive the race is going to be, we should be talking about Junior having the wreck . we should be talking about things that have to do with racing. Instead . we've given the perception that we're a bunch of manipulative guys that are out there trying to screw everybody out of a win. That's just not good for our sport."
IS THERE A BIGGER PICTURE THAT NASCAR IS TRYING TO SEND OUT TO FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES, TO FANS IN EUROPE AND SO ON?
"I don't know. I'm certainly not involved in closed-door discussions with NASCAR on what message they're trying to send. I'd like to believe that what they're trying to do is make sure the sport is fair. I mostly look at our sport from a competition standpoint. For our sport to be what it needs to be, they need to police it. It's their job to make the rules and enforce them."
ON NASCAR HANDING OUT MORE SEVERE PENALTIES
"I may have my timescale wrong, but over the last three or five year they've continued to escalate it. They've continued to make penalties larger, they've continued to make fines larger and suspensions longer. I don't know that they're trying to send a message, other than to say to the competition that it's got to be fair.
"I do believe that when you come to the Daytona 500 with 61 cars (if that's the right number) trying to make the race, that puts more pressure on them to police it even harder. Because it needs to be fair for every single team trying to make the Daytona 500 or, by the way, the 55 cars, or whatever it is, trying to make the race next week - all the competition needs to know, and their sponsors need to know, that it's a level playing field. So I don't know that they're trying to send a message but I believe the message is 'Hey, it's going to be fair.' I don't know if that's a message, other than a philosophy."
IN PROFESSIONAL SPORTS, EVERYONE KNOWS THAT THERE IS A DELINEATED, PROGRESSIVE PROCESS OF PENALTIES FOR, SAY, DRUG VIOLATORS. WOULD NASCAR BE BETTER SERVED WITH DEFINED PENALTIES FOR SPECIFIC VIOLATIONS?
"I wouldn't be opposed to that. I wouldn't be opposed to listed set of penalties that this is what we do for this case - I wouldn't be opposed to that. The negative to that is we have many more moving parts than the NBA and what they consider a drug policy: by the way if you get caught smoking dope, you can keep doing it until you get caught the third time. Or maybe it's the second time now, they've really toughened it up. It's difficult to make a rule that says that if it's a shock that holds the car down, this is the penalty. If a carburetor is found to have a hole a 16th of an inch to large somewhere, then this is the penalty. You see my point. There's so many moving parts on the car, there are so many components on the car, it's difficult to pinpoint every single component and say this is always the penalty - there would always be things that were being violated that weren't in the rules. I don't know how you can say this is always going to be the penalty when you don't know what (the violation) is going to be. Flexibility is required and, in some of it, there should be no flexibility.
"The reason I went to (NASCAR) this morning is that I wanted to make sure that the penalties were being handed out consistently. It didn't feel to me like it was. But after I looked at the part it looked like it did. So, everything needs to be looked at individually with, once the determination has been made, this is all the information, this is all the facts, this is the history of what we've done for penalties, it needs to lay within that history. It needs to be similar to that history of penalty and fines. Then if they do that, and they do that consistently, then I think it's okay."
IS NASCAR NATION READY FOR INTERNATIONALIZATION, AND WHAT SORT OF BATTLE WILL MONTOYA AND TOYOTA FACE?
"First of all, the sad thing about the conversation is that it's a shame in our society we have to have a conversation about someone being from somewhere different means they have to be looked upon differently. It's a shame that we haven't got to the point where we're all the same, but we're not. As far as NASCAR nation being ready for it, it sure looks like it is.
"There's a lot of enthusiasm about Juan Pablo and I know that some people are upset about Toyota being involved . there's people upset about the new points system, so you're never going to make everyone happy.
"I think the great opportunity we have with Montoya in particular and with Almendinger and people coming from other forms of motorsports is . number one I'm a huge motorsports fan, primarily a NASCAR fan, but I'm also a motorsports fan. The opportunity for NASCAR fans to understand how good a race driver Montoya is . what that will say is that there are a lot of really good drivers that don't race in NASCAR. By the way, when the F1 fans and fans from other series see those guys struggle then they'll say wow, maybe that NASCAR group is a little tougher than we thought it was. So I think the fans are going to gain a greater appreciation for the talent level in both forms of racing. I don't think this sport gets the respect in Europe that it should. And I don't think we give the European sport as much respect as we should. So I think that at the end of the day, when Montoya runs well (and he will run well) a lot of respect will be given to that form of racing and vice versa. Now when he struggles then people will realize that this is difficult. We're viewed in other countries as a very unsophisticated, under-engineered form of motor racing when in fact it's very complicated and very precise .
"I think the fans are the winners in being able to gain an appreciation for how difficult it is to be successful in both forms of motorsports."
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JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CINGULAR WIRELESS MONTE CARLO SS, TALKED WITH MEDIA ABOUT THE TEAM'S PROGRAMS, TONY STEWART'S COMMENTS, AND MORE
ON TONY STEWART'S COMMENTS:
"I didn't agree with his comparison with the wrestling or with him saying NASCAR didn't run a fair race. I didn't agree with those things. The conversation about cautions I think is okay to have. I think that's a reasonable conversation to have. TV is talking about it. I think Tony exaggerated when he made the comparison. It was counter-productive rather than productive. But Tony didn't mean any harm by it. He was trying to make a point. Tony is a racer's racer. And all he was trying to say was, 'hey, let's just make sure we're thinking about the racers'. I just think he over-exaggerated. That's just my opinion. I don't think Tony meant any harm by it. I think he meant good by it.
"Our sport is an interesting sport. We don't have time-outs. We don't have two-minute warnings. I believe in my heart that this sport has mostly benefited by having cautions mostly early in the race. Maybe we just ought to have them. Maybe at lap 40 we ought to have a caution. When the race starts, the track is different than it was when we had practice. The 30th place car is greatly advantaged by having a caution so he can work on his car so that there are more cars that are able to be competitive when the race ends. That's the advantage of cautions. The disadvantage is that every caution, someone gets hurt. So when we throw a caution, we have to understand that we're hurting people too. It's a difficult thing.
"Hey, I go to a football game and it's like they never play. The stop and they play and they stop and play and they stop more than they play and it's like, good gosh, that gets old. But stoppage in play does help how many cars can be competitive. But every time there is a caution, somebody gets hung out. Somebody has already pitted. Somebody was good on long runs. But as a rule, it gives more teams a chance to get their stuff together.
HAVE YOU EVER QUESTIONED THE VALIDITY OF A DEBRIS CAUTION?
"I questioned last year's race at Atlanta. There was rollbar pad on the race track and I was furious about it. I can't say I've never questioned the validity of a call. I can't say I've never done that. I think for the most part, what I see them do is to do their best.
"Two weeks ago at Texas, I don't even know what it was, but there was a huge piece of debris on the race track for a couple of laps. They did their very best not to throw a caution to keep from hurting somebody. The thing in all of this that drives me kind of crazy is any belief by teams or fans that NASCAR does something to help a particular team. That drives me whacko. I'd quit if I believed that's where we are. I'd just have to quit. I don't believe they'd throw a caution so Jeff Gordon could win Phoenix. That worked out that the No. 24 car got lucky. It wasn't NASCAR's fault. I don't think they'd throw a caution so the Lowe's car could win a race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. I think that's ludicrous. If I ever believe that it's like that, I'd quit. And that's the thing that drives me crazy in all of this. It's NASCAR's responsibility and the charge to look into the overall good of the sport. And I think they do a damn good job of that."
ON THE SEASON TO DATE:
"Well, we've started off pretty well. We certainly have some areas we need to be better in. Our Car of Tomorrow needs to be stepped up. Our superspeedway program, we need to work a little more on. We have a lot of room to grow and we're going to have to if we're going to stay a contender. We've had some good fortune that we haven't had any catastrophic races. We do need to be better and we're working hard to be better."
ON THE SPONSORSHIP HEARING
"I've spoken to RCR representatives that were at the hearing. It's a difficult spot for us to be in. We have a sponsor that has been in the sport for a long time. They want to continue their involvement in the sport. There's not a whole lot to say."
DO YOU THINK TONY STEWART'S REMARKS HAVE DAMANGED THE INTEGRITY OF THE SPORT?
"Certainly one of the things that our sport has to have is credibility. When the fans watch the races, they have to know that NASCAR doesn't have an interest in one particular team. And anytime there is a hint of that, I don't think it's good for the sport. Although, this sport has to be willing to talk about the issues that people are talking about. I've watched shows where they'll (TV) come right out and say if we can find a caution, we're going to show it to you. Tony didn't start that conversation. That's something that I think the sport should do. Again, there are two sides to the story. When competitors have an issue, we need to be able to have those conversations and the sport has to be willing to talk about it and I think we need to be careful about how we address it."
STEWART SAID HE DIDN'T KNOW WHY HE DIDN'T GO TO NASCAR, BUT THAT HE WOULD FROM NOW ON TO AT LEAST EXPRESS HIS CONCERN:
"Tony is a racer. Do you know what I mean? It was on his mind and he said it. Tony is an outspoken guy and when he has something on his mind, that's what he's going to do. He's going to say it. And I'm proud of him. I don't think it's necessarily productive, but at the same time, I'm proud that he said what he said.
"That's one of the things that make our sport interesting. It's drivers and team owners and people that have personalities and it comes out. When I have an issue, I can go into that trailer. I have Mike Helton's cell phone number; I have his home phone number, I have Brian France's numbers. When I have an issue, they have always been open to being called. It's our responsibility to use that. The deal is to be willing to call them. We have to, as competitors, be able to do that. This is honestly, what we do. And we need to understand that we're lucky to be able to do it. We need to be trying to make it better.
"And I think that's what Tony was honestly trying to do. Tony didn't have malice in his comment. Tony was trying to make it better. Whether he went about that in the right direction or not, we can debate about. I believe that NASCAR's doors are open. They don't always agree with you, which by the way, they shouldn't. But they are very open to listen to you comments and your opinions and your beliefs. Like I said, they don't always say okay, we're going to change that if that's how you want it. Very rarely do they do that. But they do listen and I think ultimately, your opinion is valued.
"You can say almost anything you want to say, but how you say it is important. And that's something that Tony failed in. And I'm sure he'd admit that. But Tony is a racer. He's a smart guy and his opinions should be listened to. He didn't go about it in the right way. But he didn't have any malice by it.
"I'm tired of talking about it, I really am. Tony didn't start this conversation. Other people started this conversation. Tony put an exclamation point on it, without a doubt. But as far as I'm concerned, I don't believe they throw cautions in an effort to help the No. 24 car or the No. 48 car or the No. 8 car over me."
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· This Week’s Race Car at Darlington Raceway …
Jeff Burton will pilot chassis No. 191 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable. Built new for the 2007 season, this is the same Cingular Chevrolet Impala SS Burton drove to a second-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway (started 29th) and a sixth-place finish at Martinsville Speedway (started 19th).
· 450 for Burton …
Jeff Burton is set to reach another career milestone when he takes the green flag at Saturday’s Dodge Avenger 400 at Darlington Raceway for his 450th start in NASCAR’s premier series. In his 15th year of NASCAR Cups Series competition, Burton has captured 19 victories, including his first at Texas Motor Speedway’s inaugural event in 1997, back-to-back wins at Darlington Raceway in 1999, two Coca-Cola 600 wins at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 1999 and 2001, and under the lights at Daytona International Speedway in 2000. So far this season, the South Boston, Va., native has earned one win (becoming the first repeat winner at Texas Motor Speedway), five top-five and six top-10 finishes, in an effort to clinch his second berth in NASCAR’s Chase for the Cup.
· Stat Facts …
In 24 Cup starts at Darlington Raceway, Burton has posted two wins, eight top-five and 13 top-10 finishes, with only one DNF (engine) and only two finishes outside the top 20.
· Rain Man - Back-to-Back winner …
Burton won both races at Darlington Raceway in 1999, leading both events as rain began to fall which forced NASCAR to throw the checkered flag prior to the scheduled distance.
· Double Duty …
In addition to his driving duties with the No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet, Burton, a 24-time race winner in the NASCAR Busch Series, will drive RCR’s No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet in the May 11 Diamond Hill Plywood 250. The race will air live on ESPN2 beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and can also be heard on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio.
· One for Mom …
In celebration of Mother’s Day, Meredith Bowman, mother of Team Cingular driver Jeff Burton, will join other drivers’ mothers as honorary grand marshals for the Dodge Avenger 500 at Darlington Raceway. She will be escorted across the pre-race stage by her son at driver introductions then join the group of moms to give the starting command of “Sons and Gentleman, start your engines.”
· Up Close and Personal …
The No. 31 Cingular Wireless team will be one of five teams featured this weekend on DirecTV’s NASCAR HotPass. With a channel dedicated solely to Team Cingular during the running of the Dodge Avenger 500, fans will be able to watch all the action through DirecTV’s multiple camera angles, real-time car telemetry and listen to in-car audio communication.
· Testing, Testing …
Jeff Burton will test the No. 31 Cingular Wireless Impala SS May 14-15 at Dover International Speedway. This is the sixth of seven tests allowed under NASCAR’s 2007 testing policy. The remaining test available to teams in NASCAR’s top division will be conducted at Talladega Superspeedway (Sept. 10-11).
· RCR at Darlington …
Richard Childress is tied for third all time with Holman-Moody and the Wood Brothers for car owner victories at Darlington with eight - all of them coming with Dale Earnhardt. Additionally, Childress boasts 21 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes at the egg-shaped South Carolina oval with three different drivers including Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick, Burton and Robby Gordon.
· Up to Speed …
The Dodge Avenger 500 at Darlington Raceway will be televised live Saturday, May 12 beginning at 7 p.m. EDT on FOX and be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 11th of 36 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series events will air live on SPEED Friday, May 11 at 3 p.m. EDT and will also be broadcast live on MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio.
JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
Darlington is the first race track where the Car of Tomorrow (COT) will be introduced to higher speeds and banking. What are your thoughts about running this weekend’s race with the COT?
“There are a lot of things that make Darlington a very difficult race to compete in and if you take a car that has low grip to begin, then you’ve got your hands full. That’s going to be a long 500-mile race. The way the Car of Tomorrow drives and the way Darlington is, you better be on your game as it’s definitely going to be a challenge.”
You’ve ran well at Darlington in the past. What are your expectations for this race?
“Darlington is one of those places where if I don’t win, I’m pretty disappointed. Their trophy is the most valuable trophy we race for all year. When we go there, I want to contend for the win. There was a time for about six years when we led so many laps and found a way to win a couple of races. I had dominant cars and that’s what I expect. More and more people have been able to run well at Darlington than in the past so the competition is that much greater. We just need to find a way to make our car better.”
Why do consider Darlington one of your favorite race tracks on the circuit?
“Darlington is the most historic track we go to. It’s also the oldest track we go to. It is entrenched in the history of the sport more so than most places and it has remained that way. They haven’t gone in and tried to make the race track better and put in million dollar suites. When you show up, it’s like stepping back in time and I think that is really cool.”
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· This Week’s Race Car Lowe’s Motor Speedway (LMS) …
Jeff Burton will pilot chassis No. 155 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable. This is the same AT&T Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Burton raced to victory at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this year. Additionally, this car also saw action at California Speedway (started eighth, finished fourth), Las Vegas Motor Speedway (started fifth, finished 15th) and Atlanta Motor Speedway (started 32nd, finished fourth).
· Two-timer …
AT&T driver Jeff Burton has claimed the checkered flag twice in the Coca-Cola 600. His first victory in NASCAR’s longest event came in 1999 by edging out Bobby Labonte by .547-second, and in 2001 he finished ahead of current RCR teammate Kevin Harvick to claim his second victory at the track.
· Stat Facts …
In 26 starts at LMS, Burton boasts two wins, six top-five and 12 top-10 finishes. Both LMS victories came in the Coca-Cola 600.
· Double Duty …
In addition to his driving duties with the No. 31 AT&T Chevrolet at LMS, Burton, a 24-time race winner in the NASCAR Busch Series, will drive RCR’s No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet in the Carquest Auto Parts 300 on Saturday, May 26. The race will air live on ESPN2 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and will also be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network (PRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio.
· RCR at Charlotte …
In 90 starts at LMS, RCR has earned four points-paying victories – all of them coming with Dale Earnhardt. Additionally, RCR boasts 16 top-five and 31 top-10 finishes at the 1.5-mile oval with six different drivers including Earnhardt, Ricky Rudd, Mike Skinner, Kevin Harvick, and Burton. Richard Childress, a former driver on NASCAR’s senior circuit, contributed two of those top 10s from 1978-1979.
· Testing One, Two, Three, Testing …
Burton and the AT&T Racing team tested at LMS on Monday, May 7 and Tuesday, May 8 in preparation for this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600.
· Giving Back …
Jeff Burton will be part of a very special question and answer session outside Lowe’s Motor Speedway Sunday, May 27. The South Boston, Va., native will visit with and answer questions from active and retired military troops. Recording artist Leann Rimes and driver Kyle Busch are also scheduled to visit the troops later that day.
· Carolina on His Mind – Fan’s Victory of a Lifetime rolls into Lowe’s …
Prilosec OTC’s Victory of a Lifetime Sweepstakes winner Jim Farina continues his ultimate NASCAR Fan experience this weekend at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The Coca-Cola 600 will be Jim’s 11th race of his 20-race schedule with RCR’s No. 31 Cup team. To start off the weekend, Jim and his guests will enjoy their very own tour of the Richard Childress Racing Shop and Museum located in Welcome, NC. Following the tour, they will be treated to a private lunch and wine sampling at Childress Vineyards.
· Meet the Driver …
Burton will make a guest appearance in Uptown Charlotte for the annual Speed Street festivities on Friday, May 25. The 19-time Cup Series winner will be part of a question and answer session on the Coke Stage beginning at 8:50 p.m. The Q&A session will be hosted by radio and TV personality Marty Smith and Burton will be joined on stage by fellow drivers Dale Jarrett and Kyle Petty.
· Catch the Action …
The Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway will be televised live Sunday, May 27 beginning at 5 p.m. EDT on FOX and broadcast live on PRN and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 12th of 36 NASCAR Cup Series events will take the green flag at 7 p.m. EDT Thursday, May 24 and will be telecast live on SPEED.
JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
You posted two top-10 finishes last year at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. What are your thoughts about heading into this weekend’s race?
“We had a good season last year at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. We were really fast during the fall race. We were coming on hard toward the end of the race and we didn’t have the track position we needed to pull off a win. As the track changed, we had to change the way we set our race cars up. Goodyear came in with different tires so the grip was way down even though it was a new surface. It was a huge challenge and a difficult race track to figure out. It’ll be that way again this weekend. The way the race track is built now, Goodyear has to bring a tire that can live and that means the grip level is not very good. I will say that at the end of the fall race last year, the speeds were unbelievable. It was really fast and I expect the speeds to be back up there.”
Will the race track wear back in to where it used to be or will the track surface be different?
“I hope so. Charlotte is a great example of why I beg race track owners not to try and fix the race tracks. More times than not, it causes more problems than it does help it. I don’t like it when they mess with the race tracks. The more time goes by, the better Charlotte will get. Hopefully, the track surface will get back to where it used to be but you never know. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”
How important is it to qualify well for a 600-mile race?
“The reason it’s a big deal to start up front at Charlotte is the transition from day to night. You can set your car up to be better at night and be willing to give up some positions early. If you’re starting deep in the field, you can’t afford to do that. Typically, there are a lot of green-flag runs at Charlotte and starting up front gives you a buffer if things don’t go well early on when the sun is out.”
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This thread is for the articles and press releases for Jeff Burton in the 2007 season.
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· This Week’s Race Car at Dover International Speedway (DIS) …
Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 196 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable, a new Car of Tomorrow (COT) race car for the 2007 season.
· Stat Facts …
In 26 starts at Dover, Burton boasts one win, six top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. His Dover victory came last September 2006, snapping a 176-race winless streak. Additionally, the South Boston, Va., native has earned a 25.1 starting average and a 17.5 finishing average.
· Double Duty …
In addition to his driving duties with the No. 31 AT&T Chevrolet at LMS, Burton, a 24-time race winner in the NASCAR Busch Series, will drive RCR’s No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet in the Dover 200 on Saturday, June 2. The race will air live on ESPN2 beginning at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio.
· Testing, Testing …
Burton and the AT&T Racing team will test at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) on Tuesday, May 29 and Wednesday, May 30 in preparation for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway.
· Keep on Rolling …
In the season’s first 12 races, Burton has earned five top-five and seven top-10 finishes and has finished outside the top-25 only twice. He currently holds a 22.75 starting average and a 13.25 finishing average. The 39-year-old driver has completed 3,736 of the 4,053 total laps run this season (92.2 percent) and sits fifth in the Cup Series championship point standings. Over those same 12 races last season, Burton’s average start was 16.66 coupled with a 16.45 finishing average. He was eighth in points at this time last year.
· RCR at Dover …
RCR team owner Richard Childress has earned four wins at Dover International Speedway, the latest of which coming last September when Jeff Burton drove the No. 31 machine into Victory Lane during the Dover 400. The other three wins came with Dale Earnhardt, who won both events at the “Monster Mile” in 1989 and the spring race in 1993. Additionally, RCR has earned one pole, 20 top-five and 34 top-10 finishes at the high-banked concrete oval. Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s top division, contributed three of those top 10s from 1976-1980.
· Please Sign Here …
Burton will visit the DuPont Monster Bridge, a glass-enclosed seating structure that extends over the race track located in turn three, this weekend. Last season’s fall race winner continues the Dover tradition by signing the No. 31 seat in the 56 custom-built theater-style suite. All race winners at Dover visit the suite and sign their respective seat number after posting a win during their previous visit to the track. Day and time of signing has yet to be determined.
· Up to Speed …
The Autism Speaks 400 presented by Visa from Dover International Speedway will take the green flag Sunday, June 3 at 1 p.m. EDT and will be telecast live on FOX. The event will also be broadcast live on MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 13th of 36 NASCAR Cup Series events will take the green flag at 3 p.m. EDT Friday, June 1 and will be telecast live on SPEED.
JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
You won the fall race last year at Dover. Talk about that win and what it meant to you and the team.
“At the end of the day, results are what matter. On the last run, Scott (Miller) and those guys made it right. We went flying up to the front and had a battle with Matt (Kenseth) and eventually got the win. It was a big win because it had been a long time since I had won. We kept putting ourselves in position and finally found a way to do it. Dover was a day when we had to go earn that win. We won the race and took over the points lead. It reminded this team and my peers that we haven’t forgotten how to do this.”
What is your mindset going in to Dover?
“Dover is an exceptionally fast race track. For a mile-long race track, it generates a lot of speed. You’re in the throttle a lot of the time, there’s a lot of banking and you really have to work hard to get your car to turn well. That’s what I go to Dover thinking; you have to make it turn well and keep it where you can run on the bottom. You don’t want to lock in so you can only run on the bottom. You want to be able to run different grooves. If you can do those things, you can run really well there.”
With the test at Dover being cancelled, talk about the high speeds that are produced at the high-banked concrete oval and what that means for the COT.
“Certainly the test would have been beneficial. At the same token, we were able to go to Darlington and I thought, for the most part, all the teams did a really nice job of responding to the challenges that Darlington threw at us without at test. I think having a test at Bristol and a race at Darlington - those things are very beneficial to what we're going to be doing at Dover. So, obviously we're all a little bit nervous about it but for the most part, I think we'll be okay."
The Dover track is nicknamed “The Monster Mile.” Is that fitting?
“Definitely. Darlington's nickname and Dover's nickname are the two most fitting of all the race tracks. Dover is just a physically demanding race track. It's very difficult to handle well there. When you hit, you hit hard. It's one of the most difficult race tracks we run on. The corners are really wide, but the straight-aways aren't. It's just a really tough race track."
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Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 164 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable. Built new for 2006 season, this is the same car Burton drove to victory at Dover in September 2006. This chassis also competed in five other events during the 2006 season, accumulating three top-five and five top-10 finishes. The lone finish outside the top-10 came at Atlanta when a tire issue forced Burton to pit under green while running third with just seven laps remaining in the event. He raced this car to a fourth-place finish in June at Dover, California (started sixth, finished fifth), Las Vegas (started eighth, finished seventh) Atlanta (started third, finished 32nd) and Bristol (started second, finished ninth).
· Stat Facts …
In 26 starts at Pocono, Burton has posted six top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. Additionally, the South Boston, Va., native has earned an 18.0 starting average and a 17.2 finishing average.
· Importance of Teamwork …
Before heading to Long Pond, Penn. for the running of the Pocono 500, Burton will stop in Scranton, Penn. on Thursday, June 7 to be a guest speaker for a business seminar on behalf of AT&T. The 19-time Cup Series winner will speak to small business owners and decision makers on the importance of teamwork, utilizing racing as a metaphor for business and
collaboration.
· RCR at Pocono …
In 86 starts, RCR team owner Richard Childress has two wins at Pocono, both of them coming with Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt won the Summer 500, on July 19, 1987 and the Miller Genuine Draft 500 on July 18, 1993. Additionally, RCR has earned one pole, 10 top-five and 36 top-10 finishes at the three-turn speedway. Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s top division contributed two of those top 10s from 1976-1980.
· On the Hunt …
RCR team owner Richard Childress along with grandsons Austin and Ty Dillon are in New Zealand this week hunting Red Stag, Chamois and Tahr.
· Up Close and Personal …
The No. 31 team will be one of five teams featured this weekend on DirecTV’s NASCAR HOTPASS. With a channel dedicated solely to the AT&T Racing team during the running of the Pocono 500, fans will be able to watch all the action through Direct TV’s multiple camera angles, real-time car telemetry and listen to in-car audio communication.
· Going Home …
One member from the AT&T Racing crew hails from the state of Pennsylvania. Car chief Darin Nestlerode grew up in Jersey Shore, Penn. In addition to his mechanic duties on the No. 31 AT&T Chevrolet, Nestlerode also holds the sign board in the pit box on race day.
· Up to Speed …
The Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway will be televised live, Sunday, June 10 beginning at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on TNT and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 14th of 36 NASCAR Cup Series races is scheduled for Friday, June 8 at 3:30 p.m. EDT.
JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
What are your thoughts on Pocono?
“I’m looking forward to going back this year. I think our cars are much better and our engines are much better. It’s a real demanding and long race. Pocono lasts forever. It feels like the longest race we run all season. “
What makes Pocono so difficult for some teams?
“The fun thing about Pocono and the difficult thing is that every corner is different. You have to be good in every corner and you can’t sacrifice anything anywhere. Pocono is a very demanding race track physically and very demanding race track mentally. It’s one of our toughest tests we have all year.”
The straightaways at Pocono are some of the longest on the circuit. Can drivers lose concentration?
“Oh, no, when you’re going down that straightaway you’re not going to fall asleep. You are focusing on that next corner. The straightaways are really long but those corners are very challenging so there’s not much sleeping at Pocono.”
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· This Week’s Race Car at Infineon Raceway …
Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 210 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable, a new Car of Tomorrow (COT) race car for the 2007 season.
· Stat Facts …
In 13 starts at Infineon Raceway, Burton has posted four top-10 finishes.
· Twists & Turns ...
Burton’s NASCAR Cup Series road course stats include two top-five and seven top-10 finishes in 26 starts. Additionally, the South Boston, Va., native has an average starting position of 20.7 coupled with an average finishing position of 20.2.
· Road Course Debut for Impala …
The No. 31 AT&T Chevrolet Impala SS, NASCAR’s next generation race car, makes its road-course competition debut Sunday in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway. So far this season, the COT has competed in five of the scheduled 16 races. Previous COT events took place at Bristol Motor Speedway (st. 29th, fn. second), Martinsville Speedway (st. 19th, fn. sixth), Phoenix International Raceway (st. 42nd, fn. 34th), Richmond International Raceway (st. 39th, fn. 43rd) and Darlington Raceway (st. 34th, fn. 10th).
· Testing, Testing …
Burton and the AT&T Racing team tested at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) May 29 – 30 in preparation for the upcoming Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway.
· Million Dollar Man …
With his 24th-place finish at Michigan International Speedway last weekend, Burton has topped the $3 million mark in earnings for the 2007 season, totaling $3,003,998 in 15 starts.
· RCR at Infineon …
Richard Childress is tied for third on the Infineon Raceway all-time car owner win list. Dale Eanhardt won the 1995 Save Mart Supermarkets 300 and Robby Gordon won the Dodge/Save Mart 350 in 2003. Additionally, in 34 starts at the 10-turn stadium course, RCR owns one pole, seven top-five and 14 top-10 finishes.
· Throwing Him in the Deep End …
RCR development driver Tim McCreadie will make his first NASCAR Busch Series start this weekend at The Milwaukee Mile behind the wheel of RCR’s No. 21 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS. McCreadie, 33, of Watertown, N.Y. has only three career asphalt starts to his credit and finished fourth in his ARCA Series debut last weekend Michigan International Speedway. Prior to last Friday, McCreadie finished 11th in his NASCAR West Series debut in April at Phoenix International Raceway and followed that up with a 10th-place run on May 20 at Iowa Speedway. McCreadie is the 2006 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals winner and the defending World of Outlaws Late Model Series Champion.
· June is for Birthdays …
AT&T driver Jeff Burton will celebrate his 40th birthday on June 29. Additionally, two members of the AT&T Racing team will celebrate birthdays this month. Fabricator and rear-tire changer Aaron Smith turns 29 on June 27. Mechanic and pit support specialist Chad Tigert turns 33 on June 30.
· Up to Speed …
The Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway will be televised live Sunday, June 24 beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on TNT and be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network (PRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 16th of 36 NASCAR Cup Series events will air live on SPEED Friday, June 22 at 7 p.m. EDT and will also be broadcast live on PRN and Sirius Satellite Radio.
JEFF BURTON QUOTES –
How will the COT react on a road course and do you think the splitter will be an issue?
“I think the splitter is not as big of an issue as we believed it would be. The splitter has proven to be an extremely durable piece of material. I could be proven wrong but when we tested at VIR (Virginia International Raceway) last month, the curves were pretty aggressive, and I don't think it's going to be that big of an issue. Certainly it's potentially an issue but I don't think the splitter is going to be that big of an issue in and of itself. It's a lower grip car and it doesn't make as much grip as the cars we are running today and on a road course, it will make a big difference. They're heavier and the CG (center of gravity) is higher. There are a lot of things that work against the car driving well and that will show up on a road course."
Do you enjoy road course racing?
“I love road course racing. I think it’s a blast. It breaks up the year for us and gives us something different than what we normally do. I’m confident in how we ran there in the past, but we don’t have a lot of finishes to show for it. A lot of that falls on my shoulders. The two road course races are going to be very important to the Chase. Those are the types of race tracks that have huge potential pitfalls. You can easily finish 43rd there by having a problem or getting off course. It’s a place where you can lose a lot of ground. On the other hand, it’s a place where you can make up a lot of ground. If you can run up front, you have a chance of winning and potentially could make up some ground in the points.”
What’s the difference between Infineon Raceway and Watkins Glen?
“Watkins Glen is the superspeedway of road courses and Infineon Raceway is the Martinsville of road courses. Watkins Glen has much faster corners and longer straightaways than Infineon. Infineon has many more turns, less heavy breaking areas and much shorter straightaways than Watkins Glen. They are both road courses but the similarities stop there. The two tracks are very different in layout. Infineon has big, quick elevation changes where as Watkins Glen has much slower elevation changes and the corners are faster.”
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Behind The Hauler Chat With Jeff Burton
Behind The Hauler Chat With Jeff Burton
Jeff Burton Pre-Darlington NNCS Race Preview
