Race 2 Win: Stater Bros. 300 - Jeff Burton Notes

NASCAR Busch Series

Stater Bros. 300 - Jeff Burton Notes

Jeff Burton
No. 21 U.S. Coast Guard Chevrolet
Event Preview Fact Sheet

Event/Date: Stater Bros. 300 – February 25, 2006
Venue: California Speedway – Fontana, Calif.

NOTES:

This Week’s Race Car at California Speedway … Jeff Burton will pilot chassis No. 037 from the Richard Childress Racing stable. The car was a No. 2 ACDelco Chevrolet last season running at Atlanta (finished 21st), Nashville (finished 5th), Richmond (finished 9th) and Dover ( finished 19th) before being re-skinned during the off-season.

RCR Engines … The Richard Childress Racing engine department had a historical weekend at Daytona International Speedway. Four of the top five finishers in the Hershey’s Kissables 300 were powered by RCR engines. Theses drivers included: Tony Stewart (first), Burney Lamar (second), Clint Bowyer (third) and Kevin Harvick (fifth).

Stat Facts … In five Busch Starts at California Speedway, Burton has collected two top-five finishes.

Double Down … Burton will also race the No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet in the Auto Club 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at California Speedway on Sunday, February 26. In addition to his duties in the Coast Guard Chevrolet, Burton will race for a championship in the 36-race NASCAR Cup Series.

Grueling Task … Just like 2005, the start to the 2006 Busch Series season will be grueling for the NASCAR Busch Series teams. The transport drivers will carry much of the load as they’ll travel from Daytona Beach, Fla., to Fontana, Calif., to Mexico City, Mexico, to Las Vegas, Nev., to Atlanta, Ga., before finally making a stop back in North Carolina. In all, the truck drivers will spend 24 days and about 11,500 miles.

The U.S. Coast Guard … In 2004, the Coast Guard prevented more than 376,800 pounds of illegal drugs from reaching the United States. It also interdicted nearly 11,000 undocumented migrants attempting to enter the country illegally by sea.

RCR at Fontana … In 16 previous Busch Series races at California Speedway, RCR has yet to record a win but they have posted two poles (Harvick/2003 and Bowyer/2005), seven top-five and nine top-10 finishes. In 2005, RCR cars finished in the top five in three out of four attempts.

Did you Know … Burton has led 3,213 laps in NASCAR Busch Series competition, ranking him fifth all-time for total laps led.

Up to Speed … The Stater Bros. 300 at DIS will be televised live Saturday, February 25 beginning at 6p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on FX. The Motor Racing Network (MRN) and XM Satellite Radio will also carry the race broadcast live. Qualifying for the Stater Bros. 300 will on SPEED Saturday, February 25 beginning at 4 p.m. EST.

JEFF BURTON QUOTE:
You’re running the Busch race Saturday in the No. 21 Coast Guard Chevrolet for RCR? You ran there in a Busch race in September 2005, what are your expectations?
“I have high expectations for the Busch race. The RCR Busch program is one of the best in the series. We had a strong run last weekend at Daytona so I’m real excited about the race. My Cup guys are helping out for the Busch race by pitting the Coast Guard car and maintaining the car, so we have really high expectations.”

CREW CHIEF SHANE WILSON QUOTES:
You have two different drivers (Harvick and Burton) with two different personalities so do you approach each weekend differently?
“I have actually dealt with Kevin more, and I knew Kevin before I came to RCR. I don’t know Jeff as well but I have a lot of respect for him. I really look forward to working with him and seeing what I can learn from a NASCAR veteran. There are definitely two different personalities, for sure. However, they both want the same results and that’s to win races. My approach week-in and week-out is going to be just that, win races.”

What are your team goals for the season?
“My goals are pretty high this year. I want the No. 21 Coast Guard team to win the NASCAR Busch Series owners’ championship. I also want to help Kevin win the drivers’ championship. I think if we work together as a team we can accomplish these goals.”

What does your team have to do day-in and day-out to stay competitive?
“We are going to lean hard on the engines throughout the year. We might even get involved in a wreck here or there. We can overcome these mistakes if we run good the rest of the time. I want to dominate more than they did last year. They had a pretty good record in 2005, winning four races and having some other really good finishes. I want to step it up a notch. Whether we can or not is yet to be determined.”

Do you have to take a different approach as a crew chief now that you are working in the Busch Series?
“I always said if you want to win a championship you must perform at the next level. I used that approach in the Truck Series and was very successful. So, if I can get my team to function as a Cup crew and perform at a higher level than the competition, we can dominate. So, no, I am not changing my approach at all.”