Race 2 Win: Carquest Auto Parts 300

NASCAR Busch Series

Carquest Auto Parts 300 - Jeff Burton Notes

Jeff Burton
No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet
Event Preview Fact Sheet

Event/Date: Carquest Auto Parts 300 – May 27, 2006
Venue: Lowe’s Motor Speedway – Concord, N.C.

NOTES:

This Week’s Race Car Lowe’s Motor Speedway … Jeff Burton will pilot chassis No. 055 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable which was built new for the 2006 season and tested earlier this month at LMS.

Stat Facts … In 24 Busch starts at LMS, Burton boasts two wins, five top-five and nine top-10 finishes.

Double Duty … In addition to his driving duties with the No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet at LMS, Burton, a 17-time race winner in the NASCAR Cup Series, will drive the No. 31 Cingular Chevrolet in the Coca-Cola 600 Sunday, May 28. The race will air live on FOX beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). Burton currently sits 10th in the 2006 NASCAR Cup Series point championship.

Second Time Around … Burton will return to the seat of the No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet for the Carquest Auto Parts 300 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. In the team’s first outing at Richmond International Raceway earlier this month, Burton battled for the win before finishing second to RCR teammate Kevin Harvick.

RCR Busch Brigade … In 12 races Busch Series races this season, Richard Childress Racing has claimed five victories (Harvick – 4 and Burton – 1). To go along with those wins, the three RCR Busch teams (No. 2, No. 21 and No. 29) have a total of 14 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes.

Work it out … Following the completion of the 2005 NASCAR Cup Series season, Holiday Inn driver Jeff Burton hired a new trainer and recommitted himself to an intense work out program. On Wednesday, May 24, Sports Illustrated will join Burton at his work out to photograph a feature for their magazine.

TV Time … Burton will make a guest appearance on “Trackside” Friday, May 26 at 7 p.m. The popular racing program will take place on the Coke Stage at Speed Street in Uptown Charlotte and shown live SPEED. Following his appearance on Trackside Burton will remain at the race festival with Coca-Cola for an 8 p.m. question and answer session on the Coke stage.

Testing One, Two, Three, Testing … Burton and the No. 29 Holiday Inn Racing team tested at LMS May 8-9 in preparation for the Carquest Auto Parts 300.

Up to Speed … The Carquest Auto Parts 300 at LMS will be televised live Saturday, May 27 beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on FX and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network (PRN) and XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 12th of 35 NASCAR Busch Series events will take the green flag at 9 p.m. EST Thursday, May 25 and will be telecast live on SPEED.

JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
How is the track with the newly paved surface at Lowe’s Motor Speedway?
“It’s certainly different. It’s not the same old Lowe’s Motor Speedway. It’s quite a bit different than it was before. I think the biggest difference we are feeling is too is the tire. The tire is extremely hard. Goodyear decided to bring a tire which is ultra safe to make sure we didn’t have any problems. It’s probably a harder tire and a stiffer tire than we really need but I give them credit for coming here with a tire they feel very good about the fact that it can live and not cause any problems. When you come to a track like this that potentially has a tremendous amount of grip and the surface is new, I think that is the right thing to do.

“I think the transitions are a little weird. Going into turn one you kind of go up a hill going into the turn and coming off of turn four there is kind of like a big hole at the exit. But, I think that once the track gets older a little slick the turn four deal will certainly become an issue. Right now I think the chance for multiple grooves is there so that’s a good thing. In all honesty, time will tell. I think the biggest thing we’re fighting today is the tires. Since they are so hard and conservative they don’t feel very good.”

How do the cars perform in the corner with this new tire?
“If you get the thought out of your head that this is new pavement with a lot of grip, then it’s alright. If you drive into the corner thinking it’s new pavement and the grip is going to be there for you, then it’s not going to be okay. If you kind of forget those things and go out and worry about how your car is driving instead of how it could be driving, it’s fine. When we go to tracks with new asphalt, the grip level is exceptionally high. This track isn’t that way but it’s because of the tire. If we didn’t have this tire it would definitely have a tremendous amount of grip. Without the grip, it’s easier to spin here. If you are running on the loose side it’s really easy to spin because the rear tires just don’t have enough grip. Right now, you are better off being tight.”