Race 2 Win: Busch Series Race Notes

NASCAR Busch Series

Nicorette 300 - Jeff Burton Notes

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

Event/Date: Nicorette 300 – March 17, 2007
Venue: Atlanta Motor Speedway – Hampton, Ga.

NOTES:

This Week’s Race Car at Atlanta Motor Speedway … Jeff Burton will pilot Chassis No. 055 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable, a car that Burton finished 10th with in August 2006 at Michigan International Speedway.

Defending Atlanta … Burton is the defending NASCAR Busch Series race winner at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS). The March 2006 victory was Burton’s first win at the speedway. This weekend’s race is the third of 18 that Burton is scheduled to drive the Holiday Inn Chevrolet.

Double Duty … In addition to racing the No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet in Saturday’s NBS race, Burton will drive RCR’s No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet in the Kobalt Tools 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at AMS on Sunday, March 18. The South Boston, Va., native has posted five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes in 25 NASCAR Cup Series starts at the track.

RCR Busch Cars in the ATL … Historically, RCR Busch cars have struggled at Atlanta. In 14 starts, dating back to 2000, RCR has scored just one top-five and four top-10 finishes at AMS including Jeff Burton’s win last March in the No. 21 Chevrolet.

Media Opportunity … Burton will be available for interviews inside the AMS infield media center on Friday, March 16 at 9:30 a.m.

Holiday Inn Hometown … Burton and teammate Scott Wimmer will visit and meet with Holiday Inn employees at the company’s Atlanta headquarters on Thursday, March 15.

Holiday Inn VIP Birthday Dinner … On Monday, March 19th InterContinental Hotels Group’s Priority Club online auction winner, Brian Yarring will celebrate his birthday with a VIP experience with RCR and Childress Vineyards. First, he will be given a behind the scenes tour of the Richard Childress Racing race shops, including that of the No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet. Following the shop tour Yarring will visit Childress Vineyards and enjoy a wine tasting. Finally, he will enjoy a private dinner by the executive chef at Childress Vineyards with owner Richard Childress. Procedes from the online auction will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Check out Priorityclub.com for more opportunities to win with Holiday Inn Racing.

Catch the Action … The Nicorette 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway will be televised live on ABC on Saturday, March 17 beginning at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The race will also be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network (PRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the fifth of 35 races on the 2007 Busch Series calendar will air live on SPEED Saturday, March 17 beginning at 11:30 a.m. EDT.

JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
Does the sun present any challenges at Atlanta?
“The sun is a huge issue at Atlanta. Entering turn one, you get to where you can’t even see the wall. The visibility is way down and the groove is up by the wall. You are trying to use every inch of the race track but you can’t see it so it creates a huge challenge. As the day goes on, the shade gets on the other part of the track so you have sun shining on part of the track and shade on the other part. That is a huge challenge because temperature makes a huge difference on how these cars drive.”

You run well at Atlanta. Do you think you have a shot to win in the Busch race?
“As hard as we have worked on the Cup program, we have that worked that hard on the Busch program, too. We were able to win that race last year and it is always cool to go back and try to defend the win. So we will go there and aggressively try to win the Busch race. It’s great for me running both races on a weekend because it helps me get into gear - especially this time of year. We don’t get much of a preseason. We immediately get into racing. The more I can race early then the more I can get into the sync of things. I love running the Busch car. It has been fast pretty much everywhere we have gone with it and, hopefully, we will have a chance to win.”

How did you feel winning at Atlanta last year?
“When you can’t compete at a high level or put yourself in a position to win, then racing is no fun. Winning meant a lot because we were able to win in the Busch car and run well in the Cup car. I have never been one to try to prove myself to other people but it is very important what I think of myself. It doesn’t bother me if the media doesn’t think that I am a good racecar driver. What bothers me is if I don’t think that I am a good racecar driver or my peers don’t think that I am a good racecar driver. It was verification to me that I hadn’t forgotten how to do this. It was a great race with a three-wide battle with Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne who are two of the hottest guys out there. We were able to get on top of them that day and that means a lot when you are able to beat quality competition. I don’t care if it’s in a Busch car or a late model car or a Cup car. If you are able to win against tough competition, then that means you have done a good job.”