Race 2 Win: Busch Series Race Notes

NASCAR Busch Series

NAPA Auto Parts 200 - Jeff Burton Notes

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

Event/Date: NAPA Auto Parts 200 – August 4, 2007
Venue: Circuit Gilles Villeneuve – Montreal, Canada

NOTES:

This Week’s Race Car at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve … Jeff Burton will pilot Chassis No. 071 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable. This is a brand new Holiday Inn Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS that Burton and the Holiday Inn racing team tested at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) on July 17.

Beinvenue vers le Montreal … Jeff Burton will pilot the No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevy this weekend for the inaugural NASCAR Busch Series event at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve located in Montreal, Quebec. The South Boston, Va., native will take the wheel second in the NASCAR Busch Series owners’ point standings.

Logging Miles … As he pursues his third NASCAR Busch Series win of 2007, Burton will commute over 1,676 miles between Concord, N.C., Pocono Raceway and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. On Thursday morning, Burton will fly from Concord, N.C., to Montreal for open practice and then fly to Pocono that evening for Friday and Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying. The 40-year-old driver will then depart Pocono via helicopter immediately following practice on Saturday morning, and head for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton airport. If all goes according to plan, Burton will practice the No. 31 AT&T Chevy Saturday morning before heading to Montreal in time to qualify and race the No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevy that afternoon.

Standing By … Scott Wimmer will be on hand in Montreal to get the Holiday Inn Chevy dialed in before Burton makes the trip Saturday morning. If Burton’s Cup Series schedule hinders his arrival time, Wimmer will qualify the car as well

One for the Books … History was made last month when Terry Labonte tested with members of RCR’s NASCAR Busch Series teams at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in preparation for the inaugural Canadian Busch Series race. It was the first time a Busch Series race car has turned a lap on the 13-turn 2.709-mile circuit, which has been home to the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix since 1978.

RCR Road Course Stats … In 11 previous NASCAR Busch Series road course starts, RCR has posted four top-five and seven top-10 finishes. In 2006, RCR cars finished in the top 10 twice and led for a total of 19 laps.

Stat Facts … Despite competing in just 10 of the 22 Busch Series events to date in the 2007 season, Burton sits 26th in the drivers’ points. Nine of his 10 races have resulted in top-10 finishes, including two wins (Las Vegas and Atlanta) and seven top-five finishes.

Double Duty … In addition to racing the No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet in Saturday’s NBS race, Burton will drive RCR’s No. 31 AT&T Chevrolet in the Pennsylvania 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway on Sunday, August 5. The 19-time Cup Series winner has posted six top-five and 13 top-10 finishes in 27 starts at the track.

Leading the Way in Owner Wins … Richard Childress Racing leads the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series in owner wins with seven.

RCR Busch Brigade … In 22 Busch Series races this season, RCR has claimed seven victories - the most recent coming three weeks ago at Chicagoland Speedway with Harvick (Burton – 2, Clint Bowyer- 2 and Harvick –3). Additionally, the three RCR Busch teams (No. 2, No. 21 and No. 29) have a total of 26 top-five and 37 top-10 finishes while leading for a total of 1,055 laps.

Catch the Action … The NAPA Auto Parts 200 will be televised live on ESPN2 Saturday, August 4 beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 23rd race on the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series schedule will be televised live on ESPN2 the same day beginning at 12 noon EDT.

JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
What are you looking forward to most at the Busch Series race in Montreal?
“I really enjoy the road course races but I am not as good as what I need to be. I have been working hard to improve my road course skills but this will give me another chance to do that. I think that the Busch Series is one of the best in the world and to have the chance to go to Montreal is a really big step for NASCAR. There’s a tremendous amount of fans in NASCAR and just to be a part of that is really why I wanted to race. Of course, I want to work on my road course skills a little, but mainly I want to be a part of a big event for NASCAR.”

You are pulling double duty this weekend with the Cup race in Pocono so how will that affect your weekend schedule?
“I will be there for the open practice on Thursday but the next time that I see the Holiday Inn Chevy will be Saturday. I am not going to sacrifice my time in the Cup Series car at Pocono and that puts me in a position where I probably won’t be able to make the driver’s meeting or qualifying. We are going to be committed to starting in the back but I am pretty good at that anyway. We will bite the bullet if we have to do that.”

Do you have any experience racing at Montreal?
“I have been racing my 6-year-old on his video game. That is my Montreal experience. He usually wins so that is a problem.”