Stater Bros. 300 - Ward Burton Notes

Ward Burton
Stater Bros. 300 Preview
#27 Kleenex® Ford Fusion / Brewco Motorsports

Race: Stater Bros. 300
Track: California Speedway; Fontana, California
Date: Saturday, February 24, 2007
Start: Green flag at 7:46 PM ET (150 Laps / 300 Miles)
TV: ESPN2 beginning at 7 PM ET
Radio: Motor Racing Network
Driver: Ward Burton
Crew Chief: Stewart Cooper
Purse: $1,626,139

Ward Burton will be making his first NASCAR Busch Series start at the California Speedway since 2000 when he qualified 6th and finished 34th. Burton was an accident victim and completed 143 of the 150 scheduled laps in his ONLY Busch Series race on the 2-mile track.

The #27 Brewco Motorsports Ford Fusion will have Kimberly-Clark’s Cottonelle® brand on the hood, Kleenex® on the TV panel, and Viva® / Scott Shop Towels® on the lower quarter panels. Retail distributor Stater Bros. will be displayed on the quarter panels for the Stater Bros. 300 this week.

Ward Burton on the Stater Bros. 300 and California Speedway:
“I’m really looking forward to going to a downforce track with the Kleenex® Racing Team. We tested at Las Vegas with this Ford Fusion and learned a lot for this type track. The more races on California, the less grip for the track, so this week will be a challenge for everyone. This will be the first time in the Busch Series since my early days of racing to qualify and race on the same day. That will be different, plus the fact it’s an impound event. So, the adjustments made during practice to prepare for qualifying as well as the race will be very important. I look for our team to be strong right off the truck and throughout the weekend in California.”

Ward Burton will be the seventh different driver to pilot the #27 Brewco Motorsports car in Busch Series competition at the California Speedway. Scot Walters competed in ’98; Casey Atwood in ’99 and ’00; Jamie McMurray in ’01 & ’02; Chase Montgomery in ’03; Johnny Sauter in ’04; and David Green in ’05 & ’06. The best finish for the #27 team at California Speedway is 11th by McMurray on April 27, 2002. The best qualifying effort was 7th by Casey Atwood in ’99. The #27 team has been running at the finish in ten of their previous twelve Busch races at California.

FYI … The last NASCAR Busch Series win for Ward Burton was at Atlanta Motor Speedway in November, 1993. The last pole for Burton was September, 1999 at Darlington. Burton has four wins and seven poles in his 146 race Busch Series career.