Strong Second Half Run Sets Tone for Burton in 2001

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (November 28, 2001) - No other Winston Cup driver had a more successful second half run in 2001 than Roush Racing's Jeff Burton and the CITGO SUPERGARD Motor Oil Ford Taurus. Burton was as low as 35th place in the point standings as late as the month of April, but the No. 99 team pulled together when it had to, mounting seven top 10 finishes in the next 11 races.

Burton's eighth place finish at Daytona in July moved him to 14th place in the points, marking a rise of 21 points in a span of 11 races.

Burton's second place finish at Watkins Glen in mid-August moved him to 13th place in the points. A fifth place finish at the UAW-GM Quality 500 in October allowed the driver of the CITGO SUPERGARD Ford Taurus to crack the top 10 in the points standings for the first time of the season. Burton would use five top five finishes in the last eight races of the year to secure his position among NASCAR's elite and a spot on the stage in New York at the NASCAR banquet. Over the last seven races of the season, Burton accumulated five top five finishes, and six top 10 finishes.

On the year he drove the CITGO SUPERGARD car to 16 top-10 finishes, eight top five's and two trips to victory lane. Of those numbers, 11 of the top 10 finishes came in the season's second half, with Burton compiling six of his eight top five finishes after July. In fact, 2,682 of Burton's 4,394 driver points in 2001 were accumulated after June 25.

Burton and his team struggled to find the right equation during the first seven races of the season, failing to finish in the field's top 15, and the CITGO SUPERGARD team went into the Virginia 500 at Martinsville ranked 35th in driver points standings. However, a third place finish at Martinsville, followed by a 10th place finish the following week at the Talladega 500 moved Burton up 10 spots to 25th and seemed to mark a turn around for the team. Burton would taste victory lane for the first time in 2001 just a few week's later with his victory at the Coca-Cola 600, a win that marked his 16th career Winston Cup Victory, and started a run of five top-10 finishes in the next six races.

Burton and the CITGO SUPERGARD team would close out the season with nine top 10 finishes in the last 15 races, including five top-five finishes in the last eight. He claimed his second win of the season on Oct. 28 at the Checker Auto Parts 500 in Phoenix. The win culminated one of the most successful months in NASCAR with Burton accruing four top five finishes in October, including a third place stop at the EA Sports 500 on Oct. 21 at Talladega.

After another third place finish in the Pennzoil Freedom 400, Burton drove the CITGO SUPERGARD Ford to a 10th place finish at the NAPA 500 on Nov. 18 to clinch the 10th position in the final driver standings, marking the fifth straight year he has accomplished that feat.

Burton and the CITGO SUPERGARD team will look to continue on the wave of momentum gathered during the second half of the 2001 season and will undoubtedly be one of the favorites to take the points championship in 2002.

Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Roush Industries that operates eight teams; four in NASCAR Winston Cup with drivers Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch; two in the Busch series with Burton and Greg Biffle; and two teams in the Craftsman Truck series with drivers Jon Wood and Kyle Busch.