Pop Secret 500 - Ward Burton Notes

Ward Burton will make his 347th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series start when the green flag drops for the Pop Secret 500 at California Speedway Sunday evening.

BURTON ON FONTANA…Every time we go to Fontana it’s more than just another race on the schedule for this team. This area is the home of both NetZero and Haas Automation so it’s always a busy week for us and it gives us the opportunity to show everyone involved with this team how much we appreciate them. We were able to have one of best finishes of the season last time we were here and we hope to be able to do even better than that this time around. It will be an interesting race to get ready for. The track itself is wide and fast and we really depend on our Hendrick Engines to get us around this place. The good news is that there is more than one groove and you can kind of search for the one your car likes the most if you get into that kind of a position. This time, we’ll start in the heat of the day and then finish in the evening, and that will really keep everybody on their toes. It’s a bit of a new challenge for everyone and I’m sure we’ll be able to adapt as well as ever! Sure, it will be strange not to be in Darlington on Labor Day weekend, but this is a good opportunity to showcase our sport, which I’m sure is part of what NASCAR had in mind when they made the change. We’re looking forward to getting there and seeing how the weekend goes.”

FONTANA NOTES OF INTEREST