Ward Burton will make his 335th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series start when the green flag drops for the MBNA America 400 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
BURTON ON DOVER... "Even though it's only a mile, Dover is a really fast track. It's got a lot of banking, it's concrete, it's fast and if you haven't got things figured out by Sunday, you're going to be in for a really long day. Just like every other track, staying out of trouble is always a key there. Difference is at Dover, if you hit, you usually hit big. There's no driving down pit road after an accident and making a couple of stops to fix a few problems. More likely, you're headed to the garage for major repairs or to load it on the truck and go home. I've had good days there and I've had more than my share of long days too. The good news is, you can pass there, you just have to be patient and pick the right time to do it. Absolutely everything has to be working for you to be really successful at Dover. Once you get it figured out, it's a great place to race and you look forward to going there every time. If you've struggled there in the past, this is one of those racetracks you just dread going to. This NetZero Racing team has made steady progress in the last couple of weeks and I think we ought to be able to get there and have a pretty good weekend."
DOVER NOTES OF INTEREST
The Haas CNC Racing team has opted to utilize chassis 002 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway this weekend. This particular car was utilized at the North Carolina Speedway earlier this year as well as in Rockingham for both events last season and in the first Bristol event in 2003.
Ward Burton has made 20 starts on the 1-mile Dover, Delaware track. Burton has posted two Top-10 finishes at The Monster Mile
The NetZero Racing team picked up two spots in the point standings following the race in Charlotte. Burton now holds down 20th place. The team has picked up four places in the past two events.
Burton is scheduled to make an appearance at the Kmart located at 515 North DuPont Highway in Dover Friday, June 4th from 6:30 to 7:30 pm.
Burton and the NetZero Racing team are scheduled to test at Virginia International Raceway next Wednesday, June 9th in preparation for the upcoming road course event at Infineon (Sonoma, Calif.) Raceway.
Burton will host the first annual Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation Clay Shoot event Thursday prior to the race at Pocono (Penn.) Raceway in Farmington, Pennsylvania. Other Cup drivers scheduled to attend are Jeff Burton, Casey Mears, Kyle Petty and Greg Biffle.