Race 2 Win: Nextel All-Star Challenge

Nextel Cup Series

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Nextel All-Star Challenge - Jeff Burton Notes

Jeff Burton
No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet
Event Preview Fact Sheet

Event/Date: NASCAR All-Star Challenge Open – May 21, 2005
Venue: Lowe’s Motor Speedway – Concord, N.C.

NOTES:

This Week’s Race Car at Lowe’s Motor Speedway for the NASCAR All-Star Challenge Open … Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 115 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable, which was running sixth at Darlington Raceway before a loose wheel caused Burton to pit late in the race, resulting in a 21st-place finish. It also finished 12th earlier this season at Texas.

Stat Facts …

In his 11 full seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series, Burton has been in the NASCAR All-Star Challenge nine times, posting his best finish of fourth in 1998. He has two top- five and four top-10 finishes in the NASCAR All-Star event.

Burton won the 2003 Winston Open, claiming the final transfer position for The Winston All-Star event where he went on to finish ninth

Pit Crew Challenge … The Team Cingular Pit Crew will participate in the NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge Thursday, May 19 at 7 p.m. at the Charlotte Coliseum. All teams eligible for the All-Star Challenge are eligible to compete, along with three others who gained entry by their points standings following last weekend’s race at Richmond. Tickets for the event are available for $10; children under 12 will be admitted free. Tickets for the NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge can be purchased through Ticketmaster, at Lowe's Motor Speedway website www.lowesmotorspeedway.com, at each stop of the NASCAR All-Star Challenge Trophy Tour or by calling (800) 455-FANS. There is free parking for all fans.

Start your Engines … Team Cingular head engine builder Greg Gunnell will join Danny Lawrence, RCR’s Assistant Engine Department Manager, in the Clevite Engine Builder Championship Tuesday, May 24 at 5 p.m. at the NASCAR Technical Institute. The pair will go head-to-head with teams from Hendrick Motorsports and Evernham Motorsports.

Muscle Team … Burton will join other Charlotte athletes and celebrities at the Muscle Team 2005 charity event at the Charlotte Coliseum Wednesday, May 18. Muscle Team® 2005, presented by CITGO Petroleum Corporation, pairs top Charlotte athletes with an MDA buddy (a local child living with a neuromuscular disease) and allows participants to mingle with the coaches, athletes, MDA buddies, celebrities and top business executives. Others participating include Carolina Panthers head coach John Fox and players Jake Delhomme, Mike Minter and Mike Rucker, players from the Charlotte Bobcats and Sting and Charlotte 49er’s head coach Bobby Lutz. Other NASCAR drivers include John Andretti and Kerry Earnhardt.

Up to Speed … Live coverage of the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge Open and the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge begins Saturday, May 21 at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on FX. The race will be covered live on the Motor Racing Network and XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying is scheduled for Friday, March 13 at 6:10 p.m. EDT.

JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
The All-Star weekend is always exciting for the race fans, but what about for the teams and the drivers?
“It’s actually a really fun and relaxing weekend for us. This is one weekend you can really just go and lay it all out on the line and if things don’t go well, you just load up and go home. You don’t have to sulk over it for a few days. If things go well, you celebrate and have a good time.”

Other sports vote-in the players for their All-Star games, is NASCAR’s set up the way it should be, by including the winners and past champions?
“I’m cool with the way ours is set up. I definitely think that winners should be in it and the champions ought to be in it, but I don’t know that the past winners of the All-Star race should transfer over into it. I think that if you’ve won a championship you should be in it regardless. But, I’m pretty cool with it the way it is now.”

What would it mean to you to win the NASCAR All-Star race?
“I have to be honest. I’ve been in it a bunch, but I can’t look back on any of those races and thought I had a chance to win any of them. For some reason, I just was never good enough in the race. To win it would certainly mean a lot, but it wouldn’t mean as much to me as winning a points race or it doesn’t compare to what it would mean to win the championship. But, it is a special weekend. It’s a weekend that puts a lot of attention on our sport and when you can be successful in something like that, it’s cool. If you ask me, it’s real high on my list, but it’s not as high as some other things.”

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