Jeff Burton
No. 31 Cingular Wireless GoPhone Chevrolet
Event Preview Fact Sheet
Event/Date: Coca-Cola 600 – May 29, 2005
Venue: Lowe’s Motor Speedway – Concord, N.C.
NOTES:
This Week’s Race Car at Lowe’s Motor Speedway … Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 115 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable, the same car Burton raced last week in the All-Star Open. It was also run earlier this season at Darlington (started 34th, finished 21st) and Texas (started 41st, finished 12th)
Two time winner … Burton won the Coca-Cola 600 in 1999 and 2001.
Stat Facts … In 22 starts at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Burton has posted two wins, five top-fives and 10 top-10 finishes
‘GoPhone’ … Burton’s bright orange Cingular Wireless Chevrolet will have a new look at the Coca- Cola 600 with a special paint scheme to promote Cingular Wireless’ new GoPhone, a prepaid or pay- as-you-go wireless service providing consumers with the ultimate level of freedom, control and choice of their wireless products and plans. With no annual contract or credit check, GoPhone is perfect plan for the quick and painless wireless pit stop while still providing consumers with all of the latest products and services that have helped Cingular become the largest wireless carrier in the country
Meet the Driver … Burton will sign autographs Friday, May 27 from 4-6 p.m. at the Cingular Wireless store located at 9433 Pineville Matthews Road in Pineville, N.C.
Up on Stage … Burton will participate in a question and answer session on the Coca-Cola stage at the Speed Street race festival in Uptown Charlotte Friday, May 27 from 7:30-9 p.m.
Up to Speed … The Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway will be televised live Sunday, May 29 beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on FOX and be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network (PRN) and XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 12th of 36 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series events will air live on SPEED Thursday, May 26 at 7 p.m. EDT and will also be broadcast live on PRN and XM Satellite Radio.
JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
How tough is a 600 mile race on equipment and the drivers?
“I really don’t think it’s that bad. It’s 100 miles more than what we normally race. A lot is always made about running 600 miles, but at the end of the day it’s about 65 additional laps, so I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. When I’m racing, I don’t really pay attention to how many laps are left. It could be 800 laps and be long, but I really don’t think the 600 miles makes that big of an impact.”
Do you use the All-Star weekend as a test session for the Coca-Cola 600?
“I think there is a lot you can take out of the All-Star weekend and use for the 600. That is why we didn’t test at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, we thought we could use the All-Star weekend as a test session and save our test to go somewhere else.”
Do you have to run the 600 in stages due to the start time and the length of the race?
“The 600 starts out in the late afternoon and the track is one way, then it changes to another, then another. It just continues to change throughout the race. The 600 is long enough were you can kind of pace yourself from a position stand point. You don’t have to lead every lap. There is plenty of time to keep working to make your car better throughout the race because the track does change. You just break it down based on how many laps are left and where you are running, but it’s really no different than any other race.
Do you need to be good throughout the 600 or can you work on it to be good at the end?
“Well, you certainly need to be the best at the end and don’t necessarily have to be your best at the start, but you can’t be so bad where you go a lap down. You need to be decent throughout the event. The two 600’s I won we ran pretty well throughout the race and I think that’s how most winners come out of that race.”
